AC/DC could have named anyone to open for them on their forthcoming European Tour.
They could have chosen metal gods Iron Maiden, commercial rock gods Foo Fighters, or even emo gods Fall Out Boy. They would have all said yes, honored to warm up the crowds coming out to see the much anticipated Power Up Tour.
Even at 76 and 69, respectively, Brian Johnson and Angus Young were the stars of the show at last fall's Power Trip metal festival in the desert. Who wouldn't want to hear those legends rock Europe every night and get paid for the honor?
AC/DC did not choose those groups. They chose The Pretty Reckless.
While the Pretty Reckless is best known as Taylor Momsen's band, the talented group (Ben Phillips, guitar; Jamie Perkins, drums; Mark Damon, bass) has remained intact since 2010. That's better than AC/DC can say who will be on this tour with a new bassist and drummer.
Formed in 2009, many dismissed the venture because Momsen's day job was starring in the teen CW runaway hit Gossip Girl.
But after her fourth season, she shocked the industry when she left the hot show she first became part of at 12-years-old.
Momsen, who had been thrown into modeling at two years-old and got her first IMDb credit on a TV show at four, turned over her life to rock 'n roll when she legally could: at 18.
"I quit acting," she told Elle magazine soon after turning 18. "I quit Gossip Girl and now I am in a band and that's pretty much all I want to do. Hopefully I'll be able to only do that for the rest of my life."
She explained to Entertainment Weekly, "I wasn't making my own choices then. And literally, as soon as I got to an age where I could make my own decision - it was like a click. I woke up one morning and went: 'Wait a second. I don't have to do this. I can just play in my band, and tour, and write songs. I can just do that.' I have the ability to create and live my life the way I want to live it. I don't know exactly what made that click, but it was like a light bulb went off. And I uprooted and kind of changed my life overnight."
Momsen has never returned to film or TV.
Over the years Momsen and Phillips have collaborated on a series of easily accessible hard-edged rock songs with a twist of darkness.
It all started with "Make Me Wanna Die" which was featured on the end credits of the 2010 film Kick-Ass.
The song was part of their debut LP Light Me Up. It still remains at the heart of their set and is their most-played tune.
Although Momsen and Phillips don't seem to have any issues writing strong, original songs, the band doesn't shy away from doing covers live.
The Pretty Reckless have been known to cover The White Stripes, Oasis, and Neil Young.
But the artist they cover the most is Chris Cornell via Soundgarden ("Loud Love") and Audioslave ("Like a Stone") tunes.
Tragically, Cornell killed himself while on tour with Soundgarden in 2017, a tour where The Pretty Reckless were the openers.
"[Chris] tended to leave right after the show, so I was kind of waiting by the back door knowing that it was the last night of tour, and I wanted to thank him for everything and say whatever I was gonna say," she told Matt Pinfield on the LA rock radio station, KLOS.
"And I did, I caught him as he was walking out. We had a nice little discussion, I gave him a big hug, a 'Let's do it again sometime,' and we continued on with the night... The next morning I woke up to the news of just... crushing. I was in disbelief, I guess is the right word. I was convinced that everyone was lying to me and that it was some awful joke. And it was not," she explained.
"That was kind of the start of a bit of a downward spiral for me where I was not emotionally prepared to kind of handle that kind of trauma and that kind of shock."
Momsen fronted Soundgarden during the first song of their ode to Cornell during the star-studded I Am The Highway Tribute in his honor at the Forum in 2019. Later she would sing two more of their hits with them.
In 2021 Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil and their drummer Matt Cameron made a guest appearance on The Pretty Reckless song dedicated to the fallen singer "Only Love Can Save Me Now," from their fourth album, Death By Rock And Roll.
The title track is a tip of the cap to another important person to Momsen who passed away, the band's producer and her best friend, Kato Khandwala, who died in 2018 from a motorcycle accident.
AC/DC fans probably know very little of any of that origin story. Despite having a solid catalogue of material and a sexy presentation, it takes an awful lot for female fronted hard rock bands to be taken seriously... or given much attention.
There are a few exceptions like Evanescence and Joan Jett, but there was absolutely nothing wrong with a band like The Donnas who were as overlooked then as The Pretty Reckless are now.
Fortunately someone at the AC/DC camp thought, "good music, 100% dedicated to rock, Soundgarden approved, and she sings about witches while wearing a slip? Works for me."
The Pretty Reckless will hit the road with AC/DC next month beginning in May in Germany, and they don't stop rockin' until August in Ireland. Get your tickets on The Pretty Reckless website.
AC/DC / The Pretty Reckless 2024 European Tour
May 17 — Gelsenkirchen, Germany @ Veltins Arena
May 21 — Gelsenkirchen, Germany @ Veltins Arena
May 25 — Reggio Emilia, Italy @ RCF Arena
May 29 — Seville, Spain @ La Cartuja Stadium
June 05 — Amsterdam, the Netherlands @ Johan Cruyff Arena
June 09 — Munich, Germany @ Olympic Stadium
June 12 — Munich, Germany @ Olympic Stadium
June 16 — Dresden, German @ Messe
June 23 — Vienna, Austria @ Ernst Happel Stadium
June 26 — Vienna, Austria @ Ernst Happel Stadium
June 29 — Zurich, Switzerland @ Letzigrund Stadium
July 03 — London, England @ Wembley Stadium
July 07 — London, England @ Wembley Stadium
July 13 — Hockenheim, Germany @ Ring
July 17 — Stuttgart, Germany @ Wasen
July 21 — Bratislava, Slovakia @ Old Airport
July 27 — Nuremberg, Germany @ Zeppelinfeld
July 21 — Hannover, Germany @ Messe
Aug. 09 — Dessel, Belgium @ Festivalpark Stenehei
Aug. 13 — Paris, France @ Hippodrome Paris Longchamp
Aug. 17 — Dublin, Ireland @ Croke Park
