Chrissie Hynde went on Instagram to both thank and apologize to fans following controversies sparked by her comments during The Pretenders’ latest tour.
“Hi All! What a year! We had a great tour thanks to you, our audience, for coming to see us,” she wrote in a new post. “Thank-you SOOOOO much! We can’t do this without you, and we cannot thank you enough for being there for us. As always, I have a few apologies to make…”
“First of all, I’m sorry that I’ve never adjusted to the phone/filming/picture taking culture,” the singer explained. “I’ve sworn and berated the very audience that is there for us. There’s no way to explain how distracting it is and why I have a meltdown when I see a phone. Every night I come off stage scolding myself and saying it’s just not worth it and maybe it’s time to hang up the guitar and find another vocation. But I love the band and I love playing live for you. I just don’t like being stalked.”
“I see I’m not alone and some venues are now banning phones and many acts are banning them too. [Bob] Dylan famously has phones sealed in a bag throughout his shows. We post signs around the venues saying please do not use your phones, but some people just cannot resist. Anyway, I do feel baffled and bad about it. I know pop acts encourage phones because they want to be on social media. But we are not a pop act. We’re a rock band (in case you didn’t notice).”
Hynde then reflected on the reactions to her request that fans attending multiple shows allow local audiences to take the front rows. “The other thing I said which seems to have caused offense in some quarters is when I asked that anyone who has seen more than a few shows, move back out of the front row and let the locals have the front,” her statement read. “I will reinstate that we love to see people come back for more, but we travel the world to play to a new audience each night, so it’s good to see the locals up front. Come one and all, but be fair!”
The frontwoman ended her message by thanking fans who gave her a pair of silver music clef earrings and a vinyl record featuring some of her favorite artists. She also wished everyone a merry Christmas, adding, “thank you once again for making it a joyful year for myself and the band entire, and our lovely crew. Best wishes all round!”
Hynde complained about the same people showing up at the front row of several UK shows in an October post, writing, “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 Edinburgh (like we are tonight), we look forward to seeing local faces. This is what makes it new for us every night,” the rocker continued. “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. 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 you later,”
The statement received backlash from fans, some of whom said they would stop attending the band’s shows because of her comments.
The Pretenders concluded their UK tour in November at Sheffield City Hall. They are heading to Latin America for a new set of dates in May 2025.
