The Pretenders at the Fillmore: Pierre’s Review

Greetings, Dear Citizens! On Sunday, July 14th, The Pretenders played the Fillmore here in Philadelphia. It was a day after a very special anniversary for them in this town. That, of course, was Lve Aid at JFK Stadium in South Philly on July 13th of 1985. They also did a surprise warm-up gig at the old Chestnut Cabaret at 38th and Chestnut Streets that week in '85 to prepare for Live Aid. They hadn’t performed together in several months, and there was no one playing there that night. They book the room at the last minute and didn’t announce the show, but the word got out and there was a line around the block!

I always see this band when they come to town and I’ve had Chrissie Hynde on my program over the years. She’s always great. She’s definitely a character and one of a kind, and does things her way- that’s part of her coolness!

I had read a couple of months ago that on their next tour, she didn’t want to play a lot of hits. Last year they put out their 12th studio album called Relentless. It has twelve excellent tracks on it and there have been a few other Pretenders albums in recent years that are also worthy of praise.

I can definitely understand an artist getting tired of playing their "hits" or super familiar songs. They’ve played them over and over through the years, and this band been together since 1978. An artist wants to expose their newer material, which is often really good. The trick, I think, is how you balance that with the songs that brought you to the dance, if you will. This way, the band is still excited, but the audience is too. I think part of making that happen is how you orchestrate the set list and slip in the newer songs in between the more familiar ones. Don’t get me wrong, I love deeper cuts and newer material, and I often spotlight that kind of music on my program on WMMR. However, I also believe that it’s appropriate and important for a group to honor their audience by playing the familiar stuff as well.

As a result, I must admit I was disappointed by the set list at the Fillmore show. I think seven of the twelve new songs from the latest album were played, and a lot of individual songs from the previous few albums before that. Only a handful of legendary Pretenders songs got played, and I think that was a disservice to the fans.

Again, I truly understand the artist’s need to play the new material, but it’s got to be balanced with the fans' desire to hear some familiar tunes. I also missed the presence of original member Martin Chambers on the drums. Having said that, Chrissie is an amazing singer, and her voice was just as powerful as ever, if not more powerful than ever!

I love this band but just wished they had thrown a few more familiar and beloved tunes into the set. I’ve enclosed the set list for you to check out and decide for yourself. Keep scrolling for photos from the gig, courtesy of Bill Raymond of Digital Noise Mag. -Pierre Robert

SETLIST: