The Pretenders are on tour now, playing some absolutely huge stages opening for Guns N’ Roses, which they are balancing with some very intimate headline club shows. Following the GN’R MetLife Stadium show on Tuesday, Chrissie Hynde and co slipped into Bowery Ballroom on Wednesday for a night of new songs and deep cuts. It was as packed as Bowery gets, crammed with fans, and the sometimes prickly Hynde was in a great mood — and great form — lapping up the energy of the room.
The set included four songs each from The Pretenders’ upcoming album Relentless and 2020’s Hate for Sale, before digging into their back catalog. Where MetLife got hits like “Talk of the Town,” “Brass in Pocket,” “Don’t Get Me Wrong,” and “Back on the Chain Gang,” Bowery was treated to “Tequila,” “Time for the Avenger,” “The Adultress,” and more. The band sounded fantastic, with guitarist James Walbourne (The Rails, Pernice Brothers) making a great foil for Hynde.
Check out photos from the Bowery show by P Squared along with the setlist and a few fan-shot videos below.
SETLIST: THE PRETENDERS @ Bowery Ballroom 8/16/2023
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
Thumbelina
Gotta Wait
You Can’t Hurt a Fool
Tequila
Let the Sun Come In
Junkie Walk
Encore:
Precious
Tattooed Love Boys