Overview
- The Strokes, which closed their Coachella mainstage set Saturday, projected a montage accusing the CIA of regime change and ending with footage labeled “Over 30 universities destroyed in Iran” and “Last university standing in Gaza.”
- The sequence ran during the band’s 2016 song “Oblivius,” whose chorus repeats “What side you standing on?” as the group performed in front of a mosque backdrop.
- The video mixed confirmed and contested claims, citing the CIA-backed 1953 coup against Iran’s Mohammad Mossadegh and referencing a 1999 civil verdict on Martin Luther King Jr.’s murder that the Justice Department later said lacked supporting evidence.
- Coachella’s YouTube feed showed the presentation in full, and clips drew millions of views on social platforms by Sunday with praise from some fans and sharp criticism from others.
- Festival organizers have not issued a rebuke, and the band remains set to release its new album Reality Awaits on June 26 and begin a world tour, including another Goldenvoice-run festival date in Southern California in August.