Music

The Strokes Guitarist Nick Valensi to Sit Out Reality Awaits Tour

Founding guitarist Nick Valensi will take a temporary break from The Strokes, with Longwave's Steve Schiltz filling in for the band's summer Reality Awaits Tour.

Rolling Stone·May 15, 2026·via Rolling Stone

The Strokes Guitarist Nick Valensi to Sit Out Reality Awaits Tour

Time Out

The Strokes Guitarist Nick Valensi Taking ‘Temporary Break’ From Band’s Reality Awaits Tour

Longwave's Steve Schiltz will fill in for the founding guitarist on the summer tour

By Daniel Kreps

Daniel Kreps

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May 15, 2026

The Strokes will embark on the Reality Awaits Tour without a founding member as the band announced that guitarist Nick Valensi is taking a “temporary break”from the summer trek.

The group appeared Thursday night on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert , and Valensi was noticeably missing from the performance of the Reality Awaits track “Falling Out of Love.” Soon after, the Strokes explained the guitarist’s absence on social media.

“Nick will be taking a temporary break from the scheduled tour, but we look forward to his return,” the band wrote, adding that “our old Steve Schiltz, who many of you will remember from the early NYC days,” would fill in for Valensi; Schiltz served as singer and guitarist in the similarly Y2K-era NYC band Longwave.

It’s unclear when Valensi will return to the tour, which kicks off in June following the band’s June 12 set at the Bonnaroo festival. In addition to their own tour dates, the Strokes have also festival gigs booked at Pasadena, California’s Just Like Heaven, Atlanta’s Shaky Knees, and Asbury Park, New Jersey’s Sea.Hear.Now. The group will then set off on a European tour in October.