By Caroline J. · Photos by Caroline J. · Published on September 20, 2023 at 10:04 a.m.
Winning return for legend Chrissie Hynde! This Tuesday, September 19, 2023, the singer was in Paris with her famous group The Pretenders to give the first of her two intimate concerts at La Maroquinerie. Between old rock hits and more recent pieces, the Anglo-American group has indeed conquered our ears!
It is a room of Leather goods archi full that we discover this Tuesday, September 19, 2023. It must be said that the small room in the 20th arrondissement of Paris welcomes the legendary Anglo-American group for two evenings in a row The Pretenders, after 6 years of absence in France. To promote the release of his (excellent) new opus called “Relentless“, Chrissie Hynde has focused on a mini series of intimate shows given in just four cities in Europe.
A Paristhe quartet therefore turned towards the small room of Leather goods. And the fans, most of them with graying hair, did not shy away from their pleasure, displaying a broad smile at the idea of finding their favorite group in this unique setting.
So it was at sharp 8:30 p.m. and at four that The Pretenders tumbles onto stage under the admiring gaze of the audience. Besides the presence of the legend Chrissie Hyndesinger of the group since its beginnings in 1978, the formation today consists of Martin Chambersthe original drummer left in 1986 before returning in 1993, bassist Nick Wilkinson and the guitarist James Walbournetrue co-pilot of The Pretenderson whom Chrissie Hynde now relies a lot and with whom she displays a real bond on stage.
Now aged 72, Chrissie Hynde showed us that she still has a lot under her belt. Chrissie Hynde, it’s first of all a very rock look, with this messy style haircut which hasn’t changed since its debut. There are also the thigh-high boots that she rarely separates from, her numerous necklaces on which we can also read the number 79. But Chrissie Hyndeit is also and above all this voice that is so unique and magical, reminding us at times of that of Sharleen Spiteri from the group Texas. Chrissie Hynde : a look, a style and a voice that have truly inspired many other great female rock artists like PJ Harvey and Anna Calvi. Incredibly charismatic, Chrissie Hynde therefore had no difficulty in picking us up and charming us during this 1h20 set honoring rock of course!
Without surprise, The Pretenders took advantage of this show in Paris to present live some of the pieces taken from his latest opus “Relentless“; a record produced by David Wrench (Courtney Barnett, The XX, Frank Ocean…) and recorded in London. And one thing is certain, the new pieces fit perfectly into the rock style of the group, thanks to titles also effective and engaging that “ Losing My Sense of Taste », « A Love » et « Let the Sun Come In ».
The group’s penultimate opus, “Hate for sale”published in 2020, was also in the spotlight this Tuesday evening on the stage of La Maroquinerie through the titles “ The Buzz », « Junkie Walk ” without forgetting ” Turf Accountant Daddy » et « You Can’t Hurt a Fool » ; the only song on which Chrissie Hynde will let go of her guitar.
More Chrissie Hynde and his friends The Pretenders also wanted to take us back in time with old songs, like “ Tequila » (1979), « Thumbelina » (1984), the sublime Kinks cover, « I Go to Sleep » dedicated to Ray Davies, or even « Precious » et « Tattooed Love Boys » (1979) with more punk notes. Ideal for finishing the encore in style! However, we will regret the absence in the setlist of hits “ Don’t Get Me Wrong », « Brass in Pocket », « Back on the Chain Gang » or even the essential “ I’ll Stand by You ».
And Chrissie Hynde clearly says what she thinks (she will ask a fan in particular to stop taking photos and videos with his phone), the rock legend did not hide his joy at finding his Parisian fans after 6 years of absence. On stage, the singer and musician displayed a very wide smile and did not hesitate to get closer to her fans on certain tracks. A closeness that delighted the audience until the end of this intimate and incredibly captivating rock set!
Second and last concert of The Pretenders in Paris this Wednesday September 20, 2023 at La Maroquinerie. Unfortunately, the concert has been sold out for a long time now.
Set list
Losing My Sense of Taste
A Love
Turf Accountant Daddy
The Adultress
Downtown (Akron)
The Buzz
Domestic Silence
Time the Avenger
Biker
Boots of Chinese Plastic
Don’t Cut Your Hair
Gotta Wait
You Can’t Hurt a Fool
Tequila
Thumbelina
Let the Sun Come In
Junkie Walk
Rappel
I Go to Sleep
Precious
Tattooed Love Boys
2023-09-20 08:16:28
#Pretenders #rock #concert #Maroquinerie #Tuesday