(NORTH ADAMS, Mass.) – Legendary rock group The Pretenders – led by founder-singer-guitarist and animal-rights activist Chrissie Hynde, who writes the band’s songs – will perform at MASS MoCA on Friday, July 26, 2019, at 8pm, in an outdoor concert at Joe’s Field. This concert marks the band’s only North American appearance during summer 2019.

In association with this concert, Chrissie Hynde will appear for a separate, ticketed event at the museum on July 27. Details will be announced at a later date.

In the late-1970s and early-1980s, the Pretenders were one of only a few bands rooted in punk-rock and New Wave that successfully straddled the pop divide — scoring a number of hits including “Back on the Chain Gang,” “Don’t Get Me Wrong,” and “Brass in Pocket,” while retaining their independent credibility. The Pretenders also scored hits with cover songs, including the Kinks’ “Stop Your Sobbing,” Sonny and Cher’s “I Got You Babe,” and “Thin Line Between Love and Hate,” originally by the Persuaders.

Chrissie Hynde – one of the greatest bandleaders of all time and possibly the greatest female leader of a rock band ever – draws on her background in Akron, Ohio; her time at Kent State University, with overlapped with the Kent State shootings of May, 1970; and her time on the punk scene in London in the mid-1970s, balancing an innate toughness with a vulnerability betrayed by her natural vibrato.

Chrissie Hynde turns 68 in September 2019.

Proceeds from this concert will benefit the Hans and Kate Morris Fund for New Music, which underwrites new work by emerging and established musicians.

 

 

MASS MoCA Member Preferred Ticket Presale: Friday, April 26, 10am

Tickets On Sale: Saturday, April 27, 10am

Tickets for all events are available through the MASS MoCA box office located on Marshall Street in North Adams. The box office is open 11am to 5pm every day except Tuesdays, closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 x1 during box office hours or purchased online. All events are held rain or shine.