Pretenders – “Loose In L.A.” [Blu-ray Review]

I have never owned a Pretenders disc, but I’ve always rather enjoyed whatever tunes of theirs I’ve heard on the radio. Needless to say when I sat down to watch this disc I was unfamiliar with the majority of the 26 songs they performed live that night. “Lie To Me” kicks things without much pomp and circumstance and the rest of the disc follows suit. There are no bells or whistles and no eye-catching visuals at all; this is just the Pretenders flawlessly playing songs from their extensive catalog in the most unpretentious unassuming manner.

The band’s performance is tight and straightforward, but I had a hard time sitting still for the almost two hour performance; there just wasn’t enough visual stimulation to motivate me to continue on. Besides the occasional bantering with the crowd there’s really nothing going on from a presentation stand point. I realize the Pretenders have been around for years and I’m sure they have a legion of fans that will totally dig this film, but it did not work for me. Don’t get the wrong idea though as I did enjoy the music (hence the higher rating), I just thought the show itself was uneventful.

Track Listing:

01. Lie To Me
02. Time
03. Message Of Love
04. My Baby
05. Talk Of The Town
06. You Know Who Your Friends Are
07. Time The Avenger
08. The Homecoming
09. Up The Neck
10. Fools Must Die
11. My City Was Gone
12. The Losing
13. Biker
14. Complex Person
15. Nothing Breaks Like A Heart
16. Back On The Chain Gang
17. Don’t Get Me Wrong
18. Kid
19. Rebel Rock Me
20. Night In My Veins
21. Tattooed Love Boys
22. Precious
23. I’ll Stand By You
24. Middle Of The Road
25. Mystery Achievement
26. Brass In Pocket

Bonus Features: Full-length video of “You Know Who Your Friends Are.” Backstage Footage
and a Concert Montage

Run Time: 140 minutes
Release Date: September 13, 2011

Check out the song: “Brass In Pocket”