Tracii Guns Talks KK's Priest, L.A. Guns Tour Kickoff: Exclusive

KK's Priest and L.A. Guns began their Return of the Sinner tour on Thursday in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. You can see set lists and video from both bands below.

The 14-date trek marks the U.S. debut for KK's Priest, the band featuring former Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing and his one-time Priest bandmate, vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens. The pair first reunited for 2021's Sermons of the Sinner, which arrived a decade after Downing's exit from Judas Priest, and 20 years removed from Owens' final studio album with the British metal legends, 2001's Demolition. KK's Priest is now touring in support of their sophomore effort The Sinner Rides Again, which arrived last September.

As L.A. Guns mastermind Tracii Guns tells UCR, the experience was well worth the wait. "We took this tour because we want to play with K.K. We want that to be part of our journey that this band’s gone through," he explains. "K.K. had a massive impact on everybody. For anyone who plays metal, growing up and seeing pictures of K.K., it's like, 'That's what a metal guitar player looks like.'"

Guns is equally fond of their tourmates' lead singer. "Ripper is also a really good friend of mine. To me, in that genre of metal, he’s the guy," he adds. "When he was in Priest, he just absolutely blew my mind. Not to take away anything from Rob Halford, obviously, but wow. That guy’s voice and his delivery is just out of this world."

Fans hoping to hear some of Downing's most famous work with Judas Priest weren't disappointed. The 14-song set featured fan favorites like "Breaking the Law," "Victim of Changes" and "Beyond the Realms of Death." But it ventured even deeper into the catalog with tracks like "Hell Patrol" and "Night Crawler" from 1990's Painkiller and "Burn in Hell" from 1997's Jugulator, Owens' first album with the band. They also showcased a number of highlights from their own two albums, with "Hellfire Thunderbolt" kicking off the night's performance.

"It was packed to the gills," Guns reports. "The audience was into it, you know, the crowd was there for that band. And K.K. sounded great."

L.A. Guns' set list went heavy on their first two albums while also spotlighting their more recent output, including the Led Zeppelin-esque "You Betray" from 2023's Black Diamonds. Before they even played a note, Guns realized he needed to make an adjustment to the set. "The original set list I put together was a little bit on the heavier side," he explains. "But then on the airplane, I was looking and I went, 'Wait a minute, there's no 'Sex Action' in this. We have to play 'Sex Action.' But we have 'You Betray' in there [and some other tracks from the recent albums]."

They were having so much fun, they ran out of time. "We managed to get 'Electric Gypsy' and 'Never Enough' in there. We almost got to 'Rip and Tear.' Maybe I need to cut the solo down at the end a little bit and we can finish the set," he laughs. "It's a good set, we just have to make sure we can get it all in 45 minutes."

Watch KK's Priest Perform 'The Ripper' in Fort Lauderdale

Watch KK's Priest Perform 'Night Crawler' in Fort Lauderdale

Watch L.A. Guns Perform 'The Ballad of Jayne' in Fort Lauderdale

Watch L.A. Guns Perform 'Electric Gypsy' in Fort Lauderdale

Watch L.A. Guns Perform 'Sex Action' in Fort Lauderdale

Watch L.A. Guns Perform 'You Betray' in Fort Lauderdale

KK's Priest, 3/7/24, Culture Room, Fort Lauderdale
1. "Hellfire Thunderbolt"
2. "One More Shot at Glory"
3. "The Ripper" (Judas Priest cover)
4. "Reap the Whirlwind"
5. "Night Crawler" (Judas Priest cover)
6. "Burn in Hell" (Judas Priest cover)
7. "Beyond the Realms of Death" (Judas Priest cover)
8. "Hell Patrol" (Judas Priest cover)
9. "Brothers of the Road"
10. "The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)" (Fleetwood Mac cover)
11. "Breaking the Law" (Judas Priest cover)
12. "Victim of Changes" (Judas Priest cover)
13. "Raise Your Fists"
14. "Strike of the Viper"

L.A. Guns, 3/7/24, Culture Room, Fort Lauderdale
1. "Cannonball"
2. "Electric Gypsy"
3. "Over the Edge"
4. "You Betray"
5. "Sex Action"
6. "Speed"
7. "Never Enough"
8. "The Ballad of Jayne"