Chrissie Hynde played to a sold-out crowd at Hope Street’s Philharmonic Hall and the star couldn’t resist sharing the message she received from Sir Paul when he heard she was in his home city
Paul McCartney’s three simple words of encouragement to rock legend Chrissie Hynde earned a standing ovation from a sold-out audience at Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall last night. Chrissie Hynde was performing with The Pretenders as part of a UK tour to promote the band’s new album Relentless.
Music icon Chrissie took to the stage on Hope Street with an impressive setlist spanning more than four decades in the industry. The star played hits like Kid, I’ll Stand By You and Don’t Get Me Wrong, alongside material from her latest album, in an energetic two-hour show.
And it was before one of The Pretenders’ biggest hits, Don’t Get Me Wrong, that Chrissie shared a message she received from Sir Paul McCartney before coming on stage. Taking a break in between songs to address the crowd, Chrissie joked: “Bob Dylan told me never to name drop, but I texted Paul McCartney this morning saying ‘hey Paul, I’m in your city’. He replied and said ‘rock them Scousers’.”
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This earned a huge cheer from the audience, who immediately jumped to their feet the moment they heard the opening chords of the band’s 1986 single. And The Pretenders kept the crowd on their feet for the remainder of the show, with astounding solos from lead guitarist James Walbourne garnering woops and cheers from around the concert hall.
At the start of the band’s performance, frontwoman Chrissie paid tribute to her late bandmembers James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon, who formed part of the group’s original line-up.
Dedicating their 1979 song Kid to her late bandmates, Chrissie said: “This song is for James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon – without them we wouldn’t be here. And if they were still here, they’d be here without us. Fellas, get the kettle on – we’re not far behind.”
Waving somewhere into the distance, Chrissie’s comments may have seemed like an acknowledgement of her own advancing years. But at 73 years old, she remains every bit an icon and a rock star. The quality of her vocals, her commanding stage presence and her unapologetic attitude (she hadn’t even reached the chorus of the first song before she’s chastised a fan for filming the show on a smartphone) all underline why she’s still got it.
Stomping around the stage in thigh high boots, rocking out alongside her bandmates and belting out fierce new material, she is clearly still a force to be reckoned with.
