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Concert Review - The Pretenders
Concert Review
Massey Hall, Toronto - March 1, 2000
Some rock stars seem, well, immortal. I'm certain that Keith Richards will outlive us all. And Lemmy from Motorhead is another music warhorse who refuses to fade away. The whole rockstar immortality thing is creepier with Chrissie Hynde, because she looks, plays and sings better than she did twenty years ago. And that's about all you need to know about last night's Pretenders show at Toronto's Massey Hall.
Hynde and drummer Martin Chambers, the sole survivors of the Pretenders' original lineup, were joined by guitarist Adam Seymour and bassist Andy Hobson. This version of the Pretenders did a sterling job, spotlighting many of the highlights of their 22-year career, including new tunes from their latest album, "Viva El Amor!" Hits like "Don't Get Me Wrong", "Back On The Chain Gang" and "Talk Of The Town" received spirited ovations from the capacity crowd. The sound was crystal-clear and the band's performance was proficient and spirited, but the undisputed star of the show was Chrissie Hynde. After a couple of decades in the music business, Chrissie can't be bothered to mince words. A shouted request for a song from her most recent album prompted Hynde to call the band over and announce that they had finally found the person who bought it. While she may have played tough with the audience, Hynde's vocals were strong and clear, and the wide variety of material allowed her to show off what is arguably one of the best voices in rock music. "Night In My Veins", from one of the band's more recent releases, wound the fans up only to have the tension released by a frenzied cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Roomful Of Mirrors". Adam Seymour threw out a great wall of incandescent guitar, Chrissie Hynde rode an imaginary Harley and the Music Insight staff celebrated the sheer sensory overload of the wildly strobing lights by throwing themselves to the ground, foaming at the mouth and baying like wild dogs. The band left the stage to a booming ovation.
The band had some unfinished business, and returned to the stage to play a throbbing "Mystery Achievement". The Pretenders closed the night with the two songs that put them on the map, "Stop Your Sobbing" and "Brass In Pocket". Hynde's renditions of these songs were stunning, and their delivery was sensitive, yet strong. The audience, realizing that the night was drawing to a close, cheered, stamped and generally bathed the band in a large helping of grateful applause. The band will be playing the northeastern U.S. until March 13th. Go see them.
Some rock stars seem, well, immortal. I'm certain that Keith Richards will outlive us all. And Lemmy from Motorhead is another music warhorse who refuses to fade away. The whole rockstar immortality thing is creepier with Chrissie Hynde, because she looks, plays and sings better than she did twenty years ago. And that's about all you need to know about last night's Pretenders show at Toronto's Massey Hall.
Hynde and drummer Martin Chambers, the sole survivors of the Pretenders' original lineup, were joined by guitarist Adam Seymour and bassist Andy Hobson. This version of the Pretenders did a sterling job, spotlighting many of the highlights of their 22-year career, including new tunes from their latest album, "Viva El Amor!" Hits like "Don't Get Me Wrong", "Back On The Chain Gang" and "Talk Of The Town" received spirited ovations from the capacity crowd. The sound was crystal-clear and the band's performance was proficient and spirited, but the undisputed star of the show was Chrissie Hynde. After a couple of decades in the music business, Chrissie can't be bothered to mince words. A shouted request for a song from her most recent album prompted Hynde to call the band over and announce that they had finally found the person who bought it. While she may have played tough with the audience, Hynde's vocals were strong and clear, and the wide variety of material allowed her to show off what is arguably one of the best voices in rock music. "Night In My Veins", from one of the band's more recent releases, wound the fans up only to have the tension released by a frenzied cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Roomful Of Mirrors". Adam Seymour threw out a great wall of incandescent guitar, Chrissie Hynde rode an imaginary Harley and the Music Insight staff celebrated the sheer sensory overload of the wildly strobing lights by throwing themselves to the ground, foaming at the mouth and baying like wild dogs. The band left the stage to a booming ovation.
The band had some unfinished business, and returned to the stage to play a throbbing "Mystery Achievement". The Pretenders closed the night with the two songs that put them on the map, "Stop Your Sobbing" and "Brass In Pocket". Hynde's renditions of these songs were stunning, and their delivery was sensitive, yet strong. The audience, realizing that the night was drawing to a close, cheered, stamped and generally bathed the band in a large helping of grateful applause. The band will be playing the northeastern U.S. until March 13th. Go see them.
