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$500 ticket-holders get cocktail reception, vegetarian fare, relaxed acoustic set at Northside Lofts
By Lisa A. Abraham and Malcolm X Abram Beacon Journal staff writers
Published on Friday, Sep 14, 2007
When Chrissie Hynde's opening number is the O'Neil's department store jingle, you know it was a special night for Akron.
Hynde, lead singer of the Pretenders, rock and roll hall of famer and Akron native, kicked off a weekend of events to mark the opening of her new Akron restaurant, VegiTerranean, with a private concert and cocktail reception Friday at the Northside Lofts.
Hynde said one of her main goals for coming home to open her restaurant was to help promote Akron's revitalization.
Accompanied by longtime Pretenders guitarist Adam Seymour, Hynde dipped into Northeast Ohio nostalgia a few more times in the concert, at one point leading the audience in a rendition of the jingle for the defunct Robert Hall men's clothing store.
There were two ways to get into the event: pay $500 for a special VIP pass, or be connected to Hynde or the those involved in her restaurant project.
Holder of VIP ticket No. 1 was Elena Sileo, 29, a school guidance counselor from Torrington, Conn., and longtime Chrissie Hynde fan. ''This is the opportunity of a lifetime. We love her so much,'' Sileo said.
Sileo and two friends from the New York area arrived in Akron on Wednesday. After a trip to the rock hall in Cleveland to pay homage to the red jacket that Hynde wore on the cover of The Pretenders first album, they spent their time walking around Akron.
''We think Akron is so clean, and everyone is so friendly,'' she said.
Sileo's wasn't the only group of fans who came from out of town. Mia Bissette, a veterinary technician from Dallas, came with three friends for the weekend. ''We're big fans, and I'm a vegan, and I want to support her efforts,'' she said.
Hynde's restaurant will serve only vegetarian food.
A VIP pass was a 40th birthday present for Dina Gathe from her partner, P.K. Koprowski. The pair flew in from Los Angeles for the event. Gathe came with the cover of the Pretenders' debut album from 1979; she was hoping to get Hynde to autograph it, and she also brought Hynde a birthday gift a vegan guitar strap. Hynde turned 56 on Sept. 7.
Joel Testa, chief operating officer of the Testa Cos., who developed the Northside Lofts, said because so many of the VIP passes were sold to people from out of state, Continental Airlines agreed to be a corporate sponsor for the weekend.
Spotlights on Furnace Street highlighted the Lofts as guests were greeted in the lobby with glasses of Prosecco, Italian sparkling wine.
The cocktail reception took place in an eighth-floor loft, where the wait staff passed trays of vegetarian hors d'oeuvres prepared by Executive Chef Scot Jones, who is creating the menu for VegiTerranean.
There was crostini with arugula and bean dip, polenta with roasted vegetables, and kabobs of an imitation chicken product that Jones intends to premier at the restaurant. VegiTerranean is expected to open for business sometime in mid-October.
Portage Lakes residents Janet and Tom Winemiller, vegetarians and members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said they are thrilled to have a restaurant opening where they didn't have to worry about what they ordered.
Hynde is scheduled to hold a 4 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony at the restaurant today, and this evening is to play a benefit concert for the Civic Theatre with Jerry Lee Lewis and several Northeast Ohio bands.
For Friday's concert, guests were escorted to an empty loft on the ninth floor of the building, where Hynde and Seymour took the stage at 8:50 p.m. Using borrowed guitars, the pair played a relaxed acoustic set, peppered with a few false starts.
Hynde and Seymour played a mix of hits that included a delicately picked and unhurried take of Don't Get Me Wrong and the light reggae Complex Person from The Pretenders' most recent album, Loose Screw.
Hynde, apparently feelingunder-rehearsed, repeatedly made joking references to the duo's failings. But the well-lubricated crowd didn't mind.
At one point during Talk of the Town, Hynde stopped the song to ask ''Are there any guys here?'' in response to a vocal group of female fans crowded near the stage.
She even gave a hat tip to Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic, who was in attendance. ''Hey, the mayor is watching us play. What a riot,'' Hynde said.
After several songs, she began taking requests from the audience, telling the crowd to ''Keep on drinking.'' She played for about an hour.
Lisa A. Abraham can be reached at 330-996-3737 or labraham@thebeaconjournal.com. Malcom X Abram can be reached at 330-996-3758.
When Chrissie Hynde's opening number is the O'Neil's department store jingle, you know it was a special night for Akron.
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