The Pretenders‘ Chrissie Hynde has asked for fans to not take up space in the front row across multiple concerts – see what she had to say below.
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Hynde took to social media on October 16 to address seeing the same fans in the front row at several concerts during the band’s ongoing UK tour, urging them to “give local fans a chance”. She began the post by thanking fans for their support before explaining: “When we go on tour, the whole point of it for the band is that we are playing to a different audience every night. That’s why we go on tour!”
“So if we’re in Edinburg (like we are tonight), we look forward to seeing local faces. This is what makes it new for us every night. We appreciate those of you who follow us and buy tickets for multiple nights, so please don’t be offended if we request you to move out of the front row,” Hynde continued.
“All we are asking is that you give the local fans a chance. This is what keeps it new for us… especially after being on tour for so many months.”
See the full post below.
The post hasn’t gone down well with fans, with some commenting on her Instagram post that they “would never attend another show simply because of this letter”, and other arguing that standing in the front is the right of any fan who shows up early enough to queue.
See some reactions below.
If any of my favourite bands said this I’d legitimately never give them a penny again https://t.co/KLFySt29mm
— Aaron (@AaronC_48) October 16, 2024
“please don’t be offended if we request you move from front row” imagine security coming up to you and being like “your favourite artist doesn’t want to look at your face so please fuck off to the back” https://t.co/MdcwgHGthz
— tara (@drknesstolight) October 17, 2024
The band are due to play several more shows across the UK this month. Visit here to purchase tickets and check out a full list of tour dates below.
The Pretenders’ remaining 2024 UK tour dates are:
OCTOBER
19 – Hull – Connexin Live
20 – Nottingham – Royal Concert Hall
22 – London – Palladium
23 – London – Palladium
24 – London – Palladium
26 – Ipswich – Regent Theatre
27 – Birmingham – Symphony Hall
28 – Manchester – Bridgewater Hall
30 – Liverpool – Philharmonic
31 – York – Barbican
NOVEMBER
1 – Sheffield – City Hall
Elsewhere, Hynde is set to join Depeche Mode‘s Dave Gahan and Queens Of The Stone Age‘s Josh Homme as a performer for a Mark Lanegan tribute show in December. Titled “Mark Lanegan – A celebration”, the one off show will celebrate the late singer and songwriter who passed away at the age of 57 back in early 2022.
Other musicians set to perform at the now sold out show include the likes of Primal Scream‘s Bobby Gillespie, Greg Dulli, The Kills‘ Alison Mosshart, Soulsavers and more.
Hynde also recently explained the reasons why she and The Pretenders don’t play arenas, although though they could, saying they prefer to stick to shows in clubs and theatres because they’re “better for the audience and for the band”.
