The band opens with a short instrumental version of "Taste It," the lead track from Leopard Skin, just a tease of it, or a taste, before then launching into "Cannonball," the lead track from Checkered Past, released in 2021. The song has a great, steady pounding on drums, and features some excellent stuff on electric guitar, as well as a strong vocal performance. The band is rocking. Phil then tells the crowd, "Menlo Park, San Francisco, it's good to be back." And the band goes into "Electric Gypsy," a song from the first album, and one that is fun. The band seemes to be warmed up now, and is clearly having a good time. "Got to keep moving," Phil sings, and the music is in motion. Tracii delivers a cool lead on electric guitar. There is no pause, the band going straight into "Sex Action," with a bit of "Paint It Black" at the end, the first of several cover songs the band would hint at throughout the show. "Hellraisers Ball" is another fun one with a good guitar lead. Phil delivers a great rock scream at one point toward the end, and the band kicks back into the song right afterward. "How's it sound out there?" Phil asks, and the crowd responds enthusiastically. When he introduces the next song, "Hit And Run," folks cheer. The energy might be lower for this song, letting the band members catch their breath, but it features a really good beat, and ends up being one of my favorites. It comes from Leopard Skin. "We're just having fun/Didn't think you'd walk away/Like a hit and run."
"We're going to do one of Ace's songs now," Phil announces. "Great fucking song. It's called 'Like A Drug,' but we call it 'I Like Drugs.'" On this song, Ace Von Johnson delivers a delicious lead on guitar. That's followed by "Speed," which moves at a fast pace. "A little speed will make you want a little more." The song ends with a guitar solo, and then things really take off, as the band moves into "One More Reason," a song from the band's debut album. For some reason, there are shots of some chick holding up a Yoda plush toy. I'm not sure why, and I'm not sure why someone would take a toy to a concert. But, whatever, this song is another of the set's highlights. Everything is working just right. It leads to a good jam, with Tracii on theremin, and with some great drumming by Shawn, and a good bass line. There are some trippy visual effects at this point too. That leads straight into "Over The Edge," which contains a fun section with the two guitarists. Tracii then delivers a good guitar solo that leads straight into "I Wanna Be Your Man." The audience, at the band's encouragement, gets involved (and again we get closeup shots of that Yoda doll).
"All right, we've broken the ice," Phil says. He then asks again how it sounds, this time explaining, "we're actually recording tonight." The band launches into "Lucky Motherfucker," another song from Leopard Skin, and another highlight of the set, in part because of Phil's vocal performance, in part because of the song's cool vibe. Interestingly, that is followed by another guitar solo, this time a brief one, which moves into a bit of AC/DC's "Hell's Bells" and then into "Never Enough." This whole section is excellent. The band is cooking on "Never Enough," a song from Cocked & Loaded, the group's second album. That's followed by another song from that album, "The Ballad Of Jayne," which begins with just vocals and guitar. The audience then sings part of the song, unaccompanied, before the band kicks in. This song features a strong vocal performance, and it leads into "Rip And Tear," during which Phil introduces the band. Ace delivers a good guitar lead, and Johnny delivers a cool lead on bass, but it is Shawn's drum solo that really stands out. "Sonic fireworks," Phil says of it afterward. Tracii does not deliver another lead when he's introduced, possibly because he'd already given some great solos. And that's how the show ends.
L.A. Guns: Live From The Guild Theatre is scheduled to be released on Blu-ray on September 4, 2026.
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