Chrissie Hynde: The real deal

I think I like seeing concerts in Paris better than New York. I’ve seen three shows since I’ve been here, and they’ve all been great. Elvis Perkins at La Maroquinerie, Airborne Toxic Event at Point Ephemere and, last night, The Pretenders at Elysée Montmartre.


That said, I forgot that the French don’t really do air conditioning. The venue was super steamy, which, once you got used to the sweat driplets running down your back, only added to the fun.




It was a big crowd and good energy, and they played most of the best hits from the 80s—my favorites of the night: "Don’t Get Me Wrong" and "Talk of the Town". Chrissie has the voice of an angel, but the mouth of a truck driver. She was shouting the c-word, dropping the f-bomb and dabbling in French (“Il fait chaud—merde!”), which made everyone scream for her more. She was long and lean, all legs and arms, sidestepping and sashaying across the stage with those patented dance moves, going to town on guitar and, for "Middle of the Road", harmonica. She was awesome.

Super girl crush going on.

There was more fun to the night, coming soon...