Pretenders find their stride with ‘Reckless’ abandon in Milwaukee

Riverside Theater | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Monday, July 29

Supporting their 12th studio album, Relentless (released Sept. 15, 2023), The Pretenders have been touring the U.S. for just more than two weeks. The tour has so far been a combination of headlining hall gigs sprinkled in with opening stadium sets in support of Foo Fighters.

Of their 17 headlining dates, Chrissie Hynde and company — James Walbourne, guitar; Kris Sonne, drums; and Dave Page, bass — have sold out all but four. Last night in Milwaukee was among those not-quite-capacity dates, but there were still well more than 2,000 in attendance with no lack of fan fervor for the band’s first appearance in Cream City since 2018.

That fervor was tepid at first as everyone, including the band, seemed to be getting acclimated. Hynde, who came out in a pink blazer and blue jeans with thigh-high faux leather boots, seemed a bit distracted. She, at least twice, instructed fans to “get off your phone.”

The first half of the set was heavy on lukewarm newer material, beginning with “Losing My Sense of Taste” and “A Love,” the opening tracks of Relentless. Even “Kid,” which Hynde dedicated to her late co-founding bandmates James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon, felt stale; while everyone seemed to be going through the motions on “Back on the Chain Gang.” Despite the musicianship and execution being spot on, the song still felt slow and methodical with little vibrancy. Face it: Walbourne, Sonne, and Page were just wee tykes in 1984 when the song was originally an MTV and radio smash, reaching No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Hynde did her best to lighten the room. Sensing she might be losing the crowd, the Midwest-born singer (she grew up in Akron, Ohio) tried to engage the Milwaukee audience in a sing-a-long of the Blatz beer radio jingle from the 1960s (Blatz has been brewed on and off again in Milwaukee since 1851).

Perhaps the trick worked — either to loosen up the crowd or loosen up Hynde herself. She followed the jingle with two beautifully crafted ballads — “I Think About You Daily” (Relentless, 2023) and “Biker” (Viva El Amor, 1999) — before confessing, “I’m a real chatterbox tonight just because I’m nervous.”

Perhaps slowing the pace was all it took to settle her nerves and get the train back on the tracks. “Who wants to dance?,” she asked before diving into the 1986 hit “Don’t Get Me Wrong.” Apparently, the majority of the crowd (which had been seated, perhaps snoozing to this point — I’m 53, and I was on the young side of the median age) was ready to cut loose, too. Suddenly, the spell was broken. Hynde and crew hit full stride closing out the main set with “Stop Your Sobbing” (a Kinks cover from their 1980 debut), “Merry Widow” (a dark, grunge-toned rocker from the new album), “Bad Boys Get Spanked” (from 1981’s Pretenders II) and “Let the Sun Come In” (Relentless). That string of songs proved Hynde still has the stamina of a much younger woman, and she and her band appeared reinvigorated by the new material perhaps because Hynde and her current band of Pretenders can truly call these songs theirs.

The stage was minimalistic, and the light show was basic. There was nothing to distract the audience when the band seemed to struggle. Yet, when the simple four-piece found their mojo, it’s all we needed. Walbourne’s spastic energy and talent on guitar were a highlight of the night.

“Some things change, some stay the same,” Hynde crooned during “Hymn to Her” (dedicated to novelist Edna O’Brien, who died Saturday). Hynde’s voice at 72 years of age has remarkably remained unchanged. What has changed over the years is her fellow Pretenders. While she may be the only true Pretender still standing; Hynde’s current bandmates, indeed, are not pretenders. They are the real deal. Hynde has surrounded herself with talented musicians to give the classic hits of the past new life and create new works that fit seamlessly alongside them.

Given that The Pretenders’ discography spans 44 years, some might have expected a greatest-hits showcase. The hits were there, but sparingly, with a noticeable focus on tracks from Relentless — tours still promote albums, after all. Monday’s performance was decidedly not a mere Pretenders tribute band. Hynde proved why she is a bonafide Rock & Roll Hall of Famer — striking a fashion pose in “Don’t Get Me Wrong” and holding the high notes in “Stop Your Sobbing.” For the first encore, she came out sans guitar, strutting all about the stage and looking the surest of herself she had all night. A stunning “I’ll Stand By You” showcased that unmistakable voice, followed by a display of her harmonica chops on “Middle of the Road.”

After a nearly two-hour performance, Hynde and company skipped back on stage for a second encore to perform “Mystery Achievement,” another solid track from the 1980 debut. How she continues her relentless touring may be the mystery achievement. But as Hynde has been quoted as saying, “If you’re an artist, you need to work. It doesn’t matter how old you are, or who you are. It doesn’t matter if you’re 12: if you draw, you draw. If you’re 85 and you paint, you paint.”* Apparently, if you’re 72 and you sing, you sing. I am glad Hynde is still singing.

The Reckless Tour continues in the U.S. through Aug. 14 before hitting Europe in September and October and the U.K. in October and November. Visit: thepretenders.com for more information or follow The Pretenders on Facebook, Instagram, and X.

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