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| Fifth Column |
| Hynde rages and rules at Warfield |
| 2003-03-05 |
| Michelle sent me this as I was on my way to work. I'm at the disadvantage of having no idea who Chrissie Hynde is — she could be nice to her mother and patient with little children, and just have a fantasy about dating Sean Penn... SOME MIGHT THINK that by 2003, a Pretenders concert would have evolved into your basic, run-of-the-mill, classic rock show. Well, that tells me she's a singer with the Pretenders. That's a start. Who're they? That's a good one. Shall I slap my thigh now? Saturday's show at the Warfield in San Francisco a Pretenders concert, but it was really the in-your-face Chrissie Hynde show in every way, shape and form. Lead singer Hynde was in a razor-tongued mood, whether the topic was war, sports, dancing, her own sex appeal, meat, or what the crowd looks like. She nearly picked a fight and openly coveted love from a biker. And what the heck — since she was there with three guys toting instruments, there was even some music. Nice of her to throw that in... That part of the show was occasionally inspired, hot, passionate, flawless and sexy. After nearly a quarter-century, Hynde's voice is still a sneer wrapped in cool velvet. Seeing her front and center wearing a black T-shirt, jeans, her trademark black bangs and a Telecaster is like witnessing a rock 'n' roll monument. For lovers of real rock, it's the equivalent of a political junkie standing on the steps of the Capitol. She sounds... fascinating. Sadly, I'm not a lover of "real rock," which I often find juvenile and predictable. My preference is for 20s and 30s jazz, but we won't go into that... And speaking of politics ... Hynde is a tad anti-war. She's anti lots of stuff, and isn't afraid to growl about them all every time the music stops. "Have we gone to war yet?" she asked sarcastically, early on. "We (expletive) deserve to get bombed. Bring it on." Later she yelled, "Let's get rid of all the economic (expletive) this country represents! Bring it on, I hope the Muslims win!" Sounds like one of the Great Minds of the 21st Century at work. Lotsa innalekshul depth there... When a crowd member responded to that inflammatory statement, Hynde stormed the mic, roaring, "Shut your face!" Glaring, she held out the mic toward the fan as longtime drummer Martin Chambers stood up behind her, ready to rumble. "You come up to the mic and say something, smart guy," she snarled. "What do you want to talk about?" Oh, how intimidating! They pay her to do that, of course... The music nearly became an afterthought for Hynde's issues. ("Did I tell you why I hate sports? Because I hate winners and people who have to win all the time.") Sounds like she's a lo-o-o-o-oser. But remember, Hynde cut her musical teeth in a place where anger and music easily mix. To see a swaggering 51-year-old woman still unfazed by anything in a male-dominated music world is a wonderful thing, whether you agree or not. Hynde's credibility is genuine and rooted firmly in experience (she witnessed the Kent State protest killings in 1970 and later immersed herself in the mid-1970s London musical uprising that helped birth punk rock). And this is supposed to matter because...? So fans, even the ones Hynde wanted to beat up, probably should have expected her to be charged up these days. That passion gave the classics a shot of adrenaline Saturday night. I get it. Her passion for seeing her country destroyed translates into passion in her music, right? Though there were great moments from the newest record, "Loose Screw," especially the ode to junkies, "You Know Who Your Friends Are," the intensity grew with the back catalog. For all her independence, Hynde clearly knows what still brings out the fans. "We're gonna play everything you came to hear," she promised before kicking off "Talk of the Town." Melancholy Baby? Miss Otis Regrets? How about Paper Moon? Ooh! Ooh! I know! How about Isle of Capri? Her voice sounded great, as did the band. Guitarist Adam Seymour shined [sic]during "My City Was Gone," with extended and intense leads doing real justice to former guitarist Robbie McIntosh. Yet it was Hynde getting all the attention. She stopped the band during "Don't Get me Wrong," smiled and said, "See, I can do whatever I (expletive) want to up here." This came only moments after looking along the front row and smirking, "It's not often that we have an audience that's uglier than we are," before kicking into "Back on the Chain Gang." Or maybe it's just that the band and the audience looked alike, with the audience being slightly more numerous... People expect bad girl talk from Hynde, though calling the crowd ugly might even be a reach for her. Even if they weren't so forgiving, the music soothed things over. Once Hynde shut up, the show gained sudden momentum, like a big rig losing brakes halfway down the mountain. There were charged versions of "Kid," "Night in my Veins," and "Precious," then the energy peaked during an absolutely wrenching "Mystery Achievement," during which Seymour coolly channeled the frantic brilliance of late guitarist James Honeyman-Scott. Hynde wound down with show-ender "Brass in Pocket," putting a period on the point that for all her entertaining swagger and mouthiness, the Pretenders are best when Hynde lets the music do the talking. Okay. Now I know all about Chrissie Hynde. She's a pretentious loud-mouth, kinda Don Rickles with a guitar. She doesn't really hope that the Muslims win because she's not even sure who they are or what they've done, but her schtick is being truculent and stoopid, so she says things like that to tick people off. And I should give a hairy ratzass about her opinion because...? |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #16 we're the people who can make Chrissy disappear..........matter of fact we already did but, it was because she started to suck years ago. HEY CHRISSY, WELCOME TO, "WOULD YOU LIKE A HOT APPLE PIE WITH THAT" |
| Posted by: Rocky 2003-03-07 02:33:20 |
| #15 Quite a few members of Hynde's aptly name "Pretenders" are pushing up daisies because of drugs and suicides. Prolly not coincidental considering the hostile work environment Hynde fosters. And now she's got an "ode to junkies?" Perfect! I also particularly like how she handled the heckler. Really bugged her how someone stood up to her bullshit, didn't it? As long as everybody nods their heads, it's cool, eh Chrissie? Hurts when someone disagrees, does it? Chrissy Hind is WAAAAAY over the hill, has been since at least '87. I have a Pretenders "greatest hits" and it's basically got three decent songs on it. She hasn't done squat for years and about the only air time she gets is from Rush's show (haha!) Another weird thing about this story is how the writer totally buried the lead. Everyone in the media was talking about Hynde calling for a Muslim victory. This story was EVERYWHERE today. The Hynde rant was the obvious lead for the story, yet he runs it in the fourth graf and was almost casual about it. I can guess why: Chrissie'd get pissed if Mr. Weakass Reviewer had reported this story properly. Hynde and others in the entertainment industry are going to pay a heavy price for their unpatriotic words and deeds. Martin Sheen says he's feeling the heat, and the Screen Actors Guild today put out a plea that there be no blacklist for anti-war entertainers. (Hah! It's the conservative entertainers who are at real risk of being blacklisted...) There is not going to be any blacklisting by the industry, it's going to be from the public. We aren't going to easily forget who said what. |
| Posted by: R. McLeod 2003-03-06 01:02:08 |
| #14 OK -I'll bite - 2 good songs off top of my head: 1) 2000 Miles - sentimental family song; and 2) Space Invaders - ending credit soundtrack for a cheech and chong flick with the actual space invader vid game sounds - good bass beat, but song is hard to find - unless if you use bearshare (hint hint) |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-03-05 22:57:54 |
| #13 Sorry Mike, I stand corrected, I just rememember Ohio in the refrain and the dominant bass line. I can only think of three Pretenders songs worth listening to anyway. |
| Posted by: Denny 2003-03-05 20:59:12 |
| #12 If memory serves me correctly, The pretenders have lost numerous members of the band to drug and booze overdose's , come on Chrissy lean in and take one for the team , you nasal voiced wiper of other peoples bottoms! |
| Posted by: Wills 2003-03-05 16:28:40 |
| #11 I am not sure who wins: the bus guy in Beirut, the chick who wants Bush to crucify her, the woman who suggested that polisci students should make being human shields a class project (http://poliblogblog.blogspot.com/2003_03_02_poliblogblog_archive.html#90071560), or Hynde. It is hard to choose, I must admit. |
| Posted by: PoliBlogger 2003-03-05 14:33:02 |
| #10 Mike - Those lyrics wouldn't work. Chrissy never had talent. I think she's deaf, well it sounds that way when she's crooning. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2003-03-05 13:30:07 |
| #9 Who says you can't be hot and have flash when you become an aging rock star? |
| Posted by: becky 2003-03-05 13:23:59 |
| #8 Denny: The title of the Pretenders piece which Rush uses for theme music is "My City Was Gone." It's about Akron, Ohio. I went back to Ohio/But my city was gone/There was no train station/There was no downtown . . . I work in downtown Akron, and I can tell you that the lyrics are pretty accurate (and were even more so back when the piece was written). Unfortunately for Chrissy Hynde and the Pretenders, it's all been downhill from there. I went back to my concert/But my talent was gone . . . |
| Posted by: Mike 2003-03-05 12:27:32 |
| #7 Chrissie will be opening for Harry Belafonte at the Pyongyang Holiday Inn sometime in the near future. Can't wait for the reviews in KCNA. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-03-05 12:16:51 |
| #6 Being a sexless, worn-out, old, raggedy road-whore would make anyone testy. "Let's get rid of all the economic (expletive) this country represents! But isn't capitalism what made you rich you ignorant piece of trash? |
| Posted by: grillmaster 2003-03-05 11:41:48 |
| #5 Robert - That's true. I do a disservice to Don Rickles. Reword that to read "kinda Don Rickles with a guitar but without the talent". |
| Posted by: Fred 2003-03-05 11:26:24 |
| #4 She hopes we get bombed? Uh, hey Hynde....9/11 ring a bell? How many more Americans have to die to assuage your pathetic, pretend guilt? Take the pipe ya dried out hag. |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2003-03-05 11:18:46 |
| #3 Rush Limbaugh's theme song is Ohio, by none other than Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders. Kinda ironic, isn't it? |
| Posted by: Denny 2003-03-05 11:16:32 |
| #2 Hey, take back what you said about Don Rickles. He has a bit of talent and some class -- both of which Hynde is missing. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2003-03-05 11:04:35 |
| #1 Hynde was always an overrated poseur. She may "hope the Muslims win", without realizing how that would effect her career as a female who sings in public. On the other hand, Joan Jett entertained the troops in Afghanistan. |
| Posted by: Pink & Fluffy 2003-03-05 10:58:25 |