Watch Julian Casablancas Join The Raconteurs To Perform “Modern Age” In Mexico
Julian Casablancas and Jack White have been linked in the public imagination since the two of them emerged as young rock heroes in the same early-’00s moment. They cemented that link early on, when their bands the Strokes and the White Stripes played triumphant shows together in 2002. And then their careers took different paths. But last night, those paths converged once again in Mexico City.
These days, Jack White is playing with his reactivated band the Raconteurs. Earlier this year, they emerged from a decade-long hiatus and released the new album Help Us Stranger. The Raconteurs are on tour right now, and last night, they played Mexico City’s El Plaza Condesa. During the nine-song encore, they launched into the Strokes’ 2001 classic “The Modern Age,” and the crowd promptly lost it when an unannounced Julian Casablancas sauntered onstage with no introduction and sang the song with the band.
Casablancas, clearly having a good time, brought his customary weaving-drunk stage presence. (We don’t know if he was actually drunk.) At one point, he climbed a massive speaker cabinet and then had to climb down when he realized that he’d unplugged his mic. He also kneeled at Jack White’s feet. Watch shaky cell-phone footage of the whole episode below.
Shout out to the Mexico City crowd for giving that moment the freakout that it needed.