What Was Cindy Lou Hoo Doing Opening for AC/DC in Minnesota?

What a difference 25 years makes.

Back in 2000, moviegoers were introduced to Taylor Momsen, a fresh-faced seven-year-old actress, in what turned out to be her breakthrough role on the silver screen. She played Cindy Lou Hoo in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which starred Jim Carrey in the title role.

This was Taylor then...

...and this is Taylor now...

Since 2009, she's been the leader singer of The Pretty Reckless, who are currently opening for AC/DC on their PWR UP Tour, which began its 2025 run in Minneapolis last week.

But unlike a lot of opening acts that toil away in relative obscurity, The Pretty Reckless has been cranking out hits, and breaking records, for more than a decade.

The band has four studio albums to their credit, beginning with 2010's Light Me Up,  and along the way did something no other group had ever done before, take their first four singles to the top of the Billboard Rock Chart. They have since added three more chart toppers and grabbed another record, the most number-ones (7) ever by a female-led group.

Before the AC/DC gig, some other heavy hitters in the music business have taken notice of the back over the years. The Pretty Reckless have opened for Evanescence, Guns N' Roses, and Soundgarden.

Prior to launching her music career, Momsen, a St. Louis native, followed up her role in The Grinch with an appearance in the film Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams, before landing a recurring role on TV's Gossip Girl. She also did some modeling.

But perhaps the biggest break in her career was a role she didn't get.

In 2006, she was one of three finalists to play the title role in the Disney Channel's Hannah Montana, which eventually went to Miley Cyrus.