For The Pretty Reckless frontwoman Taylor Momsen, opening for AC/DC has come with a strange new badge of honor—and a permanent nickname bestowed by the rock legends themselves.
In a new feature with Metal Hammer, Momsen opened up about the surreal aftermath of her 2024 encounter with a bat during a concert in Spain. While performing as the support act on AC/DC‘s massive European tour, a bat descended from the sky and latched onto her leg mid-set. What started as a frightening medical scare requiring rabies shots quickly devolved into a relentless running joke among the tour crew, led by the headliners themselves.
Momsen explained that while the bite itself was alarming, the Australian rockers wasted no time in turning the moment into backstage comedy gold.
“AC/DC started calling me ‘Batgirl’. Every day I’d go into my dressing room and there’d be a little bat rubber ducky,” Momsen revealed to Metal Hammer.
The pranks escalated from rubber ducks to stage props. Momsen recalled walking onto her own stage at a subsequent show only to find that the headliners had tampered with her gear.
“The next show, we walked on our stage, and they’d covered our amps in ‘No bat’ signs,” she said.
The ribbing reached its peak on Momsen‘s birthday, where the band threw a celebration entirely centered around the incident.
“They threw me a bat-themed birthday party with a giant homemade bat cake and some bat horns as a tiara; it was crazy. When AC/DC give you a nickname, you stick with that!”
Despite the chaos, Momsen seems to have taken the incident in stride, noting the absurdity of the situation.
“We were playing in Spain when this bat flew out of the sky and landed on me,” she remembered. “I didn’t notice it, but it bit me. I had to have all these rabies shots, but it turned into this big running joke on the tour. It was a very cute bat, though, if that’s any consolation.”
The camaraderie between the two bands is evidently strong, as The Pretty Reckless continue to serve as the primary support for AC/DC‘s global trek. Having wrapped up European legs in both 2024 and 2025, the pairing will resume this year with a massive run of stadium shows across the Americas, kicking off next month in Brazil.
In between the AC/DC dates, Momsen and her band will also make appearances at major European festivals this summer.
The Pretty Reckless — 2026 Tour Dates
South American Leg (Supporting AC/DC)
- Feb 24 – São Paulo, Brazil – Estádio do MorumBIS
- Mar 11 – Santiago, Chile – Parque Estadio Nacional
- Mar 23 – Buenos Aires, Argentina – Estadio River Plate
North American Leg (Supporting AC/DC)
- Apr 07 – Mexico City, Mexico – Estadio GNP Seguros
European Festival Circuit
- Jun 05 – Nuremberg, Germany – Rock im Park
- Jun 06 – Nürburg, Germany – Rock Am Ring
- Jun 10 – Hradec Kralove, Czechia – Rock For People
- Jun 12 – Nickelsdorf, Austria – Nova Rock Festival
- Jun 14 – Castle Donington, UK – Download Festival
- Jun 18 – Clisson, France – Hellfest Open Air Festival
- Jun 23 – Hamburg, Germany – Docks
- Jun 24-27 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Copenhell Festival
North American Stadium Tour (Supporting AC/DC)
- Jul 11 – Charlotte, NC – Bank of America Stadium
- Jul 15 – Columbus, OH – Ohio Stadium
- Jul 19 – Madison, WI – Camp Randall Stadium
- Jul 24 – San Antonio, TX – Alamodome
- Jul 28 – Denver, CO – Empower Field at Mile High
- Aug 01 – Las Vegas, NV – Allegiant Stadium
- Aug 05 – San Francisco, CA – Levi’s Stadium
- Aug 09 – Edmonton, AB – Commonwealth Stadium
- Aug 13 – Vancouver, BC – BC Place
- Aug 27 – Atlanta, GA – Mercedes-Benz Stadium
- Aug 31 – Houston, TX – NRG Stadium
- Sep 04 – South Bend, IN – Notre Dame Stadium
- Sep 08 – St. Louis, MO – The Dome at America’s Center
- Sep 12 – Montreal, QC – Parc Jean-Drapeau
- Sep 16 – Toronto, ON – Rogers Stadium
- Sep 25 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium
- Sep 29 – Philadelphia, PA – Lincoln Financial Field
