Thursday, March 28, 2024
Live Events

The Pretty Reckless rocked a sold out Delmar Hall Thursday

The Pretty Reckless photo by Keith Brake Photography

— By Keith Brake

It has been said that “true” rock and roll is dead. Well, not so fast. St. Louis played host to The Pretty Reckless as they promote their new album Who You Selling For. The chosen venue was Delmar Hall and the house was packed with a very excited sold out crowd. The Pretty Reckless have a connection to St. Louis as it is vocalist Taylor Momsen’s hometown, and she was not about to disappoint. 

   

The Pretty Reckless photo by Keith Brake Photography

            Supporting act for the show was Them Evils, and they brought their “A Game”. From the first note that was struck they oozed energy and rock-n-roll prowess. Jordon Griffin (vocals and guitar), Jake Massanari (bass) and David Delaney II (drums) hail from Orange County CA and bring with them a classic and powerful rock sound. The group is influenced by some of the world’s foremost classic rock acts such as Led Zeppelin and AC/DC and it comes thru in their music. This three piece power trio is polished and seamless on stage and their driving blues-rooted rock forces you to groove along with them. Their set was highlighted by a powerful performance of “Got Nothing For Me” and a sneak peek of their new single “Got Me Rockin’”. They also paid homage to Lemmy Kilmister and Motorhead with a tremendous cover of “Ace of Spades”.

               The powerful opening act set the atmosphere of the room as well as setting the bar of expectation quite high, and Taylor and her band of rockers were not about to back down from the challenge. Anticipation was high and when the crowd caught a glimpse of Taylor walking to the stage, they erupted. From the moment the spotlight hit the stage and the band kicked into “Follow Me Down” the room was alive with electricity.

               The Pretty Reckless have a powerful presence on stage and they fully intend to flat out rock. The power and clarity of Taylor Momsen’s vocals combined with an extraordinary rhythm section (Mark Damon, Bass & Jamie Perkins, Drums) and the guitar stylings of Ben Phillips have a beautiful way of melding raw and polished together for a premium live sound. You want a live show to sound live but you also want it recognizable, and The Pretty Reckless deliver both to perfection.

               Taylor took a moment to chat with the hometown, sold out crowd and reminisce about her childhood in St. Louis and how she saw Chuck Berry as her first concert in “The Duck Room” at Blueberry Hill. She also told a short story concerning a treehouse and some possible “questionable behavior” the last time she was in town and took a moment to thank rock radio for their part in the band’s success.   

Them Evils photo by Keith Brake Photography

               There were several powerful and memorable moments from the evening. “Heaven Knows” brought an explosive response from the crowd and there were several sing along moments throughout the performance. Taylor even received a few marriage proposals from the raucous crowd.

               As expected, the excited fans were not going to go home without an encore, which the band happily provided. They came back to the stage and played a rockin’ version of “Fu**ed Up World” with an amazing drum solo smashed in the middle of the song, a fitting way to conclude a true rock and roll show.

               All in all this show was everything it was billed to be and if rock and roll is “dead” or “dying” these two bands are giving it CPR. I highly recommend catching either or both of these bands if ever you have the opportunity. Information concerning tour dates and news of the band can be found at  http://theprettyreckless.com/ . Information concerning Them Evils can be found at https://themevils.com/  .

 Be sure to check out the full gallery of photos after the setlist.

Setlist:

Follow me Down

Since you’re gone

Oh my god

Hangman

Make me wanna die

Prisoner

Sweet Things

Who you selling for

Living in the storm

Heaven Knows

Going to hell

Take me down

____Encore___

Fu**ed up world

6 thoughts on “The Pretty Reckless rocked a sold out Delmar Hall Thursday

  • Joe Kiendl

    Top notch review……. as always……well done.

    Reply
    • Keith Brake

      Thanks Bob, glad you liked it

      Reply
  • Great review, stellar pics as usual.

    Reply

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