Pretenders setlist: All the songs Chrissie Hynde sang in Phoenix on 'Relentless' tour
Chrissie Hynde has been touring the States with the Pretenders in support of 2023’s “Relentless.”
And unlike the vast majority of her contemporaries, she’s actually supporting that release by prominently featuring selections from “Relentless” in the setlist.
When the tour touched down in Phoenix on Saturday, Aug. 10, Hynde treated fans at Arizona Financial Theatre to seven songs from the new album, setting the tone for their performance with “Losing My Sense of Taste” and “A Love,” the same two songs that open “Relentless.”
And those songs were followed by two of the four songs they played from “Hate for Sale,” the other album the Pretenders have released so far this decade.
Chrissie Hynde dedicated 'Kid' to James Honeyman-Scott, Pete Farndon
That still left plenty of time in the set to revisit some serious gems from their glorious past.
They reached back to “Pretenders,” the 1980 masterstroke that announced Hynde's arrival as an iconic figure of the New Wave era, for five songs. They dedicated “Kid” to James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon, the founding members who died in 1982 and 1983, respectively, saying, “Without them, of course, we wouldn’t be here.”
She also dedicated "Kid" to "one of our favorite guitar players, Nils Lofgren" of the E Street Band and Crazy Horse because he lives here in the Valley and "Kid" is "all about guitars."
Other highlights of that first release that made the set included “Precious,” “Mystery Achievement,” and their classic cover of the Kinks song “Stop Your Sobbing,” leaving “Brass in Pocket” by the wayside.
Chrissie Hynde in her own words: The Pretenders leader spoke to The Republic on a solo tour in 2014
Pretenders setlist featured 'Back on the Chain Gang,' 'My City Was Gone'
They also did five songs from “Learning to Crawl,” the third Pretenders album, including such massive rock-radio staples as “Back on the Chain Gang,” “My City Was Gone,” “Time the Avenger,” and the encore-closing “Middle of the Road.”
There was also some tension as Hynde repeatedly asked fans to put their phones away and stop filming the concert.
After “Kid,” the fifth song of the night, she said, “I know you’re all filming, and you’ve got your cameras, but we’re not a modern pop band. We don’t want to be on social media. So you can take your phones and shove ‘em up your (expletive).”
She later repeated that suggestion of what you could do with your phone as a lyrical substitution in “Bad Boys Get Spanked,” the lone selection from “Pretenders II,” calling one audience member a profanity you rarely hear at concerts these days.
It’s refreshing to know Chrissie Hynde is still taking no prisoners after all these years.
Pretenders setlist: Every songs Chrissie Hynde sang in Phoenix
Here’s a look at every song the Pretenders played at Arizona Financial Theatre in Phoenix on Saturday, Aug. 10.
“Losing My Sense of Taste”
“A Love”
“Hate for Sale”
“Turf Accountant Daddy”
“Kid” (dedicated, James Honeyman-Scott, Pete Farndon and Nils Lofgren)
“The Buzz” (dedicated to Johnny Thunders)
“Time the Avenger”
“My City Was Gone”
“You Can't Hurt a Fool”
“Thumbelina”
“Don't Cut Your Hair”
“Domestic Silence”
“Back on the Chain Gang”
“Private Life”
“I Think About You Daily”
“Biker”
“Vainglorious”
“Merry Widow”
“Let the Sun Come In”
“Precious”
Encore 1
“Stop Your Sobbing” (The Kinks cover)
“Bad Boys Get Spanked” (Song was restarted)
Encore 2
“Mystery Achievement”
“I'll Stand by You”
“Middle of the Road”
Ed has covered pop music for The Republic since 2007, reviewing festivals and concerts, interviewing legends, covering the local scene and more. He did the same in Pittsburgh for more than a decade. Follow him on X and Instagram @edmasley and on Facebook as Ed Masley. Email him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Pretenders tour setlist: Every song Chrissie Hynde did in Phoenix
