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LA GUNS POTENT FORMULA HAS NEVER SOUNDED BETTER
LA Guns: A.B.A.T.E Of Minnesota 2017, Litchfield, MN
14th September 2017

jeff kunze
Words and Pictures: Jeff Kunze



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Finally... it took some time, but Tracii Guns is once again standing left of Phil Lewis on a stage with the LA Guns logo on the backdrop.

This is the duo that powered the band from the Sunset Strip onto stages across the globe. The combination of Tracii's riffs and Phil's soaring vocals provide an unmistakable formula that is essentially the bands DNA and the potency of that formula was on display through the entire set.

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LA Guns' current line-up features Phil Lewis on vocals, Tracii Guns and Michael Grant on guitar, Johnny Martin on bass and Shane Fitzgibbon on drums and it's good that Michael Grant stayed on after Tracii came back as LA Guns are at their best with a twin-axe attack and Michael's playing syncs well with Tracii's.

Wasting no time, LA Guns came out blazing with some heavy hitters, 'No Mercy' and 'Electric Gypsy' from the debut record flooding the airwaves with a sonic explosion. The intensity ramps up even further with the aggressive 'Killing Machine'.

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After a bow solo from Tracii, we got the fabulous 'Over The Edge' which is one of the best cuts from the 'Hollywood Vampires' release, the power of the verses blending into a delicate melodic chorus. The dynamics really play off each other creating an epic feel.

Three more songs of that first record, 'Bitch Is Back', 'Sex Action' and 'One More Reason' brought the long time fans to a roar. That record was such a slab of raw unfiltered hard rock and that is further emphasized when played live.

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The big news from LA Guns is a new record coming out in October. The album will be called 'The Missing Peace' and will be on Frontiers Music Srl. The first single, 'Speed', has been released and the band cranked into it with a furor. The song is reminiscent of the classic LA Guns sound and fits perfectly in the set.

The big hit in 1991, 'Kiss My Love Goodbye', always goes over well with it's ultra catchy singalong chorus and a cool surprise was Michael Grant taking lead vocals on a terrific cover of 'Purple Rain'. It's never a bad idea to play Prince when you're in Minnesota.

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A killer song from the 'Waking The Dead' album, 'Don't Look At Me That Way', and 'Malaria' brought the show to the encores and the closing songs were all from 1989s 'Cocked & Loaded', the band's biggest album with iconic hits that have stood the test of time.

'Never Enough' features an unforgettable riff that launches the song and it sounded as fresh and exciting as it did decades ago. One of the biggest ballads of the 80s era, 'Ballad Of Jayne', is always a fan favorite and engulfs everyone into its spell while The closer, 'Rip And Tear', brings the show full circle and ends the night how it began, with a hard rocking straight ahead bruiser with an infectious hook.

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It was a great night to be an LA Guns fan. Tracii's presence and playing defines the LA Guns sound and he looked like he had a blast as he projected a fun vibe that the crowd fed into. Phil Lewis still hits every note and together the band sounds complete and most of all... sounds like LA Guns. The rhythm section was tight musically and in providing backing vocals that filled out the sound.

If you have not caught these guys recently, now is the time to do it. They've never sounded better.

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