LA Guns played Count’s Vamp’d on December 2 and 3, 2022. This review is for the Friday, December 2, show.
Count’s Vamp’d remains one of the leading rock venues in Vegas. As something of a tradition, it seems like LA Guns plays a two-night gig in Sin City at Vamp’d right around Christmas. That proved to be the case once again for 2022, with the band entertaining audiences on both Friday, December 2, and Saturday, December 3, with a different support act each night. Audiences got Crash Midnight as the opener on Friday, and Velvet Chains on Saturday (note that I only attended the Friday show; this review will cover that performance).
LA Guns were kings of the Sunset Strip in their heyday, unleashing several straight-up rockers and sleazy anthems on the masses. Over the years, countless individuals have been in and out of the band, and there have even been multiple versions of the group. These days, the “core” version of the band features two of the most integral players in its classic history; lead guitarist Tracii Guns and, British-born vocalist Phil Lewis, formerly of the band Girl (which also featured a pre-Def Leppard Phil Collen). Their current lineup also includes drummer Shawn Duncan, formerly of Odin and Bulletboys (he’s the brother of guitarist Jeff Duncan, who resides here in Vegas nowadays and has played alongside his brother in many acts). Classic drummer Steven Riley fronts a separate incarnation of the band called Riley’s LA Guns, featuring him with former members Scotty Griffin and Kelly Nickels; that version of the band played the Cannery a few months back, though I didn’t make it to that gig.
Opening the set for the evening I attended was Crash Midnight. This group of Boston transplants has been playing Sin City for quite some time now, and to be honest, I’m not totally sure if I’d seen them perform prior to this evening (when you’ve been following the local scene as long as I have, it’s hard to keep track!) Fronted by vocalist Shaun Soho and guitarist Alex Donaldson, I unfortunately arrived late (I also do movie reviews for this site and was attending a film screening before the concert which delayed me slightly), but from the moment I walked in the door, these guys rocked my face off and held nothing back. Soho sounds like he’s been taking vocal lessons from Myles Kennedy, though I mean that with the utmost praise; Mr. Soho wails as few on the Vamp’d stage can. Their set was a fantastic combination of covers and originals, with the band putting their own spin on everything from Led Zeppelin to Hollies! If an electrifying way was needed to jumpstart what promised to be a killer evening of rock and roll in Las Vegas, the boys in Crash Midnight did just that.
Not to be outdone, of course, was our headliner for the evening, LA Guns. Since the reunion of Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns a handful of years ago, they’ve recorded and released several new albums, one of which even topped my list for best album of last year! The group was using a fill-in player on this evening, but if you didn’t know better, you’d have no idea. The guys were that tight on this evening of rock and roll, and for me, it was one of the best nights of rock and roll in Sin City throughout 2022; that’s no small task when you consider some of the gigs we’ve gotten in Vegas this year!
LA Guns combines talent and chemistry with its members. Tracii and Phil reuniting several years ago was the greatest thing to happen to this band in many years, though I certainly don’t mean that as an insult to any of the other players who’ve come and gone in and out of the group. It’s great not only to hear these guys revisit classic songs from their first three records released 1989-1991, but also tracks from their latest studio efforts. You can tell Phil and Tracii have the time of their life on the stage, bringing their sound to the masses. Also not to be overlooked is the arrival of Shawn Duncan on drums, who I’ve seen many times over the years in assorted bands. In LA Guns, I think this guy has finally found the musical home he needs.
How about the setlist? One thing I adore about LA Guns is that they’re still making music, and they let the audience know it. Opening the set was “Cannonball,” the lead single for their latest studio effort that we got last year, CHECKERED PAST. Further in the set we got “Speed,” which was the initial single that we’d gotten when Tracii and Phil first reunited, which was found in studio form on 2017’s THE MISSING PEACE. Much of the setlist consisted of the songs you’d expect off the early handful of records, including “Sex Action,” “Electric Gypsy,” “Rip and Tear,” and “One More Reason.” It was nice to see the third album, 1991’s HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES, get some love with performances of “It’s Over Now” and “Over the Edge.” “I Wanna Be Your Man” got played as well; that’s a classic that doesn’t get enough exposure. The classic “Never Enough” got played with an AC/DC style intro, and we also got an instrumental jam session from the group that further reiterated why I love live rock and roll. The one startlingly omitted song from the setlist that surprised me was “No Mercy,” but that can be overlooked with the quality of this set of music. And a damn good one it was.
Many thanks to LA Guns for a killer night of live rock at Vamp’d, giving audiences the old and the new alike and rocking every single second. Tight, raw, and high energy from start to finish, with no backing tracks or artificial elements, this is everything live rock and roll should be. The opening set from Crash Midnight was a damn fine one as well; I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on these guys next year. If you have the opportunity to experience a live rock and roll show from LA Guns, don’t think about it. Just go. These guys kick that much ass, fusing chemistry, songwriting talent, and humor where needed. Experiencing these guys in their live concert element is a must, and I have no doubt this will be on my Best of the Year list for live music.
All photos by the author.