The Pretenders, Blondie,Adalita @ The Enmore, Sydney(7/12/2010)

Thu 9th Dec, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Walking into the Enmore theatre for this exceptional bill in itself was a special experience. The venue had transformed into a rare chance for a generation to relive and experience two of their decade’s greatest bands while also providing them with the opportunity to bring others along for the ride. Although the key demographic were the baby boomers, it was apparent that the music of Blondie and the Pretenders has been sustained over time well enough to attract a great deal of younger audience members as well. Also present were a large number of young children accompanying their parents to witness what was likely to be their first concert. As both Blondie and The Pretenders would exhibit later in the night, this was clearly an incredible way for these children to begin their concert-going career but at the same time, a perfect culmination of an era of music for the parents of these children to revisit theirs.

Tasked with the insanely difficult job of warming up an audience frothing with anticipation for the double headline was singer/guitarist of Magic Dirt fame, Adalita. With the audience at the beginning of her set relatively small, Adalita played through melodies off her latest EP, Hot Air. Adalita was able to win over the crowd with her sound clearly heavily influenced by the headliners themselves. By the end of what was a compelling performance, the audience had increased to what was nearing the capacity that was responsible for the bands having to add another two shows on the following nights and the much lauded arrival of Blondie was drawing ever closer.

Blondie took to a stage which they had donned with white curtains to rapturous applause (no pun intended.) From the moment Deborah Harry opened her mouth the audience were transported back into the 1980’s as it was clear her pipes had only gotten stronger since the bands prime. Blondie quickly assured the audience they had lost none of their charisma as the band busted out the first of what was to be a string of audience-favourites, Keep Me Hanging on the Telephone.

The band continued to show the audience that they hadn’t waned as a live band over the years as they played through more hits including Union City Blue. After announcing that now the band were in Sydney “the hardest part is over”, Harry led the band through an extended version of The Hardest Part. During this the band’s latest member, guitarist Tommy Klesser played the first of one of his many guitar solos wowing the audience as he rode up and down the fret board re-assuring himself as a very worthy band member.

Maria featured Deborah Harry emphasizing her incredible vocal range to an astonished audience proving that even at sixty five she was far from the end of her career. Displaying no signs of decline, Harry continued to lead the band through mega-hits Atomic, The Tide is High and crowd favourite Rapture which saw the front woman navigating the stage, dancing like a maniac and in-turn reminding the audience with her charisma as to why the track became the first rap to top the charts.

The highlight of the set was to be found in mega-hit Call Me which engulfed the audience in the very reason Blondie has remained popular to date. Harry continued to demonstrate her incredible vocal range and energy while, guitarist Klesser remained to amaze the audience with his technical skill and drummer Clem Burke revealed why he had been a consistent member of the band since their early formation, juggling his sticks and providing impressive chops throughout.

After briefly leaving the stage, the deafening roar of the audience roped Blondie back on the stage for an encore of In the Flesh and chart-topping audience favourite and set-closer, Heart of Glass. After the incredible Blondie set it was hard to believe that it was only the first half of the night and the Pretenders were still to follow.

The Pretenders took to the stage and busted out their set-opener, Message of Love. From the opening minute of the performance it was clear that the band would have no trouble meeting if not surpassing the standard set by what was an incredible show from Blondie. Following with Talk of the Town, the band cemented that the audience were in for a very special show.

Before playing the band’s haunting cover of the Kinks I Go to Sleep, Chrissie Hynde announced to the audience “I fucking hate stadiums” and the audience instantly responded with deafening applause. The double-bill of Blondie and The Pretenders easily could have sold out some of Sydney’s biggest stadiums however the gesture to play at one of Sydney’s best venues instead, made this show even more special.

As the band leapt into Don’t Get me Wrong, the band confirmed to the audience that they were a uniquely tight group. Chrissie Hynde’s mesmerizing vocals, awe-inspiring stage presence and incredible rock charisma didn’t overpower any other members of the band as drummer Martin Chambers also gave off his own aura and experience as the only other living founding member of the band. Even the new members weren’t overwhelmed by Hynde and Chambers, all three bringing to the band their own talents.

One of these members was the touring lap steel player; Eric Heywood who featured in Hymn to Her, playing a compelling accompanying part to Hynde’s vocal featuring song. Later in the set with Rosalee, Heywood also conveyed to the audience a great deal of skill as he featured and played intricate solo parts throughout the blues fest. Along with Rosalee, the Pretenders also treated the audience to some more recent material including Love’s a Mystery, also off their latest album “Break up the Concrete.”

On the other side of the spectrum was Precious, the opening track to the band’s debut 1979 album. The bands longevity was emphasized during their renditions of their thirty year old material as the fifty nine year old Chrissie Hynde jumped around and sang with no less charisma than when the music was first released. Not only did the band demonstrate the same punk charm that was present in Precious over 30 years ago, but they also showed the slower, more reminiscent side in songs like Kid had faltered no less.

A major highlight of the night was “Learning to Crawl”, single, Back on the Chain Gang which saw full audience participation in the heartfelt tribute piece to James Honeyman-Scott, the deceased Pretenders guitarist who died of a drug overdose after their second album. The track reminded the audience of the song writing prowess of Chrissie Hynde and the reason people had come out to see the band thirty years after their first album.

After wrapping up popular hit I’ll Stand By You, Hynde and Chambers led the band through another Learning to Crawl hit, 2000 Miles. The performance of the track amplified the well-known intimate side of the live Pretenders show and combined with the Christmas season and the nature of the song, the audience received it as one of the many perfect displays by the band throughout the evening.

The Pretenders brought their set to a close with their most well-known track, Brass in Pocket, also from their debut album. As Chrissie Hynde sung “I’m special” the audience echoed back the songs trademark line; “special” and as I glanced around the sold-out venue, I didn’t see a single person with their mouth closed. “Special” would be an understatement for the set and performance given by the Pretenders, which managed to surpass Blondie’s nonetheless, incredible show. The Pretenders did an amazing job at reminding the audience why they had come to see the band as well as providing the reason as to why they were such huge fans in first place. The double bill of Blondie and the Pretenders was by all means, a rare opportunity for punters to revisit two bands who built and defined a decade in one night of overwhelming talent, nostalgia and experience.