On Thursday, Boston was “doin’ fine killin’ time” with The Pretty Reckless on their Dear God Tour, alongside support from doug. and Paris Jackson.
The band doug. kicked off the night at the House of Blues with a headbanging energy that carried through their entire set. Despite the period at the end of their name, the New Hampshire band’s sound was anything but concise, blending grunge, punk, hard rock, and everything in between. One thing that was unmistakable, though, was their hometown pride. Drummer Lucas Turner wore a Jayson Tatum Celtics jersey as he rocked out with the Boston crowd.
With only a moment to breathe, Paris Jackson took the stage next, wearing a vintage T-shirt that read “Love Boston” beneath a series of children’s drawings.
“I’m Paris Jackson and I’m from Los Angeles,” she called out before launching into her set. Just last month, the singer released her sophomore album, HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE, which provided a strong foundation for the performance. She also treated the crowd to unreleased songs, including “Albatross,” as well as a cover of Blind Melon’s “No Rain.”
Jackson carried an effortless coolness and ease onstage, moving between her guitar and a red corded microphone. Despite the size of the venue, she managed to make the 2,000-plus-capacity room feel intimate, creating the sense that the crowd was right there onstage with her.
During “No Rain,” she folded her setlist into a paper airplane and sent it sailing over the crowd into the hands of a lucky fan, then delivered a second to an individual in a wheelchair. She also brought the audience into her conversations with the band. After noticing her guitarist struggling with his guitar, she asked, “Did you shred so hard you popped two strings?” before turning to the crowd with a laugh. “My guitar player is cooler than yours.”
She closed her set with a thank you to the crowd thanking them for supporting live music in the age of AI.
Soon, The Pretty Reckless were beckoned onto the stage by a heartbeat. “Lub-dub, lub-dub” pulsed through the speakers as the band emerged, preparing to perform their fifth studio album, Dear God.
Like Jackson, The Pretty Reckless frontwoman Taylor Momsen connected with the crowd from the moment she stepped onstage. She was constantly on the move, coming to the edge of the stage and even jumping into the crowd to perform. Perhaps the most impressive demonstration of her command of the room, though, was her mastery of the suspenseful pause. Momsen could hold the crowd in complete anticipation, stretching a moment of silence before the next verse until the room erupted in cheers. She never lost them.
Their setlist embraced both “the past and the future,” featuring music from their latest album alongside songs reaching all the way back to their debut single, “Make Me Want to Die.” Many of the songs came with stories, like lead guitarist Ben Phillips’ fascination with “Dragonfire” and the fitting throwback childhood VHS clip of a young Momsen before “Spell On You.”
Momsen grew emotional while sharing the story behind “Devil in Disguise (Michelle’s Song),” a tribute to her late friend and Gossip Girl co-star Michelle Trachtenberg. Before beginning the song, Momsen took a moment to recognize the power of music to bring people together through shared emotion, in this case, grief. She explained, “[this song] means a lot to me, but now that it’s out in the world, it doesn’t belong to me anymore. It belongs to you guys. So I’d like to dedicate this one to anyone who’s here, who’s ever loved and lost someone way too fucking soon.”
As she sang the final notes at the side of the stage, she held her head in her hands for a brief moment, collecting herself.
Before closing out the night with an encore of “About You,” Momsen stood at the edge of the stage and slowly scanned the room, making eye contact with everyone from the rafters to the floor. It was a gesture that felt like a testament to the connection that has kept fans coming back for 17 years.
Amelia Cordischi, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Juice Box Press, is an accomplished digital marketing professional with over a decade of experience in media and communications. Her work has been featured in notable publications, including The Boston Globe. A communications graduate of Simmons University in Boston, Amelia served as manager of Simmons College Radio (“The Shark”), where she also launched and co-hosted her radio show, The Find.
In addition to her editorial work, Amelia is an established freelance photographer, with bylines in Blended Magazine and CelebMix, capturing artists and cultural moments across the music and media landscape. Her career began at WCVB-TV’s Chronicle, the ABC affiliate in Boston, where she gained firsthand experience in broadcast journalism and storytelling.
When she’s not taking photos from the photo pit, interviewing emerging artists, or crafting the next Juice Box Press feature, Amelia can be found thrifting and exploring the world of sustainable fashion.