The Pretenders left their supporters astonished with an unexpected performance at the Park Stage in Glastonbury.
Keeping the Glastonbury tradition of surprises alive, their special guests were none other than Johnny Marr and Dave Grohl!
On Tuesday, their participation was confirmed following a streaming blunder that seemed to prematurely reveal their plans.
Nevertheless, the band was enthusiastically welcomed as they started their Saturday performance at the renowned festival with a fresh track, Losing My Sense Of Taste.
Following the inaugural song, lead singer Chrissie Hynde conveyed to the crowd, ‘Thank you, I feel like I am acquainted with everyone here – let’s get the show on the road.’
They then pledged to the audience to usher in some guest appearances during the show at Worthy Farm, and they certainly came through!
Hynde, 71, reflected on past Glastonbury experiences, saying ‘Oh Glastonbury, so many memories, so many former loves, so many past lives,’ as The Pretenders delivered the powerful guitar strains of Time The Avenger.
The crowd was further invigorated during the performance of Middle Of The Road, with Hynde concluding the track on a high note with the harmonica.
A poignant moment was witnessed as the tempo was slowed down for the performance of Hymn To Her, evoking an emotional response from the audience as they echoed the chorus.
Upon finishing the song, she revealed: ‘That was dedicated to Meg Keene (Hynde’s friend who penned the song).’
The Pretenders then surprised the crowd with the appearance of The Smiths’ vocalist Marr, who once played with the band in the late 1980s.
Before his introduction, Hynde reminisced: ‘Glastonbury is filled with numerous memories but my favourite has been watching my guitar idols.’
She acknowledged two of them being their guitarist James Walbourne, and Marr himself.
Marr accompanied them for performances of popular songs, Back On the Chain Gang and Don’t Get Me Wrong.
To further exhilarate the Glastonbury crowd, The Pretenders brought Foo Fighters’ Grohl on stage for an exceptional finale.
Following his surprise performance with his band at the Pyramid stage on Friday, this was the former Nirvana drummer’s second appearance.
Before presenting him, Hynde hinted at the surprise, telling the audience: ‘Apparently there’s a drummer hanging out backstage’, with the crowd breaking into cheers when his name was mentioned.