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The Pretenders Setlist
Tour Dates
09/09 – St. Louis, MO – Busch Stadium *
09/17 – Leicester, UK – BBC Radio 2 In The Park † 09/19 – Paris, FR – Maroquinerie 09/20 – Paris, FR – Maroquinerie 09/21 – Utrecht, NL – Tivoli Vredenburg 09/23 – Hamburg, DE – Reeperbahn Festival † 09/25 – Berlin, DE – Columbia Theatre 10/01 – Dana Point, CA – OHANA Festival † 10/02 – Los Angeles, CA – The Regent Theater 10/04 – Pioneertown, CA – Pappy’s and Harriet’s 10/06 – San Francisco, CA – Bimbo’s 365 Club * w/ Guns N’ Roses † Festival Appearance Read More
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It was the concert of the year. Legendary band, The Pretenders playing a tiny 250-capacity club called the 7th Street Entry, in downtown Minneapolis. What an unforgettable night.
The concert has long sold out since it available for purchase on July 21. Despite the two-ticket limit, it was sold out in a matter of minutes (assuming the website didn’t crash). For the few lucky diehard fans, this was an absolute dream. Where else can you literally stand right next to Chrissie Hynde?
It’s unheard that a band of The Pretenders’ status would play a tiny venue. Although I question it, I also understand it. At some point in the band’s career, they realized they could never play small shows again… and they want to go back and remember what a good time these intimate shows are. Plus, there’s absolutely no pressure! I am pretty sure the band skipped sound check, as after “A Love” was played, their guitarist James Walbourne (from The Rails) realized there were no sounds on the monitors.
Hynde asks, “Should we wait for the monitor to work? F*** it, let’s just play without it!” They sounded great anyway, you wouldn’t know there was a problem if they hadn’t brought it up.
I knew going in, that the place will be packed. The venue is uncomfortable with about a hundred attendees (you have to understand that the 7th Street Entry is a very small venue), let alone at maximum capacity. To get a good spot, you had to line up at least an hour before the doors open. Once I got to the venue, there were already 50 people in line. Some had fold-able seats, drinks, etc. Some fans had “Happy Birthday” tiara, some wearing Pretenders T-Shirts… everybody who was at the show, they wanted to be there. They’ve been ready to go all day, and it’s amazing to feel that energy and love for the band.
It was Hynde’s 72nd birthday, and the plan that the diehard fans had come up was to sing “Happy Birthday To You” after the sixth song, “The Buzz”. While they tried to this twice (singing Happy Birthday), it was clear to me that Hynde would have nothing of it, replying “Nevermind about that!” I get it, and I totally understand. She doesn’t want to make it a big deal and distract from the concert.
The band has over 100 songs to choose from (from 12 albums), so they picked some of their favorites to play. I’m sure the band is sick of playing “Back on the Chain Gang” and “Brass in Pocket”, so those songs weren’t going to make it on the setlist. Surprisingly, some of the lesser-known Pretenders songs sounded great live. I only heard a couple of new songs, like “Losing My Sense of Taste” and “Let the Sun Come In” were from the new Relentless album.
“The Buzz” was dedicated to Johnny Thunders, from The New York Dolls. Thunders died young, at the age of 38, to drugs… and it seems obvious to me that the Buzz is about chasing that high and finding no relief.
The true deep cut on the set was “Tequila”, a song that was demoed in 1978, before they were actually known as The Pretenders. The song wouldn’t actually surface until many years later. I think the debut album was re-issued in 2006, which contains the song as a bonus track. It’s a rare treat to hear the song played live.
Trivia: The cool thing I learned, from the show, is that Chrissie Hynde loves Minnesota. She said her favorite band is Low.
Bonus: Shortly after The Smiths broke up, Johnny Marr joined The Pretenders on their tour supporting U2. Hear what Marr had to say about the Pretenders on our channel. Marr was a huge fan and learned to play The Pretenders’ debut album in his bedroom, so playing “Boy” came naturally to him.
Apology for the poor quality images … we were not allowed to bring our camera into the show. All photos were taken from a phone camera.
The concert has long sold out since it available for purchase on July 21. Despite the two-ticket limit, it was sold out in a matter of minutes (assuming the website didn’t crash). For the few lucky diehard fans, this was an absolute dream. Where else can you literally stand right next to Chrissie Hynde?
It’s unheard that a band of The Pretenders’ status would play a tiny venue. Although I question it, I also understand it. At some point in the band’s career, they realized they could never play small shows again… and they want to go back and remember what a good time these intimate shows are. Plus, there’s absolutely no pressure! I am pretty sure the band skipped sound check, as after “A Love” was played, their guitarist James Walbourne (from The Rails) realized there were no sounds on the monitors.
Hynde asks, “Should we wait for the monitor to work? F*** it, let’s just play without it!” They sounded great anyway, you wouldn’t know there was a problem if they hadn’t brought it up.
I knew going in, that the place will be packed. The venue is uncomfortable with about a hundred attendees (you have to understand that the 7th Street Entry is a very small venue), let alone at maximum capacity. To get a good spot, you had to line up at least an hour before the doors open. Once I got to the venue, there were already 50 people in line. Some had fold-able seats, drinks, etc. Some fans had “Happy Birthday” tiara, some wearing Pretenders T-Shirts… everybody who was at the show, they wanted to be there. They’ve been ready to go all day, and it’s amazing to feel that energy and love for the band.
It was Hynde’s 72nd birthday, and the plan that the diehard fans had come up was to sing “Happy Birthday To You” after the sixth song, “The Buzz”. While they tried to this twice (singing Happy Birthday), it was clear to me that Hynde would have nothing of it, replying “Nevermind about that!” I get it, and I totally understand. She doesn’t want to make it a big deal and distract from the concert.
The band has over 100 songs to choose from (from 12 albums), so they picked some of their favorites to play. I’m sure the band is sick of playing “Back on the Chain Gang” and “Brass in Pocket”, so those songs weren’t going to make it on the setlist. Surprisingly, some of the lesser-known Pretenders songs sounded great live. I only heard a couple of new songs, like “Losing My Sense of Taste” and “Let the Sun Come In” were from the new Relentless album.
“The Buzz” was dedicated to Johnny Thunders, from The New York Dolls. Thunders died young, at the age of 38, to drugs… and it seems obvious to me that the Buzz is about chasing that high and finding no relief.
The true deep cut on the set was “Tequila”, a song that was demoed in 1978, before they were actually known as The Pretenders. The song wouldn’t actually surface until many years later. I think the debut album was re-issued in 2006, which contains the song as a bonus track. It’s a rare treat to hear the song played live.
Trivia: The cool thing I learned, from the show, is that Chrissie Hynde loves Minnesota. She said her favorite band is Low.
Bonus: Shortly after The Smiths broke up, Johnny Marr joined The Pretenders on their tour supporting U2. Hear what Marr had to say about the Pretenders on our channel. Marr was a huge fan and learned to play The Pretenders’ debut album in his bedroom, so playing “Boy” came naturally to him.
Apology for the poor quality images … we were not allowed to bring our camera into the show. All photos were taken from a phone camera.
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The Pretenders at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (07 Sep 2023) |
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