Chrissie Hynde Urges Fans to Ditch Phones at Concerts: "Reminds Me of Monkeys Wanking"

Hymn to Her

Chrissie Hynde Rails Against Cellphones at Concerts: ‘It Reminds Me of Monkeys Wanking’

In a letter to fans, the Pretenders' lead singer begs fans to put away their phones, and simply enjoy the concert

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

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June 2, 2026

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?”

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_Originally reported by [Rolling Stone](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/chrissie-hynde-cellphones-concerts-monkeys-wanking-1235571259/)._