L.A. Guns - Live from the Guild Theatre - (Blu-ray)

These veteran Hollywood rockers begin the show with "Cannonball," a fairly recent cut that comes from their 2021 album Checkered Past. After that opening salvo the guys, led by founding member and namesake Tracii Guns on guitar and longtime singer Phil Lewis, reel off a high-energy set of muscular rock that includes "Sex Action," "Electric Gypsy" and "One More Reason" from their self-titled debut album. Both Lewis and Guns have incredible stage presence; Lewis as he prances the stage and Guns as he pretty much stays rooted while riffing and soloing. Lewis introduces "Like a Drug" as being crafted by guitarist Ace Von Johnson, adding that "It's called "Like a Drug" but we call it "I Like Drugs!" Maybe not the wisest thing to say in this day and age but the quip reinforces the group's bad boys image. A really cool part of the film shows Guns playing a Theremin solo. The instrument is more commonly heard in prog rock music but Tracii has adapted the instrument for a bit of hard rock that is nothing short of spellbinding. After that solo, oldie "Over the Edge" from 1991's Hollywood Vampires is played and then Guns plays another solo, this time on guitar while the rest of the band exits for a few minutes. The show rocks hard until the one quieter moment as big hit "The Ballad of Jayne" is performed as the penultimate number. The show closes with "Rip and Tear." Rounding out the L.A. Guns lineup for this 2025 show in Menlo Park, California are Shawn Duncan on drums and Johnny Martin on bass. The camera work throughout is exceptional, especially when zooming in on Guns as he wields his axe. With its career spanning set list, Live from the Guild Theatre will please fans who've followed the band for decades as well as newbies.

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