Chrissie Hynde wants you to put your phone away at concerts

A letter, not a rant

Chrissie Hynde has a message for anyone planning to attend a Pretenders show: leave the phone in your pocket. The lead singer published an open letter to fans asking them to stop filming concerts and simply be present, according to Rolling Stone.

The quote everyone is talking about

Hynde did not mince words. She compared the sight of a crowd full of raised screens to, in her own phrasing, monkeys wanking. It is the kind of unfiltered opinion you rarely hear from artists who depend on fan goodwill, and it is exactly what makes her point land harder than the usual polite request.

A wider conversation

Hynde is far from alone in feeling this way. The debate around phones at live concerts has been building for years, with some venues experimenting with locked pouches and others leaving the call entirely to the artist. What separates her take is the directness. There is no diplomatic framing, no "I understand you want to share the moment." Just a straightforward plea to watch the show with your own eyes.

Whether fans listen is another matter. Filming a gig has become reflex for many people, a way of proving attendance as much as preserving memory. But Hynde clearly believes something is lost when the camera comes out, and she is not wrong to say so.