Chrissie Hynde Rails Against Phones at Gigs: ‘It’s a Weird Compulsion’

The Pretenders‘ lead singer Chrissie Hynde posted a letter on her social media accounts blasting people who use their cellphones at concerts.

“It’s like a weird compulsion that people can’t control,” she writes. “It reminds me of monkeys wanking in full view of the people standing around their enclosure … and frankly, in that case, people deserved to be wanked at because monkeys should not be in an enclosure in the first place … However, an artist on a stage?”

In the letter, she recounts having dinner with Emmylou Harris before seeing her perform at the Royal Albert Hall in London. “Our conversation naturally turned to people on their phones at concerts,” Hynde writes. “This is a subject that comes up every time I meet an artist. It’s become like an unpleasant fug hanging over the heads of all artists. You can plaster a venue with signs requesting ‘NO CAMERAS,’ but people don’t respect it. It’s as if people feel entitled, even though the artist clearly has asked them not to do it.”

She makes an exception for pop artists who asks fans to film them “because they want to be on social media,” and praises Bob Dylan for insisting that phones be placed in pouches at his shows. “You would think an artist of his stature could make a simple request and the audience would respect it … no chance,” she writes. “People will still sneak in a camera or phone.”

After Hynde’s dinner with Emmylou Harris, she attended her show at the Royal Albert Hall. Of course, a fan seated near her filmed the concert on his phone, blocking her view. When someone told him to stop, he simply said, “Mind your own business.” And it happened to her again when she saw Sarah Snook perform The Picture of Dorian Gray as a one woman show. “A woman sitting in the front row pulled her phone out and started filming it,” Hynde writes. “Unbelievable.”

Things have gotten so bad that Hynde no longer attends public art exhibitions because people hold up phones to the paintings. “If Jesus Christ were to walk into a room, the first thing everyone would do would be  to pull out their phone,” she writes. “Can someone please explain?”

The Pretenders have been off the road for nearly a year, but Hynde recently told fans she just finished recording a new album with guitarist James Walbourne. She hopes to resume touring next year. “I miss seeing you regulars,” she wrote, “even though I may have unwittingly offended you by asking to move a couple rows back so that I could see the locals. I hope you’ve gotten over it and forgiven me. No offense intended. But when we travel for months on end, it’s necessary to keep things fresh by seeing new faces upfront. You know I love you, and can always find you in the audience, and I’m always looking for you.”

But if you do see the Pretenders next year, whether or not you make your way to the front, please keep your phone off. Chrissie has asked you very nicely.