KELSEYVILLE ? She”s meatless, but not gutless, and at 57 years old she stands behind her ethics, morals and beliefs emphatically.
“I”m the new spokesperson for McDonald”s, ?I”m hatin” it,” campaign,” Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders said to a full-house on Sunday.
Aside from an amazing career that spans more than 30 years in rock ”n” roll, she is an avidly passionate spokesperson for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
Where”s the beef? For the first time in the history of the Joe Mazzola Indoor Showroom at Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa, dinner was served with a message, no meat.
Hynde insisted on a vegetarian meal for everyone in the audience.
“This is not a diet,” she explained to a group of about 20 people in the parking lot. “It”s a philosophy.” She”s a rebel in every sense of the word and offers no apologies. She speaks her mind, with no fear of losing fans. As shows go, the audience overwhelming called this one the best of the best.
“I go to a lot of shows here,” Todd Flack of Riviera West said. “This is the best indoor show I”ve seen in 10 years. There is just no one like her (Hynde).”
“I went crazy when she sang ?Talk of the Town.” This is one of the best shows I”ve ever seen,” Kathryn Holden of the Rivieras said.
Hynde emerged on stage as though she were in time warp, wearing skin-tight jeans, black thigh-high, high-heeled boots, a fitted tuxedo jacket complete with a vest and necktie, an ageless, timeless style of her own. She looks like the dark-haired and much more attractive female counterpart to Tom Petty.
She opened the show with “Break Up The Concrete,” from her new album with the same name. She belted it out in a voice that can only belong to Hynde.
“You”ve just eaten, you”re old and you don”t really want to stand up,” she said to her audience.
Women danced and sang, looking fully empowered and genuinely joyous.
Hynde is the sole original member of the Pretenders.
On Sunday she sang about Elvis Presley, Dr. Bob of Alcoholics Anonymous and dead band mates with a raw, matter-of-fact tone, strength and lightning-charged emotion.
