Fans of all ages came together Monday night at the 9:30 club to see The Pretenders rock the house with 30 years of impressive discography.
The Nashville-based American Bang opened the show with a handful of songs and a lot of rock 'n' roll. The energetic band got blood flowing with tunes like "All Night Long."
When The Pretenders hit the stage, bass player Nick Wilkinson, lead guitarist James Walbourne, vocalist Chrissie Hynde, drummer Martin Chambers and steel guitarist Mark Spencer performed with energy and flare, earning two encores. Hynde and Chambers are the only members from the original group that formed in 1978. Spencer, Wilkinson and Walbourne joined as other members left the group or passed away.
As the band's leader, Hynde wooed the crowd - especially the older men - with her smooth, seductive voice and her impressively toned 57-year-old body. She swayed her hips and flaunted her slim figure, all while singing "Brass in Pocket."
While Hynde charmed the older crowd, the band's newest guitar addition, James Walbourne, hypnotized the younger audience members with his complicated guitar solos that were executed with passion and style. He wowed fans with his intricate riffs on the country-sounding "Break Up the Concrete." Hynde teased Walbourne between numbers, telling the audience that it was his birthday - and that he would happily accept "presents" from attractive female fans.
Chambers played with such emotion and aggression that he busted a hole through his bass drum. After roadies mended the damage, Chambers continued to entertain by spraying water across the stage and sporting a pair of bright-red boots.
The band's hits, which gained popularity before the turn of the new millennium - before 1990, actually -were clear crowd favorites, evident from the audience's loud applause. During "Don't Get Me Wrong" and "Talk of the Town," older concertgoers sung along with Hynde, likely thinking about fond memories of the 1970s and early '80s.
One of the best new songs was "Rosalee," a pulsating mix of rhythmic blues and rock 'n' roll spunk. Its sensual beats made the audience shake it - a disturbing sight when surrounded by 50-plus adults. Tunes worth checking out are "The Nothing Maker" and "Love's a Mystery."
You can reach this writer at thescene@theeageonline.com.