Aug. 28, 1980 review: The return of the Pretenders, this time at Uncle Sam's

 


Second appearance in five months here for Chrissie Hynde and her original band. And just as memorable.

Aug. 28, 1980 review

Fans of Red-Hot Rock Get

Real Thing From Pretenders

         The Pretenders explode onto the stage in Uncle Sam's in Cheektowaga Wednesday night, quickening every heartbeat in the huge, hot, crowded room as they race into their defiant "Precious."

         The sweaty, sell-out audience is on its feet, or perched on every available vantage point, bobbing to the beat. They cheer lustily as American-born singer and guitarist Chrissie Hynde spits out the song's most famous line -- "I'm too precious, **** off!" -- a message repeated on a select few of the Festival East staff's T-shirts.

         "We're really packed in like sardines tonight," Hynde remarks as they finish the second song, "Kid," their newly-released single. "That's what I feel like, a sardine in oil."

         She must be even hotter than the rest of us are, in that black jacket and white blouse with the ruffled front and tied collar. She's saved from total heat exhaustion by her cool stage manner. She stalks about in a slow, smooth glide, brandishing her guitar to accentuate the phrasing.

         As the set progresses, her vocals fall generally into one of three modes – low and quavery for mid-tempo ballads like "Private Life," bright and melodic over harmonies for upbeat pop songs like the hit "Brass in Pocket" or the Kinks' old "Stop Your Sobbing," and fast and mean as a gatling gun in New Wave stomps like "The Wait."

         Unlike Mosport last weekend, where the set stuck to familiar material from the debut album, the British-based band dips generously into its collection of new songs, bringing out five in various stages of development. Nicest is "Maybe Tomorrow," which puts a stunning echo on Hynde's voice.

         The rest of the band is clearly a killer, as well. Bassist Pete Farndon, who looks like a refugee from Sha Na Na in his greasy pompadour hair and black shirtless vest, conspires with drummer Martin Chambers to establish a rock-hard foundation for Hynde and lead guitarist James Honeyman Scott to bounce rhythm riffs and short solos against.

         The two-song encore of "Mystery Achievement" and "a song we've never played before" with a refrain of "what you gonna do about it" leaves the steamed-up crowd clapping and screaming for more.

         They continue applauding after the lights come up and the taped music starts blaring, even after the Pretenders are hustled out of the building. Burly security men move in to guard the front of the stage. The fans finally disperse after it's announced that the band is gone.

         Opening was a black-suited Boston quintet called the Nervous Eaters that's managed by the guy who used to manage the Cars. A hometown favorite since 1977, they've just issued their first album and have added a keyboardist to their original four-man lineup.

         The Nervous Eaters got a good reception and an encore. And why not? They were tight and confident and displayed a variety of styles, the most effective being aggressive rockers like the medley of "Get Stuffed" and "Girl Next Door," where guitarist Steve Cataldo's repeated lead guitar figures could rise above the drone of the organ.

* * * * *

IN THE PHOTO: The Pretenders in a publicity photo.

* * * * *

FOOTNOTE: Their follow-up to that legendary date at Buffalo State College's Student Union Social Hall back in March 1980. No setlist on setlist.fm for the Uncle Sam's show, but here's what they did on Sept. 1 at a club called Hammerheads in West Islip, Long Island:

Precious

The Adultress

Kid

Talk of the Town

Space Invader

Cuban Slide

Private Life

Brass in Pocket

Stop Your Sobbing

Birds of Paradise

Louie Louie

The Wait

Porcelain

Tattooed Love Boys

Up the Neck

Mystery Achievement

Watcha Gonna Do About It (Small Faces cover)

        "Louie Louie" is not the Kingsmen song from the '60s that everyone knows, but one of theirs. It was included on the "Pretenders II" album, released in 1981. Other new ones included "The Adultress," "Birds of Paradise" and "Talk of the Town," which was a hit single before the LP came out.

        The Nervous Eaters, celebrated as one of Boston's first and foremost punk bands, fizzled after their debut album was released on Elektra Records in 1980 to poor reviews. A year later, they disbanded.

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