Review L.A. GUNS ‘Cocked & Loaded Live’

The 31^st anniversary isn’t a date that you usually celebrate extensively. But in an extraordinary situation, which these days certainly reflect, things are different. In such a situation also a 31^st anniversary could become something special.

It was a bit more than three decades ago the L.A. Guns unleashed their seconds album ‘Cocked & Loaded’, a record the debuted at position 89 in the US Billboard 200. To put a special spotlight on this milestone album, combined with the string wish to play ‘live’, the band performed a streaming event on November 28^th, 2020, at Fremont Country Club in Las Vegas.

The setlist of this show is a pretty obvious one. It features all the songs of the successful sophomore album with the little adjustment of ‘Speed’ replacing ‘I’m Addicted’. The song fits into the context very well and there are also a few other features that are of interest. Performing an album in its entirety also means playing some songs that haven’t been performed for quite a while. Give a Little’ and ’17 Crash’ are sleaze rock tunes that haven’t been performed in more than 20 years. Furthermore, there is ‘Wheels of Fire’ that is enriched by a guitar solo including the riff of Van Halen’s ‘Ain’t Talking About Love’.

‘Cocked And Loaded Live’ is a time travel back to the heydays of sleaze rock, days when glam- and sleaze rock gained momentum with L.A. Guns being a string contributor. This album brings back memories as well as it provides good rock music that survived trends and hypes. Good music with enough dirt under the fingernails.