Member "NewMom2B" wrote:
Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders, with drummer Martin Chambers the only other remaining original member, rocked us on Mardi Gras night with a mixture of tunes old (“Talk of The Town,” “Message of Love,” “Back on the Chain Gang”) and new (“Don’t Cut Your Hair,” “Rosalee, “Love’s A Mystery”) in promoting their ninth and most recent album, the terrific Break Up the Concrete.
Hynde, an American girl (Akron, Ohio) who formed the group with three British males in 1978, is still going strong at age 57 even while flecks of gray start appearing among those trademark black bangs. She refuses to sit on her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame laurels (Class of 2005, with U2) or turn into a bland nostalgia act that winds up playing in casino bars and hotel lounges.
The Pretenders hit the stage to the recorded sounds of “On the Street Where You Live” from My Fair Lady. Still looking as cool as she did on the cover of Pretenders II in 1981, Hynde, wearing a dark tie and a coat with tails over a striped vest and black top, worn but slim-fitting jeans showing a gaping hole just under the top right pocket and knee-length boots with high heels, tore into “Boots of Chinese Plastic,” the energetic opener to Break Up the Concrete that coulda been a Top 40 contender back in the day.
Introducing the album’s second track, “Don’t Cut Your Hair,” Hynde snarled, “Here’s one for all the gentlemen in the house ... if there are any,” then shimmied and swayed across the stage.
And the Pretenders were off and running, while the full house occupied mostly by Middle-Aged Crazies ate it up, most of them standing on their feet for much of the show. Hynde, notorious in her heyday for telling unreceptive, unruly or unappreciative audiences where to go, was gracious throughout most of the 90-minute set. She smiled and bowed often, looking happy to be working with a group that has gone through enough personnel changes to keep Wikipedia working overtime.
She gave shout-outs to her boys in the band (past and present), calling the white-haired Chambers (with mutton-chopped sideburns and muscle shirt while sitting behind a clear plastic device that resembled a splash guard on a buffet table), “the world’s greatest drummer.” While those red locks are nevermore, he appeared as vibrant as he did back in 1981.
In introducing “Kid,” Hynde honored the memory of the band’s first guitarist, the extraordinary James Honeyman Scott, and bassist Pete Farndon, both of whom died of drug overdoses in the early '80s. “Without them, we wouldn’t be here,” she said.
Her love of country music is evident with the addition of steel pedal guitarist Eric Heywood, formerly of Son Volt, who was featured on “Love’s a Mystery” and “The Nothing Maker,” the latter a song Hynde said is “about a guy who has less ambition than all you guys put together ... and that’s why I love him.” And while bassist Nick Wilkinson has been a constant touring companion in recent years, the addition of lead guitarist James Walbourne has given the Pretenders a renewed vigor.
Walbourne’s rapid-fire riffs on “Rosalee” and “Thumbelina” were scorchers that set the stage for a frenetic finish that included four encores off their 1980 debut album, highlighted by the fast and furious “The Wait,” "Tattooed Love Boys," and “Precious”.
Yet Hynde and the Pretenders didn’t make this a predictable setlist. She and Walbourne actually shared a laugh after she prematurely moved Ray Davies’ “Stop Your Sobbing” (with a quick reference to the “Muswell Hillbilly,” who’s the father of her first child) up in the order.
A couple of times in the set Hynde even took requests, although she shot down one lame choice by growling sarcastically, “At least make it a Pretenders song.” For the most part, though, she appeared relaxed and in a festive mood, watching fans throw Mardi Gras beads on the stage and almost placing a cheap green, gold, and purple wreath made of tinsel around her neck. "How come Stevie Nicks gets cuddly dolls and hats?" she wondered aloud.
She didn’t disappoint anyone who was wondering if her mean streak had completely vanished. All it took was an asshole who sneaked in a cellphone camera, despite the highly visible postings at the entrance that they were not allowed.
On two occasions she got visibly annoyed, including in the middle of “Day After Day,” when Hynde, tambourine in hand, snapped “Can you stop it?” then continued like nothing ever happened.
Okay, so Chrissie isn’t always Little Miss Sunshine. Isn’t that part of her appeal? Yet, in the back before going on, she stood with me and shared stories of motherhood (I'm at 6 months and HUGE!!), remembering how thrilled she had been to be able to get back in her “cool jeans” only months after giving birth.
That's the yin-yang of Chrissie as she keeps playing for legions of Hip Chicks and Rock Jocks everywhere, continuing to challenge her band, her fans and anyone else who dares to come between them. No pretending or pretension about it.
Definitely, being backstage at great shows is where its at. Become a member of BackstagePassDirect and get your dreams made real.
