BulletBoys, Gunzo and Killer Bee at GB Leighton’s Pickle Park, Fridley MN (26 July 2015)

BulletBoys Setlist

Gunzo Setlist

Tour Dates

It was all of that and more in friendly Fridley just outside of Minneapolis recently, as the Armed Alliance Tour featuring BulletBoys, Tracii Guns’ Gunzo, and Killer Bee came to town, to rock a venue with the strange name of Pickle Park.

Next was the best Swedish-Canadian hard rock band you may of have not heard of- Killer Bee.  Chief songwriters Anders “LA” Rönnblom and Brian “Bee” Frank have been at it since the early ‘90s, with this tour (their 1^st proper tour in 17 yrs!) being extra special with the addition of Paul Chapman from UFO on guitar.

Rock Another Day is their newest album (on Mighty Music) and that’s exactly what the band did during their brief 38 min. set, as the five-piece opened with the driving ‘Scream It’, and Chapman’s distinctive chops on display from the very beginning.

Chapman took center stage for the 1974 UFO classic, ‘Doctor Doctor’ shredding the intro and often facing his massive stack of speakers. ‘All Night Long’ had echoes of Nugent’s ‘Stranglehold’ and Soundgarden, while ‘A Little Too Old ‘ featured the most exciting club solo we’ve seen all year – drummer Morgan Evans playing with flaming sticks-  and the band ended solidly with the title track of 2012’s From Hell and Back.

The band many had been anticipating to see, Gunzo, played an all-out 42 min. set, drawing from their past, as well as showing a small glimpse of their future.  The supergroup of sorts features LA Guns’ Tracii Guns, legendary bassist Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy, Whitesnake, Quiet Riot), and lead singer Keith St. John (Montrose) and opened with a no-holds-barred LA Guns classic, ‘Rip and Tear’.

The band’s formation was announced earlier this spring, with the Gunzo name being adopted later (it wasn’t even on the event posters) with this being their local live debut.  Ozzy’s ‘I Don’t Know’ was next, with bassmaster Sarzo anchoring the song (often licking his fingers of course) and Guns filling the Randy Rhoads role, as well as anyone we’ve seen.

Dedicating ‘Bad Motor Scooter’ to the late Ronnie Montrose, Guns revved his guitar like a motorcycle engine, while a tease of The Rolling Stones’ Angie gave way to the LA Guns ballad, ‘The Ballad of Jayne’.  The band re-launched into overdrive for Ozzy’s ‘Crazy Train’ and ended with a stretched-out Montrose classic, ‘Rock Candy’, showcasing solos and the vocal range of St. John.  An impressive debut and hope they return soon with new music.

BulletBoys have effectively dodged the pitfalls of so many late ‘80s hard rock bands, and are still making vital music today.  Their latest, Elefante (Cleopatra/Deadline Records) came out in June, and even features a re-worked cover of Elton John’s ‘The Bitch is Back’ which was featured during their hour headlining set, which worked in a few new songs as well as the crowd favorites.

Though the original lineup has briefly reunited, mainstay singer/guitarist Marq Torien is the only founding member of the current lineup, with Torien even taking most of the lead guitar solos.   Best received songs of the night were from their 1988 debut album, including ‘Hard as a Rock’ and their crunchy cover of The O’Jay’s ‘For the Love of Money’.

The Sunset Strip version of ‘The Bitch is Back’ was turned upside down with an LA street vibe added, to make the song very different than the original’; then after turning down a shot from an eager audience member, Torien (who has been sober for 28 yrs) played a tender solo acoustic ‘Switchblade Butterfly’ before closing with biggest hit, ‘Smooth Up in Ya’.

BulletBoys continue their road trek with a few fall dates and a UK tour, while Tracii Guns and co. goes to Mexico in October with Ratt’s Stephen Pearcy and joins the guitar heavy Axes & Anchors Cruise, leaving next February from Miami.