Customer Reviews

The Pretenders - Live in London [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm not only owner of this Blu-Ray but the CD/normal DVD combo and its a great show , played with passion and filmed in a very artistic and dramatic way.....it has edge and power and Chrissie is still rockin as hard as ever and sounding fabulous!!! What more could a fan want? Chrissie is all attitude and her vocals are as formidable as ever and her new band is crackin.
For any band with as long a track record there will of course be songs left off and a few newer ones obliged to toss in to keep things current but those would be picky complaints. I don't want to get into comparing this to the Loose in LA show which is also a HD filmed event featuring the wonderful Adam Seymour you really should own both!
25 songs plus a funny extra bit of footage...and a sort of retro feel to the film..I just love it!

I was asked for the set list...
here goes
Boots of Chinese Plastic
Don't cut your hair
Talk of the Town
Message of Love
Kid
The Nothing Maker
Don't lose your faith in me
Back on the Chain Gang
Love's A Mystery
Rosalee
I Go To Sleep
Don't Get Me wrong
Tequila
Stop Your Sobbing
Day After Day
Cuban Slide
Break up the Concrete
Thumbelina
Middle of the Road
The Wait
Tattooed Love Boys
Precious
I'll Stand By You
Brass In Pocket

I definitely recommend this DVD recorded live in London, 2009. It is one of the best concert videos I have ever watched, and since Chrissie Hynde is only 2 months older than I am, I'd tell anyone, SHE'S STILL GOT IT. Her voice is as good as it was back in the early 80's, and her stage presence is right on the money. She has the original drummer with her, but sadly I believe I heard the other two original members are now deceased. But Chrissie, the drummer, and the three newer members (added a steel guitar player) play some kick--- songs. Middle of the Road sounds as good now as it did back in 1984-85. The DVD is Blue-Ray, and when I played it through my Bose Home Theatre System, the quality made you feel like you were right there in London watching the show!! You will not be disappointed...buy it!!!

This is how I like to see concerts shot. Straight foreword with no annoying gimmicks.

Just got a blu ray player and I was looking for some recent titles to look at and came across this one.Sure glad I did.I have the LA concert and it is very good but there are a few big pluses to this concert.For starters Chrissie is energized and in great form here.The main reason, I believe, is the injection of youth in this band.Both Chrissie and Martin look stoked,like proud parents observing and admiring their prodigy children.In particular, new guitarist James Walbourne just tears it up.What a find.Great set from start to finish with stellar picture and sound.Felt like I was watching them for the first time.Highly recommended!

Superb sound, immaculate picture quality - Chrissie & co. storm through their recent live repertoire in a soulful and direct manner, well captured on this Blu Ray release. The band sounds great. Only snag is Chrissie's runny makeup which is a little distracting. And no need to separate the extra tracks out from the main concert. Otherwise, perfect release.

This is a great recording of the new Pretenders line-up I got to see in KC last year. The sound is awesome, and the young guys add a lot of energy. This will make me seem shallow, but I wish to goodness someone would have handed Chrissie a towel. Three songs in to the set her eyeliner starts to run, by the 6th song its hard to tell if she looks more like Alice Cooper or Bob Dylan. Its kind of distracting to me. She has always been a sex symbol to me, I guess I just wanted to see her face. See, I'm shallow. Other wise this a perfect concert amazingly recorded at a great price. Enjoy!!!

Review of the Blu-Ray version: This is a really excellent show, from the "Break Up the Concrete" tour. Like Paul McCartney, the Pretenders seem to be staying quite vital by injecting some new/younger blood into the lineup, and it's keeping them sharp. The standout of this Pretenders lineup (on this DVD) seems to be the young guitarist, James Walbourne, who plays very well (everything from the fast-countryesque picking on "Thumbelina" to the classic Honeyman-Scott cuts). Martin Chambers is rock-steady as usual, and Chrissie's voice is in fine form (though, visually, the runny mascara gets a bit distracting, esp in hi-def). Nice pedal steel playing here too. Song selection has quite a few older classics along with new material (show runs approx. 2 hours), though everyone will find something missing that they wanted to hear (i'd have liked "Birds Of Paradise", but they do "Tattooed Love Boys" here). Picture and sound (I listened to DTS 5.1) are quite crisp, and there's not a lot of MTV style too-rapid edits, which is refreshing. Definitely one worth having, and it's nearly as good as the stellar Wiltern DVD that was out a few years ago (link below)

Pretenders - Loose In L.A.

I really enjoyed this. Documentary style with good editing (though I wish they'd paused to let Chrissie fix her running mascara). Nice visuals, quality sound. Enjoyed this Blu-ray presentation.

For anybody thinking shall I buy, this is supposed to be a show from July 15th 2009 at the Shepherds Bush Empire,London and if it is your in for a treat it was a great show as I was there....the only downside for me no Blu-ray player so I hope it also comes out on normal DVD please........