All Photos By Krishta Abruzzini
It’s been ages since singer Phil Lewis and guitarist Tracii Guns appeared on an album together. For those keeping track it was 2002's Waking The Dead. Guns left to take part in [the short lived] BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION with MOTLEY CRUE’s Nikki Sixx. Phil Lewis and Steve Riley (drummer) pressed forward with various incarnations of the band for 13-14 more years before Phil announced Riley’s departure from L.A. GUNS. So, exit Riley and enter Tracii Guns who resumed his rightful place in the band which bares his name.
It was inevitable that Guns and Lewis would reunite again at some point. There was a time when there were two L.A. GUNS on the road across The United States at any given time. To muddy the waters even more; there were Tracii Guns solo shows, LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN and then GUNZO--it was so ridiculous. There were two incarnations with two different contestants from the Rock Star reality show. The brand name was so diluted there was no question; Guns and Lewis were destined for a reunion.
This brings us to the critically acclaimed The Missing Peace, issued by Frontiers Records in the Fall of 2017. L.A. GUNS had their fair share of ups and downs since the 2002 Lewis/Guns musical divorce; the current line-up finds the band on the upswing. Joining Phil and Tracii is a mix of old and new which includes; guitarist Michael Grant, bassist Johnny Martin and drummer Shane Fitzgibbon. L.A. GUNS rolled into Portland to a near capacity crowd. Phil Lewis posed for photographers and fans documenting the night via cell phone pics and video. Lewis reminised about memories when L.A. GUNS performed in Portland. One that stands out in my mind is the two couples that were fornicating in the venue balcony on The Hollywood Vampires tour. The was a different time and place but the one thing that hasn't changed is how solid this band is as a collective unit.
We bore witness to this with the band mixing in five tracks from the latest album; “Speed”, “Sticky Fingers” and “The Flood’s The Fault Of The Rain” amongst them. Grant, Martin and Fitzgibbon had their time to shine while Guns and Lewis took a much needed breather. Grant took the mic and led Martin and Fitzgibbon into a show stopping rendition of the Prince classic “Purple Rain”. What would an L.A. GUNS show be without classics like “No Mercy”, “Electric Gypsy”, “Sex Action”, “Kiss My Love Goodbye”, “Ballad Of Jayne” and set closer “Rip And Tear”? In closing we know this; Phil Lewis is ageless, he's still as charismatic as ever and Tracii Guns is still an electrifying performer, also has found the fountain of youth. And the rest of the band? They're tighter than Hillary Clinton’s grip on Bill’s arm at a college campus speaking engagement.
Check out some more photos from the show!
All Photos By Krishta Abruzzini
