Just two weeks following the release of their latest album Dear God, NYC-based four-piece rock outlet The Pretty Reckless have hit the road for their aptly titled Dear God Tour. The record has proved to be a success, scoring the band's best first week sales since their debut, 2010's Light Me Up, and is currently the best-selling record in Independent stores in the UK. Kicking things off at The Ritz in Raleigh, NC, this past Friday, the band delivered a sturdy 15-song setlist that consisted of five songs from the new record, including one live debut, and ten callbacks to previous work.

As we reported on the eve of the release of the album, the band celebrated the occasion with an invite-only performance at Church of the Ascension in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Having just come off the festival circuit in Europe and South America, the group hardly needed a warm-up gig, though it allowed them to loosen the reigns a bit ahead of their headline run AND their interwoven opening slots for AC/DC’s ongoing stadium tour.

Kicking off the show with a slew of past hits, Taylor Momsen and the boys ran through “Death by Rock and Roll” and “Only Love Can Save Me Now,” both off 2021’s Death by Rock and Roll, and “Miss Nothing” off Light Me Up, among others. Momsen sounded phenomenal on the above bunch, particularly on “Only Love…,” presiding over the entirety of the stage with authority whilst shifting from slinky low tones to well-placed snarls and mid-range belts. The energized crowd of rock-heads were more than willing to take trips down memory lane for both this first batch and additional throwbacks played later in the set.

The focus shifted to Dear God a third of the way through the show, as the band moved into selections such as “For I Am Death,” “Love Me,” and “When I Wake Up.” As the singles, these were anticipated picks, yet the live debut of “Devil In Disguise (Michelle’s Song)” was an unforeseen twist (as was the exclusion of the six-minute title track). Outside of the three “Life Evermore” interludes scattered throughout, “Devil…,” which pays tribute to Momsen’s late friend, Gossip Girl and Ice Princess actress Michelle Trachtenberg, is one of the few scaled-down tunes of the project (Ice Princess’s penultimate skate scene, featuring American Idol season three finalist Diana DeGarmo’s “Reaching For Heaven” as the soundtrack to Trachtenberg’s skate scene, is wonderful and heartwarming if anyone cares to revisit).

Debuts for “Dragonfire,” “Rollercoaster Of Life,” and even “Dark Days,” despite its relatively underpowered first half, would have been worthwhile additions to the set, particularly for the former as a standout of the project due to its immediate instrumental intensity and an incredulous vocal performance from Momsen.

Another round of fan favorites, such as “Witches Burn,” “Make Me Wanna Die,” and “Heaven Knows” kicked off the final third of the show, and were, as expected, met with boisterous energy from the crowd. “Heaven Knows,” off 2014’s Going To Hell, was extended to just over seven-minutes and featured a lengthy, face-melting guitar solo Ben Phillips. Momsen carried on during the interlude, dancing as if she forgot there was anyone else in the room. Impressively, just a handful of cell phones could be seen capturing this fleeting, though affirming, moment, as if it was collectively agreed upon to keep the devices out of reach.

The Pretty Reckless wrapped up with “Going to Hell” off the album of the same name and Dear God’s “About You,” the latter described in Greenpoint as a sort of lightning-in-a-bottle case during pre-release performances in Europe. Midway through the former, Momsen let out a flabbergasting rally cry that shook the foundations of the room, proclaiming, “RALEIGH!! This in onnnnn youuuuu!! Getcho handssss up in the airrrrrr! All the way in the back, all the way on the sides! I wanna see you get ‘em the FUCK up!!” And, well, they did! At that point, its derivative. One cannot teach that kind of command, you simply can or can’t.

With a tough act to follow, the heaviness of “About You” earned its place as the swan song of the evening. With apparent melodic nods to past rock n’ roll ladies of the eighties, Momsen expertly commits to the bit and, to put it bluntly, sings the crap out of it. She traverses across the stage, giving fans on all ends of the room an opportunity to connect with her in some form or fashion.

For a band whose career accolades continue to extend well over a decade into their tenure, The Pretty Reckless are in ideal territory. Charting and relevant in the contemporary scene, and distinguished enough to accompany legends on the grandest stages possible. How could you ask for more?

Catch The Pretty Reckless on tour through December:

07/15 — Columbus, OH @ Ohio Stadium ^
07/17 — Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
07/19 — Madison, WI @ Camp Randall Stadium ^
07/21 — Kansas City, MO @ The Midland Theatre
07/23 — Austin, TX @ ACL Live at The Moody Theater
07/24 — San Antonio, TX @ Alamodome ^
07/25 — Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
07/28 — Denver, CO @ Empower Field at Mile High ^
07/31 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
08/01 — Las Vegas, NV @ Allegiant Stadium ^
08/02 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
08/05 — San Francisco, CA @ Levi’s Stadium ^
08/07 — Portland, OR @ McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
08/09 — Edmonton, AB @ Commonwealth Stadium ^
08/11 — Calgary, AB @ The Palace Theatre
08/13 — Vancouver, BC @ BC Place ^
08/15 — Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre
08/27 — Atlanta, GA @ Mercedes-Benz Stadium ^
08/28 — Birmingham, AL @ Avondale Brewing Company
08/29 — New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
08/31 — Houston, TX @ NRG Stadium ^
09/03 — Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
09/04 — South Bend, IN @ Notre Dame Stadium ^
09/08 — St. Louis, MO @ The Dome at America’s Center ^
09/09 — Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
09/10 — Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
09/12 — Montreal, QC @ Parc Jean-Drapeau ^
09/16 — Toronto, ON @ Rogers Stadium ^
09/22 — Hampton, NH @ Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
09/24 — Boston, MA @ Citizens House of Blues
09/25 — East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium ^
09/26 — Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore
09/29 — Philadelphia, PA @ Lincoln Financial Field ^
11/09 — Madrid, ES @ La Riviera
11/10 — Barcelona, ES @ Razzmatazz
11/14 — Milan, IT @ Fabrique
11/16 — Prague, CZ @ Forum Karlín
11/18 — Berlin, DE @ Huxleys Neue Welt
11/21 — Cologne, DE @ Carlswerk Victoria
11/23 — Amsterdam, NL @ AFAS Live
11/24 — Paris, FR @ Zénith
11/26 — Bristol, UK @ The Prospect Building
11/27 — Wolverhampton, UK @ Civic Hall
11/29 — Manchester, UK @ O2 Victoria Warehouse
12/01 — London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton
12/03 — Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland^ =

w/ AC/DC