Jack White brings out Strokes guitarist Nick Valensi in Los Angeles
Jack White pulled a surprise at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on 28 September 2026, bringing Strokes guitarist Nick Valensi onstage for two songs.
Valensi walked out as a surprise guest during White's Monday-night set, Rolling Stone reported. The crowd got two songs. That was it, and that was plenty.
The pair first played "Broken Boy Soldier", the 2006 song from the Raconteurs, White's other band alongside his solo work, Stereogum noted. They then played "Bless Yourself", a track from White's 2024 album No Name. That second song carried its own news, as it was the first time White had played "Bless Yourself" live.
The link between the two guitarists goes back more than two decades. White joined the Strokes onstage in August 2002 at Radio City Music Hall in New York to play "New York City Cops" with them. Monday's appearance reversed the roles, with Valensi stepping into White's show.
Valensi's appearance comes during a pause in his usual job. He is on a temporary break from the Strokes, with the hiatus announced in May. His last gig with the band before the break was at Coachella, the large California festival, and Steve Schiltz has replaced him on rhythm guitar — the part that holds down the chords behind the lead — for the Strokes' Reality Awaits Tour.
For fans, this means a rare sighting during that time away. Valensi has kept a low profile since the break was announced, and a two-song spot in Los Angeles offered a brief look at what he does outside the Strokes' lineup. What makes this stand out is the colour of the history, a favour returned 24 years later on the opposite coast.
