KK’s Priest, L.A. Guns and Burning Witches @ Town Ballroom, Buffalo, NY 3-13-24

A bill of metal and rock graced the stage this past Wednesday at the Town Ballroom in Buffalo, NY. Classic rock band L.A. Guns sandwiched in by metal acts in KK’s Priest and newcomers Burning Witches made fantastic night of music for the 750 plus attendees.

First up were the all female quintet Burning Witches. Even though the bands roots hail from Switzerland, due to recent band member changes they are now pretty much worldwide act. Dutch vocalist Laura Guldemond now has been fronting the band for over 4 years and touring musician (and Philadelphia native) Courtney Cox is handling lead guitar duties. The band made the most of their 35 minute set as they cranked through 6 tracks. I didn’t know anything about the band except for Cox’s stint in her former band the Iron Maidens. I thought the band sounded great and featured the over the top vocals by Guldemond. Her stage presence and vocal range were off the charts. She even went into the crowd at one point to sing “Lucid Nightmare.” In May of 2023 they released their 5th alum titled ‘Dark Tower.’ The title track was a favorite along with the opening tune “Unleash the Beast.” They are a must to see again and hoping its sooner than later.

Next up were L.A. Guns. This is the first time I got to see the reuniting of vocalist Phil Lewis and guitarist Tracii Guns since they got back together in 2016. It was good to see them together interacting a lot on stage and coming together to sing a bunch of various vocals throughout the set. The band couldn’t dive deep into their catalog due to time constraints but made the most of their 50 minute set. Fan favorites “Electric Gypsy” and “Sex Action’ were played to perfection. Lewis’ joked that even though this is a metal show the band was obligated to play a ballad or they wouldn’t get paid. “Surprisingly” most of the crowd sang along to “Ballad of Jayne.” There has been plenty of confusion over the last several years with various L.A Guns bands and projects. With drummer Steve Riley’s passing last year, this is the only true version of the band at this time (and hopefully will remain so).

Headlining the set was KK’s Priest. Former Judas Priest guitarist KK Downing (who retired from the band in 2011) decided to come back to music a few years ago to form his own outfit called KK’s Priest. The band is comprised of Sean Elg on drums, Tony Newton on bass, A.J. Mills on rhythm guitar, and former Judas Priest singer Ripper Owens on vocals. The setlist comprised of a mix of originals and Priest songs. Even though this show was in a club that holds 1,000, the stage setup and show gave you feeling that it was being held in an arena setting. At the start of the show, both guitarists appeared on the top of platforms behind the drumkit with lights focused on them for “Hellfire Thunderbolt.” The appropriate “The Ripper” was played with piss and vinegar. Most of the Priest songs were from the Halford led era and not Owens’ tenure in the band, which was a small surprise to me. I thought the playing of both Downing and Mills was flawless. They both played off each other really well and gave the two guitar attack reminiscing of the Downing and Tipton from the old Priest days. The fun sing along “Breaking the Law’ was played to the concert attendees delight. The band closed the set with 2 fist pounding original tracks in “Strike of the Viper” and “Raise Your Fists.”

All in all, this was a great lineup and gave the fans everything they would want in a metal and rock show. That would be great vocals and fantastic musicianship! It’s early yet but this could be the bill of 2024 you don’t want to miss!

KK’s Priest setlist:

Hellfire Thunderbolt

One More Shot at Glory

The Ripper (Judas Priest cover)

Reap the Whirlwind

Night Crawler (Judas Priest cover)

Burn in Hell (Judas Priest cover)

Beyond the Realms of Death (Judas Priest cover)

Hell Patrol (Judas Priest cover)

Brothers of the Road

The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Claw) (Fleetwood Mac cover)

Breaking the Law (Judas Priest cover)