L.A. Guns 10-8-2018 Shank Hall, Milwaukee
by Al Brzostowski
Posted: Oct 2018
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Tracii Guns, L.A. Guns - photo by Tricia Starr--TStarr Photography
L.A. Guns are known for their ties to the Los Angeles hard-rock band Guns N’ Roses. Axl Rose was even the band’s singer for a time, before the group merged with the band Hollywood Rose to become Guns N’ Roses. Their hits are “It’s Over Now” and “The Ballad of Jayne,” and many others. There have been many touring versions of the band over the years and this lineup features founding members Tracii Guns and Phil Lewis.
L.A. Guns’ 2017 album, “The Missing Peace,” has had great reviews. Blabbermouth.net called it “easily the finest moment yet by a heritage act looking to remain relevant.” Lewis was happy with the support and reaction from fans media, but not shocked, to say the least.
While sitting in front of Shank Hall in Milwaukee, I was chatting with some of the more hardcore fans of L.A. Guns talking about sold out shows of times past and reflecting on the 80’s and 90’s when I came to this realization: the rockers never fade away!
Tracii and the crew, along with TEEZE, have scorched across the us once again, making their mark on the ears of fans Monday night in Milwaukee.
The night opened with the first act, Teeze (from Illinois), and they banged out 80’s nostalgia… keeping the rock alive; shredding leads and flipping hair flipping.
As the L.A. Guns crew set up, the crowd approached the stage, waiting anxiously for these seasoned rockers to light up the night.
Then… the lights dimmed and the hall filled with the sound with an Ozzy-esque intro. Tracii walked onto the stage first with the crew following suit. Once the intro faded, they dropped right into the song “Mercy”.
Phil still holds strong after all these years as his raspy English vocals on “Electric Gypsy,” before heading into the guitar challenge of ”The Flood Is The Fault Of The Rain” off their new album “The Missing Peace”.
In “Jimmy Page” fashion, Traci donned a violin bow making the guitar moan like an angry apparition and falling right into “Over the Edge”.
The dirty, sleazed-up riff of “Sex Action”, an illustration of the LA strip, kicked up the energy and the band kept driving through the night with songs like “Malaria”, “Never Enough”, and the glam of “I Wanna Be Your Man”, followed by the lighter inspired, “The Ballad Of Jayne” and the punk vocal fueled “Rip and Tear” brought the evening to an end.
For more on the band, visit www.lagunsmusic.com.
Set list from the show:
Intro
MERCY
ELECTRIC GYPSY
BOW SOLO/OVER THE EDGE
SEX ACTION
FLOOD
SPEED
I WANNA BE YOUR MAN
ONE MORE REASON
KISS MY LOVE/HELLRAISER
MALARIA
NEVER ENOUGH
JELLY JAM
BALLAD OF JAYNE
RIP AND TEAR