Pretenders Pack Small New York City Club: Set List

The Pretenders kicked off their intimate run of U.S. concerts at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City Wednesday night.

The band performed nearly 20 songs from across their catalog — ranging from "Precious" and "Tattooed Love Boys" from their 1979 debut album to tracks like "Turf Accountant Daddy" and "You Can't Hurt a Fool" from their most recent LP, 2020's Hate for Sale.

Leader Chrissie Hynde, donning a Recycled Records T-shirt spoke little between songs. "It's good to be home," said Hynde, an Ohio native who has lived in London for most of her life. The Pretenders have played in New York City regularly since the very beginning of their career.

You can see a complete set list of the show below.

Even though the Pretenders' set included songs from all but two of their 11 albums, Hynde has said that fans shouldn't expect all their favorites at these shows. In a Facebook post last year, she claimed she was "completely dumping any sort of greatest hits set [from] now on" and that "if anyone wants to come and see me in the future, it’s going to be punk rock [and] no hits."

The Pretenders will be on the road for the next couple of months, opening for Guns N' Roses on their North American tour as well as performing in smaller venues as a headliner. The final concert will take place on Oct. 6 at Bimbo's 365 Club in San Francisco.

They will also release a new album, Relentless, on Sept. 15. Three songs from the album have been issued so far: "Let the Sun Come In," "I Think About You Daily" and "A Love."

"I enjoy seeing the various meanings and origins of a word," Hynde previously explained of the LP's title. "And I liked the definition: 'Showing no abatement of intensity.' It's the life of the artist. You never retire. You become relentless."

The Pretenders, 8/16/23, Bowery Ballroom, New York City
1. "Losing My Sense of Taste"
2. "A Love"
3. "Turf Accountant Daddy"
4. "The Adultress"
5. "Downtown (Akron)
6. "The Buzz"
7. "Domestic Silence"
8. "Time the Avenger"
9. "Biker"
10. "Boots of Chinese Plastic"
11. "Don't Cut Your Hair"
12. "Thumbelina"
13. "Gotta Wait"
14. "You Can't Hurt a Fool"
15. "Tequila"
16. "Let the Sun Come In"
17. "Junkie Walk"
18. "Precious"
19. "Tattooed Love Boys"