L.A. Guns: Lucky MF’rs In Millersville

Don't you just love it when one of your favorite bands comes to a strangely local venue? That's how the residents of Millersville and Lancaster, PA felt Sunday night when L.A. Guns, the glam metal kings of the Sunset Strip, paid the area a visit. As someone who lives in the middle of nowhere, I was not expecting any band of my liking to come to such a random and handy location anytime soon. L.A. Guns is currently at the start of their “Lucky MF’r” tour to celebrate their new album, Leopard Skin (or "Leopard Skin Panties", as singer Phil Lewis joked), which is the first release of theirs since 2023's hard-hitting Black Diamonds. The particular tour date I attended was held at Phantom Power, a rather tiny venue just a stone's throw away from the Millersville University campus.

Having never heard of this place, I was mostly surprised to find out that they did not permit tailgating. As such a practice is common with every single show I've ever been to, forcing patience and compliance on a crowd of very seasoned concert veterans got on everyone's nerves, which wasn’t a great start to the night. Another thing I was shocked by was the lack of stage lighting in general. For an amateur photographer with a very limited arsenal of equipment (if you could even call my setup that), it was absolute hell trying to get any decent shots that weren’t too dark or grainy. The last thing that confused me was the size of the concert hall on the inside. Phantom Power is, by far, the teeniest venue I've ever shot a show in. L.A. Guns drummer Shawn Duncan remarked that the venue looked like "a mini-Whisky (A Go-go)!" in a brief conversation we had before the event. While I say I love intimate venues the most, this was a little too intimate for me, which says a lot. There were so many people packed into such a tiny space that there wasn't any room to dance, much to the dismay of some attendees. Safe to say that L.A. Guns fans need a little bit more room to rock!

Okay, now that the critic in me got that out of my system: let’s get into the music!

While I was not aware of any opening acts, I was certainly not disappointed. First, we were introduced to Defiant, a "high octane hard rock" band from south-central Pennsylvania. They simply blew the stage out of the water with their set of original punk and heavy metal-influenced headbangers. Their raging performance was so intense, one would think they stole all the energy from the other acts of the night. Defiant even welcomed L.A. Guns guitarist Ace Von Johnson onstage to guest on their final song, “Viva La Revolution”. That’s a huge stamp of approval if I've ever seen one!

Next, my friends and I were in for a big surprise. Made known by all the various shirts, license plates, and conversations I had while waiting in line, it was apparent that this crowd was also a crowd of Kix fans (myself included). The second opener, The Blues Vultures, was fronted by none other than former Kix guitarist Ronnie "10/10" Younkins. Having only seen Ronnie perform from about half a mile away at Kix's final show, suddenly being 4 feet from his presence left me in some awestruck whiplash— I didn't even recognize him at first! Let me tell you, he's still as much of a menace on guitar as he was when Kix was at their peak. Not only did the Blues Vultures pay tribute to Kix by tearing through the leading track "Atomic Bomb" from their 1981 album Kix, but their own brand of groovy hard hitters encompasses all the spirit that Ronnie still has for his musical calling.

Everyone was now more than ready to get a taste of the leopard skin. When L.A. Guns took the stage with the musical intro to their new single “Taste It”, the gates to West Hollywood were magically opened. Not only do they ride the high of past success, but they make sure to give each audience a healthy sample of their more recent work. They love to do this by exploding into shows with “Cannonball”, a modern classic from 2021’s Checkered Past. Once the cannonball was fired and the audience was successfully enthralled, they slipped comfortably back into their sleazy roots with “Electric Gypsy” from their 1988 eponymous debut album. While the first three songs of a show are essential to every concert photographer, I couldn’t help but watch in awe for a little during the third number, “Over the Edge”. Considered a top favorite by many (including band members), its haunting intensity and internal conflict of a lyric never fails to mesmerize. Picture yourself being in the pit, inches from the musicians playing it— how can you not give in to such wonder?

When they brought on the “Sex Action”, L.A. Guns had a bit of a surprise for us. In the spirit of the Sunset Strip, they brought out Whisky A Go-Go dancer Olga Attack to the Phantom Power stage. Having seen Olga dance two years ago when I visited the Whisky, I instantly recognized her and became as hyped up as the rest of the crowd for this anthem.

When L.A. Guns picks songs for a setlist, they make sure to only pick ones that hit. “Like A Drug”, the closing track from the recent Black Diamonds record is a perfect example of this. Not only did they play one of my favorite scream-worthy songs off that release, but they also played my favorite song from the new Leopard Skin album: “Hit And Run”. Having seen L.A. Guns four times now, they’re always changing up their setlist, yet always seem to know exactly what their fans want.

By this point in the show, the fans wanted the motherfucking speed. If you’re an L.A. Guns repeat offender, you know this is what singer Phil Lewis says to preface their performance of “Speed” from 2017’s The Missing Peace. With so many exceptionally heavy songs released in recent years, you might briefly forget their hits of decades past mid-show. However, when almighty guitar master Tracii Guns starts playing that iconic intro to “Hells Bells” by AC/DC, and when bassist Johnny Martin leads the crowd in a chant along with it, you know you’re getting instantly transported back to their glory days. This riff is what Guns has been using for years to lead into “I Wanna Be Your Man”, one of the stand-out singles from 1989’s Cocked and Loaded. Making sure the crowd was extra loaded on Cocked and Loaded material, the band followed this up with three more songs from that album, “Never Enough”, “The Ballad of Jayne”, and their go-to smash of a finale with solos from every member, “Rip and Tear”.

Every time I see L.A. Guns, they never disappoint. I feel as though they’re one of those bands that anyone will have a good time seeing, regardless of whether they listen to them or not. Despite the lack of space for band and crowd, they still put on a hell of a show all the same. There is simply no room for low energy or corner-cutting when it comes to these hardcore musicians. So, who was the “Lucky Motherfucker” in the end: the band or the crowd?

If you’re in the mood for a healthy dose of sleaze/glam metal, catch L.A. Guns on their “Lucky MF’r” tour this summer, and catch them this fall with Tom Keifer (of Cinderella) and his band this fall. Be sure to wear your leopard skin!

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