Concert Review: Blondie with The Pretenders, Vector Arena

Deborah Harry's tutu brought a reminder of the 1980s New York scene to Auckland last night. Photo / Dean Purcell

What: Blondie with the Pretenders

Where: Vector Arena, Auckland

When: Last night

Deborah Harry (as she prefers to be known these days) may be 65, but she is still the greatest pop act in the world ... according to Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde who's 59.

The two shared a double-header show that wrapped Vector Arena in nostalgia last night.

Harry emerged in a tutu that blew like a Marilyn Monroe photoshoot every time she stood near the fan at the front. It was a humble stage set-up that sought to recreate in the grittiness of 80s haunts like New York nightclub CBGB's.

While a sometimes frail-looking Harry seemed to have outgrown those wild-child days, her show-stealing drummer Clem Burke - who had CBGBs emblazoned on his shirt - and the relentless shredding of guitarist Tommy Kessler took the audience there.

After a warm-up of new songs like Maria and old hits like Telephone, Harry ripped off the tulle to expose her tiny pins - and started to rock.

She swapped her stiff "old aunt Beryl at the family do" dance moves for some shimmying, and even pulled out crumping during an extended version of Rapture.

She gave the performance her all, and ended with an encore of Heart of Glass, which she asked the audience to help her sing. Her devoted fans were more than happy to oblige.

It wasn't just Hynde's dance moves that made her and five-piece The Pretenders the more energetic act of the night.

They rolled out a mix of oldies for the die-hard fans and recent releases for her new recruits, and her pitch-perfect, clear and brooding vocals spread some of the night's greatest moments, some animal rights messages and even some Christmas cheer.