Tag: M3 Rock Festival
1 M3 Rock Festival – Saturday Review – Part 2
I knew when I saw the announcement for the lineup at M3 in 2014, it was going to be an awesome show. As Friday night, and the first half of Saturday had already proved at M3, this was the Festival show to be at this year.
One of the acts that I was most anxious to see at M3 was Red Dragon Cartel. This return of Jake E. Lee to the big stage is something that I could not miss, and judging from the capacity crowd at the second stage, Jake E. Lee’s fans were in full force. Red Dragon Cartel did a great selection of tunes including music from Ozzy Osbourne, Badlands and of course Red Dragon Cartel. Darren Lewis did a fine job on vocals, and Jake E. Lee was freakin’ amazing, just as I had expected. As great as Red Dragon Cartel was, the evening was only going to get better from there.
Next up on the main stage was Queensryche. This was Queensryche with Todd La Torre on vocals in case you were wondering which version. I have not seen Todd LaTorre with Queensryche before, but I recall Queensryche’s last appearance at M3. It was obvious there was tension in the band at the time, and it ended up being one of the band’s last shows with their former singer Geoff Tate. With that being said, this was a different Queensryche than the one I saw previously, and I gotta say, I was impressed as hell. Queensryche was on fire at M3. They came out with all guns blazing, and Mr. LaTorre was absolutely incredible. As soon as I heard the opening riffs of “Nightrider” I was hooked. I haven’t heard Queensryche do this song in years. I was also super excited to hear “Queen of the Reich”. Man…oh Man, Queensryche practically stole the show, and I am pretty sure Todd LaTorre made about 10,000 new believers at the M3 Rock Festival. They were fantastic! A couple of days after M3, it was announced that Geoff Tate will and Queensryche have come to an agreement, and that Tate will no longer use the Queensryche name. This is good news, and I look forward to supporting both Queensryche and Geoff Tate in the future.
Our day was super packed, and I am sad to say that I missed Autograph. This was due to a conflicting schedule for an interview that we had lined up with Brad Gillis and Kelly Keagy from Night Ranger. (coming to HRH soon).
Next band up was Sebastian Bach and his solo band. As much as I love Sebastian, his performance at M3 this year was not my favorite. He kept going on and on about how his new album was # 1 on iTunes, and while I think that is great, and a hell of a hard accomplishment for any hard rock / musician from the 80’s, it came across kind of douchey. Sebastian seemed upset that folks still want to hear Skid Row songs, and while he did them and sound great, it kind of set the mood for his show. He was good, but he could have been so much better. He was amazing at the 2012 M3.
L.A. Guns was up next on the second stage. Aside from Kix, L.A. Guns has probably played more M3 Rock Festival’s than any other band, and always enjoy their shows. This year the band has a new guitarist, former Endeverafter frontman and guitarist Michael Grant. I have been fortunate enough to see Michael play with his former band, and I already knew that he is one bad ass dude. Grant does a great job as the band’s latest Axe slinger, and of course Phil Lewis and company were great. I can’t understand why they were on the second stage, but I digress.
I am embarrassed to say that the first time I saw Night Ranger live was at the 2012 M3 Rock Festival. Since then, I have made up for lost time and have seen them play live several times. The reason why I have gone, and will continue to go to Night Ranger concerts is that the band puts on an incredible live show. Brad Gillis and Joel Hoekstra really tear it up on stage, and are a blast to watch play. Jack Blades and Kelly Keagy still deliver some of the best rock vocals on the planet. Night Ranger’s set was far too short, but their condensed set was damn impressive, and I thought they were easily the best band of the day. The joy of music always comes out on the faces of Night Ranger. They always seem to enjoy playing as much as I do hearing and seeing them. Night Ranger also debuted their new song “High Road”, and I gotta say the new song is pretty good. I look forward to hearing the rest of the new album soon.
I didn’t make it over the hill again for Slaughter as the sky had opened up and turned what was an awesome weather day, into a rather soggy evening. I chose to protect my gear from the rain, and hung near the main stage for Tesla.
Tesla has been one of my favorite bands for a long time, and it has been a couple of years since I have seen them play (ironically Night Ranger opened up for them then too!) Night Ranger is always a tough act to follow in my opinion, but Tesla lived up to the challenge. Not only did Tesla debut a new song “MP3” off of their soon to be released album Simplicity, they also played killer set of tunes that covered the majority of their discography. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t hear “Song and Emotion” (one of my personal favorites) or Cumin’ Atcha Live, but it was still a great show. The Merriweather Post Pavilion was jam packed to one of the biggest crowds that I have ever seen for M3, and Tesla kept them all standing. This was a true testament to one great band.
Of all of the M3 Rock Festival’s I have been to, this one was by far my favorite. It was a great time with my good friend Ryo Vie, packed with awesome music and memories that I will never forget. I am already counting the days until M3 Rock Festival # 7 in 2015. I don’t know how they will top this lineup next year, but I have a feeling the next M3 Rock Festival is going to be even better!
0 M3 Rock Festival – Saturday Review Part 1
After a fantastic night of hard rock on Friday night, it was going to take a lot to top Friday night’s performances.
One big surprise this year was the new permanent side stage that was erected for this and other festival shows. The new second stage is far bigger than the original side stage at M3, and its placement at the base of a hill gave a better vantage point for the fans in attendance. This was the beginning of a day of surprises at M3.
When the M3 Rock Festival began late Saturday morning, Heavens Edge quickly set the stage with a blistering performance of their biggest songs, most of which came from their outstanding 1990 debut. Much to my surprise, this wasn’t a bunch of hired hands playing with Heaven’s Edge singer Mark Evans, this was the original band. Evans voice was in perfect form, and Reggie Wu was delivering with all of these heavy riffs that I expected from Heaven’s Edge. I have always loved this band, and thought their debut was severely underrated. Their debut album/CD has been reissued for Rock Candy records, and I highly recommend that you check it out.
Shortly after Heavens Edge’s set, KEEL was ready to rock on the main stage, and they came out all guns firing. Ron Keel looked and sounded great, as did Marc Ferrari, Brian Jay, and company. One of my favorite KEEL albums is their 1987 self titled disc on MCA records. Needless to say I was very happy to hear “Somebody’s Waiting”, but I would have loved to have heard a couple of more from this album. KEEL’s set was way too short in my opinion, but they were great, and I enjoyed their music.
Next up on the second stage was former The Scream, Union and Motley Crue front man John Corabi. I had no expectations with John’s set whatsoever, but I have never seen him live, and was greatly looking forward to his set. I thought he may just do his acoustic thing that he has been doing in the clubs, but he had with him a full electric band. John’s set list made me very happy. I was excited to hear one of my all time favorites”Man in the Moon” (from the Scream), and lost Motley Crue tunes “Uncle Jack” and “Hooligan’s Holiday”. It is a shame that Motley Crue has forgotten about that great album with John Corabi. I am so glad that Corabi still does this music. I really dig Corabi’s new look too.
On the main stage, Jack Russell’s Great White was next, and this was another band that my expectations were kind of low on. I gotta say, Jack Russell’s Great White is far better than I expected them to be. While I thought Jack Russell was looking a little frail on stage, his voice was in great form, and I gotta give him a lot of credit. This version of Great White may not have all of the original members, but I gotta say this version sounds the most like the band I remember from my late teens and beyond. I don’t know where Jack Russell found his guitarist Robby Lochner, but this guy is great, and a lot of fun to watch perform. Kudos to Great White for bringing it at M3, and putting on a great show. I hope I can catch this band live again soon.
Femme Fatale is another band that I never got to see back in the day. I still remember the day when I found their out of print CD in a local record shop. I squealed like a school girl when I found it. I was tickled to death to see Lorraine Lewis and company perform. This was obviously not the original band. Lorraine brought an all female band with her and I gotta say they definitely rocked. Lorraine Lewis was having a great time, and the fans seemed to love the band’s set as much as I did.
Moving back to the main stage was Stryper. I still remember their last appearance at M3 vividly, and I was kind of miffed by their shortened set that year. 2014 made up for that show with a longer set. Of course I gotta hear a bunch of my Styper favorites including “To Hell With The Devil”, “Soldiers Under Command”, “Free”, “Calling On You”. One of the nice surprises, was Stryper doing a a cover of “Shout It Out Loud” from KISS. I love their version on their CD The Covering, but it was awesome to see them do this live. Stryper set was one of the highlights at the 2014 M3 Rock Festival, but the best performances of the day were yet to come.
More on those later in our Saturday Review part 2.
0 Vie’s Verses – M3 2014: The Highs, The Lows, And The Odds & Ends
The annual M3 Festival has come and gone for another year leaving me to once again reflect in its magnificent rearview mirror on all the great bands and events witnessed over the two day performing period. Year six of the M3 Festival proved to be one of the strongest yet with a solid line up of amazing bands. And even though the weather was a little chilly (and rainy for day one) it was still a fantastic experience witnessing the magic that is the M3 rock festival. Join with me now as I look back on all the highs, lows, and in-betweens of M3: 2014.
The Highs
Extreme: Without a doubt, Extreme was one of the best bands to perform at M3 this year. Hard Rock Hideout editor, Rob Rockitt, and I argued if they were the best band of the weekend, and while a case could be made for Night Ranger, Tesla, and Red Dragon Cartel, I would not shun anyone for picking Extreme. I will admit this was the first time that I ever saw Extreme in concert, but my first view bias does not take away from their stellar performance.
This was the first time that Extreme performed in America since 2009 and they really made up for lost time. They opened their set with a blistering performance of “Decadence Dance” that tore open the crowd. Things only took off from there. Gary Cherone looked and sounded phenomenal, Nuno Bettencourt proved that he still has the chops, and the rhythm section of Pat Badger on bass and Kevin Figueiredo on drums kept a steady backbeat. Extreme was nothing short of amazing.
The band carved their way through all of their hits including “Kid Ego,” “Rest In Peace,” “More Than Words,” “Cupid’s Dead,” “Hole Hearted,” and “Get The Funk Out,” which had the entire audience on their feet and screaming along. I was absolutely blown away by Extreme’s performance and if I ever get the chance to see them again, I would gladly pay top dollar.
Night Ranger: As usual, Night Ranger gave a brilliant performance, reminding everyone what a fantastic live act they are. And even though they did not perform two of my favorites, “Sentimental Street” and “The Secret Of My Success,” they did pull out two Damn Yankees songs—“Coming Of Age,” and “High Enough.” Both sounded exceptional and it was a nice treat to hear Night Ranger perform Damn Yankees.
Night Ranger also performed a new song, “High Road,” which sounded as spectacular as their classic hits and has me excited for their new album, due out on June 10th. It’s amazing that after thirty-plus years, Night Ranger still sounds magnificent in concert. Jack Blades and Kelly Keagy still have strong voices and they, along with the rest of the band, provide plenty of
energy and antics for rock fans to enjoy. Their stamina would stagger most bands half their age, and the pure joy that they get from being on stage together clearly shows in their performance. The bottom line is that after seeing Night Ranger at M3, I want to seek them out locally so that I can see their full headlining set.
Red Dragon Cartel: As most fans know, it’s been years since Jake E. Lee has been in the public eye. This year he has resurfaced with a brand new band and they are embarking on an extended tour in support of their debut album, which is superb. One of their key stops in support of the album was the M3 festival and I was extremely happy that they made the visit.
With lead singer DJ Smith at the helm, Red Dragon Cartel performed Jake E Lee hits from Ozzy Osbourne, Badlands, and this new band. The performance was tight and grand. The Badlands and Ozzy tunes sounded terrific, but the Red Dragon Cartel material really garnered the spotlight, especially, “Deceived” which is just earth shattering live. If you haven’t picked up a copy of Red Dragon Cartel yet, do it and do it now. No metal fan should be without this record.
Queensryche: This was the first time that I got to witness Queensryche with Todd La Torre on vocals. I was absolutely enthralled. He made me forget who Geoff Tate was. Todd La Torre was simply incredible. His vocal range was outstanding, he hit the note to every song performed, and best of all, Queensryche went deep into their catalog of fan favorites. “Eyes Of A Stranger,” “Queen Of The Reich,” and “Warning” were all performed to perfection and could not have sounded better. If you have not had the chance to see Queensryche with Todd La Torre, do yourself a favor and go. You will be absolutely blown away.
The Lows
Slaughter: The last time I wrote about Slaughter it was for their last performance at M3 which I gave a painfully truthful review—Slaughter just could not bring it. That was three years ago, so I figured I would give the band another try and hope for the best. I was praying that 2011 was an anomaly and that Slaughter would deliver this time around. Much to my disappointment, that did not happen. Yes, they were better this year than their last trip to M3, but they still fell short of the bar. Way short.
The bottom line is that Slaughter is a frail shell of what they used to be. Mark cannot sing the songs that made his band famous, he is still painfully out of shape, and their stage show delivered no energy at all. Add in the fact that the band took the stage 20 minutes late (the only band at M3 to go on late), and it adds up to a recipe for disaster. From now on if I want to enjoy Slaughter, I will just pull out my CDs, put on my headphones, and close my eyes.
Lita Ford: Yes, I know I was tough on her last album (which I still don’t think was that good). And yes, I know that some fans may think I have something against Lita (I don’t). She just isn’t that good of a performer, and she doesn’t have the same talent she did oh so many years ago. Age has not been kind to Lita, and that’s a shame, because I really wanted her to have a rocking set.
Lita resorted to an old gimmick by bringing Cherie Currie out on stage to perform with her for multiple songs. And yes, from a rock historians perspective, that was a very cool moment, especially since it was only the second time these two have been on stage together in more than 30 years. Yet, after one song with Cherie Currie, I found myself getting bored and just wishing Lita’s set would end already. That is never a good sign, and truth be told, Lita Ford may have had the worst set at M3.
The Odds & Ends
Sebastian Bach: I can’t really categorize this as a low, because overall, Bach’s performance was a strong one. However, his ranting at the crowd and his apparent anger onstage was annoying at best. Bach seemed pissed off that the fans wanted to hear the classic Skid Row songs, angered that they wouldn’t cheer his newest song (“All My Friends Are Dead” – which was a highlight of his set as far as I am concerned), and was just generally a douche. Perhaps Bach is still mad about the fact that he fired Nick Sterling (the best guitarist he has played with in over 20 years and who was sorely missed in concert), or maybe he’s just angry in general. Whatever the case, Bach’s sour attitude and desire to constantly remind us that his album was number one on I-Tunes was a complete turn off. Even though his overall performance was great, his overall antics left me wondering what the hell is wrong with this guy?
John Corabi: I don’t think there were many fans happier to see John Corabi take the stage than I was. It was my first time ever seeing the crab live in any capacity. I never saw him with the Crue, or Union, or Ratt, or solo, so to see him live at this festival was a great moment for me. Corabi was sporting a shock of blonde hair at the front of his head and a big bushy beard that made him appear to be more of a Grateful Dead member than a hair metal rocker. Looks aside, Corabi sounded great, performed songs from his entire career, including “Love (I Don’t Need It Anymore)” one of my favorite Corabi songs. It also happened to be Corabi’s birthday which was celebrated by the road crew presenting a birthday cake onstage and having the crowd sing out a rambunctious “Happy Birthday.”
New Stage Set-Up: The second stage drew a lot of attention this year. Normally, fans who are seated in the pavilion area leave their seats, walk up the hill, and are in view of the second stage where the other acts perform. This year, the acts on the second stage included Heaven’s Edge, John Corabi, Red Dragon Cartel, and Slaughter, just to name a few.
For this year’s M3, fans had to do a little extra walking, as the second stage was no longer at the top of the hill—this time around it was nestled up the hill, past the pavement, and a few hundred feet into the woods. That’s right, the second stage was set up in the woods, surrounded by trees. While it was additional walking time and the trees blocked out the view of the stage depending on where you were standing, I thought it was a neat new setting for the second stage, and more fans were able to gather and see the second stage. All in all, I thought that it was a great new way to showcase stage two.
The Lovely Ladies: Once again, the beautiful female fans proved that you can get older and still look awesome in leather pants, tight skirts, and/or low tops. There were several female head bangers in attendance, and each was more beautiful than the last. No wonder these bands keep coming to rock. They’re hoping to make a memory after the show!
Follow RyoVie on Twitter at Twitter.com/RyoVie
0 M3 Rock Festival – Friday Review
Last Friday night, the M3 Rock Festival started its Friday night KIX off party in style, with not one, not two, but 5 great bands to kick off this awesome annual pilgrimage of classic hard rock. The weather was abysmal, but that did not stop the record crowd from pouring into the Merriweather Post Pavilion
Baltimore’s Bad Seed Rising started off the show, with a tight set of heavy tunes. These young rockers sound great and have a lot of potential. If you haven’t checked them out yet, visit their Facebook page here.
We missed the first few songs from Winger, as we were busy talking to KIX frontman Steve Whiteman (Interview coming to HRH soon). We missed hearing the new Winger tunes from their new album Better Days Comin’, but we did see the band perform most of their classic hits including: “Can’t Get Enough”, “Down Incognito”, “Madalaine” and “Seventeen”. Kip Winger and company sounded great.
Lita Ford was up next, and Lita’s set was not without some surprises of its own. Lita’s former Runaway band mate Cherie Currie joined her on stage for some Runaways classics including “Cherry Bomb”, “American Nights” and “Queens of Noise”. It was a great rock moment, and completely unexpected.
Nothing could have prepared me for what came next. Extreme took the stage at M3 for the first time since the very first M3 in 2009. From the very first note, Extreme was on fire! Gary Cherone was looking great, and sounding even better. Nuno Bettencourt was a lot of fun to watch, as he laid down his incredible guitar licks for those classic Extreme tunes. Extreme pulled off one of the best performances of the weekend, and easily the best of the Friday Night KIX Off party. I can only hope that Extreme will put out some new music, and tour, even if it is on a limited basis. This one off performance was not enough. Hopefully they will get an invite to M3 2015.
Speaking of new music, Hagerstown heros, KIX were the headliners once again at M3 and deservedly so. 2014 was the first time we have heard NEW KIX tunes at M3, and the new songs “Can’t Stop The Show” and “Love Me With The Top Down” were great. KIX has a new album coming out in July, and it can’t get here soon enough. Once again, KIX’s set was outstanding. Steve Whiteman’s vocals were perfect, and Brian Forsythe and Ronnie Younkins guitars were great as well. KIX is the one band that I always look forward to seeing at M3 every year, and they did not disappoint.
The M3 Rock Festival got off to a great start, and as great as Friday night was, Saturday was even better. More on that soon! Check out our photo gallery from the Friday Night, below!
0 M3 Week – Five For Friday Videos – Tesla
Tesla is the headliner Saturday night at the M3 Rock Festival, and it is almost a given that you will get to hear one of their new songs at the show. While I am anxious to hear the new material from Sacramento’s finest, nothing beats some classic Tesla rock & roll. Check out the clips “Modern Day Cowboy”, “Edison’s Medicine”, “What You Give”, “Fallin’ Apart” and “I Wanna Live”.
Tesla – Modern Day Cowboy
Tesla – Edison’s Medicine
Tesla – What You Give
Tesla – Fallin’ Apart
Tesla – I Wanna Live
Tickets are STILL available for the M3 Rock Festival. Get your tickets here!!
0 M3 Week – Three For Thursday Videos – Night Ranger
Night Ranger’s second appearance at the M3 Rock Festival will take place this Saturday Night. Night Ranger often doesn’t get the credit they deserve for their live shows. Far too many fans only know this band for their biggest hit “Sister Christian”. While this is a great song, and a staple in the Night Ranger set, this song pales in comparison to the hard rockin’ numbers that Night Ranger plays live. Night Ranger is a tremendous live band, and one that should not be missed!
Check out the Night Ranger clips “Touch of Madness” (Unofficiatl video),
Night Ranger – Touch of Madness
Night Ranger – Growin’ Up In California
Night Ranger – Sing Me Away
Tickets are STILL available for the M3 rock festival. Please visit this link for tickets!
1 M3 Week – KIX
2014 is a very exciting year for KIX! Not only is the band returning as the Friday night headliner this coming Friday night (4/25) at the M3 Rock Festival, they are also releasing their first new album since 1995’s Show Business!
KIX always steals the show at M3, and will without question be one of the weekend highlights. If you have never seen KIX perform live, you have to come to the M3 Rock festival to perform.
Check out the clips below, live from M3 in 2009!
KIX – Blow My Fuse (Live)
KIX – Cold Blood (Live)
Tickets for M3 are STILL available. You can purchase tickets at this link!
0 M3 Week – Winger
Winger’s new CD, Better Days Comin’ gets released in the United States today (April 22nd!) This Friday night, at the M3 Rock Festival in Columbia, MD, you will have an excellent opportunity to hear Winger perform some of their new songs live.
Check out Winger’s latest clips for Better Days Comin’ below and buy the CD at this link! Get your tix for the M3 Rock Festival here!
Winger – Midnight Driver of a Love Machine
Winger – Rat Race
Winger – Tin Soldier
0 M3 Week – Queensryche
Yes, there are two versions of Queensryche performing live today. Geoff Tate has his version of the band, and Todd La Torre fronts another one. Some Queensryche fans are die hard Tate fans, and I understand that. Those of you that haven’t given Todd La Torre a chance need to check out the clips below. This version of the band will be at the M3 Rock Festival next Saturday night, and are a force to be reckoned with. I am looking forward to hearing Mr. La Torre sing, and hearing Queensryche dust off some of their harder tunes like “Queen of the Reich” that they haven’t played in far too long.
Queensryche – Queen of the Reich (Live)
Queensryche – Fallout
Queensryche – Redemption
Queensryche –
2 The Sixth Annual M3 Rock Festival Begins Next Friday Night
The Sixth Annual M3 Rock Festival starts next Friday, and the 2014 lineup is stronger than ever. Each year, the fine folks at the Merriweather Post Pavillion bring in some of the finest classic rock acts in the U.S This year’s festival includes some first time acts at M3 including Autograph, Heaven’s Edge, Jake E. Lee’s Red Dragon Cartel, Femme Fatale, and John Corabi. (Corabi has been at M3 before with RATT, but never as a solo artist).
Friday Night’s headliner is Kix, and Saturday Night’s is Tesla. If you haven’t had a chance to check out Queensryche with Todd La Torre, or Jack Russell’s Great White, look no further. If you haven’t seen Extreme, Night Ranger or Stryper live, don’t miss this excellent opportunity to see them perform.
Overall, it is seventeen bands for a reasonable price, and tickets are STILL available. Don’t miss your chance to check out one of the coolest music festivals of the year.
You can buy tickets at this link!
Check out clips from Heaven’s Edge, Femme Fatale and Autograph below.
Heaven’s Edge – Skin to Skin
Femme Fatale – Falling In And Out of Love
Autograph – Turn up the Radio
3 M3 Rock Festival Announces 2014 Roster!
The 2014 M3 Rock Festival in Columbia, MD have announced their lineup, and it is a great one! The M3 Rock Festival takes place April 25th and 26th in Columbia, MD. Tickets go on sale January 17th. More details at m3rockfest.com.
1 Bill Adams – This Video is For You!
Bill Adams is the lucky winner of our 2013 M3 Lawn Tickets.
Don’t forget tickets for the fifth annual M3 Rock Festival go onsale this morning at 10:00 A.M. at Ticketfly.com.
Enjoy this video from the Friday Night Headliner KIX!
0 M3 Rock Festival – Beat The Box Office – Ticket Giveaway
The fifth annual M3 Rock Festival will take place on May 3rd and 4th in Columbia, MD, at the Merriweather Post Pavillion. The line up for this year’s hair metal spectacular is arguably the best one yet. W.A.S.P., Brett Michaels Band, KIX, Loudness, Twisted Sister, Steel Panther, Great White, Tuff, Trixter and many more. The tickets go on sale this Friday, January 25th through ticketfly. Thanks to the great folks at MPP, you can beat the box office by entering to win a pair of lawn tickets for M3.
Enter Your Name and Email in the Box below to enter our drawing! We will pick one winner on Friday Morning!
2 Lynch Mob At the M3 Rock Festival
What can I say about George Lynch that hasn’t been said before? I am a huge fan, and it is always a big thrill for me to see him play live. The last time I saw Lynch Mob was in Columbus, Ohio in the summer of 2011. The band had a different line up at the time, and quite frankly, didn’t give the best of performances. This was not the case at M3!
At the M3 Rock Festival, Oni Logan was back in the band, along with Robbie Crane on bass and Scott Coogan on drums. I don’t know
what it is, but when Oni is singing with George, Lynch Mob can do no wrong in my opinion. Lynch was on fire at M3, and Oni Logan’s vocals were spot on perfect. Robbie Crane has been a great addition to the band since joining them last year. He does a great job on bass, and helps out with the background vocals too. Scott Coogan didn’t miss a beat.
Most of the songs in the set were from the Lynch Mob debut album. The set list consisted of “She’s Evil But She’s Mine”, “River of Love”
“Mr. Scary”, “Where Do You Sleep at Night?”, “Sweet Sister Mercy” and “Wicked Sensation”.
Lynch Mob was one of the best two acts on the side stage at M3 in 2012. I hope they return, and hopefully will get a chance to play a longer
set on the main stage next year.
Check out a couple of clips and our photo gallery below!
0 Stryper & The All-Star Jam At the M3 Rock Festival
One of the bands I was looking forward to the most at the M3 Rock Festival was Stryper. I never got to see the band play live before, and they rarely ever come to my area. Due to the messed up start times on Saturday, Stryper’s set was greatly shortened, and I couldn’t have been more disappointed. The band only got to play 6 songs, and there was no “the Rock That Makes Me Roll”, no “In God We Trust, and no “Honestly”. M3 kind of redeemed themselves by bringing out Oz Fox, Tim Gaines and Michael Sweet to perform “Heaven and Hell” with both Vinnie Appice and Carmine Appice on drums during the All-Star Jam. That was a cool rock and roll moment that I will never forget. I hope Stryper gets asked to come back to M3, and to play a longer set. They were easily one of the best bands at M3.
The All-Star Jam overall was cool but overall disappointing. How do you have an All-Star Jam without George Lynch or Warren DeMartini? The possibility was there to something very cool, but the short Jam session seemed much more like an after thought than a planned segment of the M3 Rock Festival. Who did participate in the All-Star Jam? Robert Mason, Terry Ilous, Michael Sweet, Mark Kendall, Oz Fox, Chris Taylor, Tim Gaines, Sean McNabb, Carmine Appice and Vinny Appice.
Stryper’s set list consisted of the songs: “Sing-Along Song”, “Reach Out”, “Calling On You”, “Free”, “To Hell With The Devil” and “Soldiers Under Command”.
The All-Star Jam set list was: “Rainbow In The Dark”, “All Right Now” and “Heaven And Hell”
Check out our Stryper and All-Star Jam photo gallery below!
0 Bang Tango At The M3 Rock Festival
Bang Tango’s set at M3 was a short one. They only played six songs, but for having an early time slot, I thought the band did a pretty good job. I thought Bang Tango would play more of their classic material, but they actually played two new songs off of their latest CD, Pistol Whipped In the Bible Belt, “Suck It Up, and “Bring On the World”. Their new album is much better than expected, and definitely worth checking out. (You can read the Hard Rock Hideout Review here!) I am sure that Bang Tango’s set was shortened due to the late start time of the bands on Saturday, but they made the best of it. I enjoyed their set, I just wish it was longer.
Bang Tango’s set list was “Suck It Up”, “Ready To Go”, “Attack of Life”, “Bring On the World”, “Soul to Soul”, and my favorite “Someone Like You”.
You can check out our Photo Gallery below!
1 Vie’s Verses – Reflections on M3 2012 – Part Two: The Lows
As there always is with any festival the size of M3, the low points come alongside of the high points. And while they were few and far in between, there were some unfortunate lows at the 2012 M3 Music Festival.
STARTING TIME
While Friday night’s show went off without a hitch, the same cannot be said for the Saturday show. Great White was supposed to kick off at 12:10PM shortly after the opening acts of Let There Be Rock and Drum Wars. At 12:30PM I was nestled in my seat, still waiting for the band to come onstage and still wondering what was happening. By 12:50PM, Great White finally took the stage.
I do not know what caused the delay. I do not know if it was the band, the festival producers, or some other unforeseen force, but what I do know is that the late start time cost some acts their stage time. Great White was supposed to play for 45 minutes and they got reduced to 35. If that wasn’t bad enough, Stryper had to do their sound check in front of the live audience, and their set was cut to 30 minutes. They didn’t even get to perform Honestly, or Always There For You, which pissed me off. Again, I don’t know who to direct my anger at, but at the end of Stryper’s set I was extremely aggravated. They had just given a brilliant performance and they weren’t even allowed to do a final song. What the hell is up with that?
DOKKEN
One word describes Dokken’s set—terrible. Don sounded awful, and while the fill in band members he assembled were decent, they lacked the cohesiveness of the original band. Hearing Dokken butcher his own songs was hard to sit through. In fact, Rob Rockitt decided he’d had enough about halfway through the set and left to get pictures of the next band. I muddled my way to the end, but was sorry I did. The fans in attendance seemed to love it, but between Dokken’s awful vocals, his jab at George Lynch, and his endless desire to pretend that it was 1987 again, I couldn’t stomach the set. Don, if you want to live in the past, then pull out your vinyl albums and stay at home.
RATT
I know that I am in the minority with my opinion here. I know that the fans were ecstatic to see Stephen Pearcy back in Ratt. I know that the M3 crowd went berserk when Ratt took the stage, but to me, they had absolutely no right to headline M3. I know that Cinderella was supposed to headline and had to bow out due to injury, so M3 had to put someone in that slot. However, after seeing Queensryche and Ratt, it’s obvious that Queensryche should have headlined.
Ratt was terrible. Yes, Juan Croucier was back for this show and Stephen Pearcy was at the helm, but it couldn’t save their abysmal performance. Look, I am a huge Ratt fan, have been since 1984, but I’m also honest. Stephen Pearcy cannot sing anymore. His vocals at M3 reminded me so much of Slaughter’s performance last year, that I was just happy when the set was over. As terrible as that sounds, it’s true.
For the first three songs, Pearcy couldn’t even be heard, because their soundboard technician was not very good at his job. Once his microphone situation was fixed, it was easy to tell that he was straining to sing. His voice has lost any power that it had, and he sounded like a cover of his former self. The guitars were way too loud and drowned out the rest of the music. Bobby Blotzer’s drums could barely be heard. Overall, their performance was disappointing at best, but to me it was just horrendous. Judging by the fans response, no one else felt this way, so maybe I was just expecting too much, or I wasn’t drunk enough, but the next time Ratt is on the road with Stephen Pearcy, count me out.
GEOFF TATE’S MICROPHONE INCIDENT
As I mentioned, Queensryche performance was brilliant. However, there was one moment during their set that I found a little disturbing. During one of their first three songs (perhaps it was I Don’t Believe In Love) Geoff Tate decided that it would be all right to throw the microphone stand.
Sometimes this is rock star cool, like when guitars get smashed. Unfortunately, in this instance, Tate decided to throw the stand as hard as he could at the photographers in the pit. What was up with that? I found it strange and even though to myself “I hope no one got hit with that.” I was also hoping it was done as a performance enhancement. Apparently, that was not the case.
I later found out that the stand did hit one of the photographers, and that there have been instances with Tate and photographers in the past. I guess some rock stars just think it’s cool to hate on photographers. It’s one thing to hate the Paparazzi, but to direct anger toward professional photographers that are there to give your band press coverage is just kind of stupid.
Don’t miss out tomorrow when I talk about all The Pleasant Surprises.
Follow RyoVie on Twitter at Twitter.com/RyoVie
0 Five Great Reasons to Attend the M3 Rock Festival This Week – Reason # 1 – KIX
How can you possibly pass up a hometown headlining show from KIX?!? At the Kick off Party tonight at the M3 Rock Festival, Night Ranger, Enuff Znuff and KIX will be taking the stage. This is the only festival where KIX will headline! If you haven’t ever seen KIX perform live before, you are truly missing out on one of Hard Rock music’s great treasures. Lead Singer Steve Whiteman, is a tremendous front man, and knows how to ignite a crowd. Kix is easily one of the best bands at the M3 rock festival, each and every year. That is why they keep getting asked to return.
Tonight’s show at M3 is going to rock, and you all should be there! The M3 Rock Festival is happening today, and tomorrow at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD. Don’t miss out one of the best music festivals of 2012!!!
3 Five Great Reasons to Attend the M3 Rock Festival This Week – Reason # 2 – Stryper
Even with the recently released Tour Dates, Stryper doesn’t tour very much, so your chances to see the band play live are few and far between. Stryper will be performing on the main stage at the M3 Rock Festival at 1:30 P.M. on Saturday May 12th. This will be my first opportunity to see them live, and I can’t wait!
0 Five Great Reasons to Attend the M3 Rock Festival This Week – Reason # 4 – RATT!!
Why is RATT a reason to go to the M3 Rock Festival? It is the long waited return of Juan Croucier to the RATT lineup. RATT hasn’t toured since 2010, so if you never got the chance to see RATT perform songs off of their latest album, Infestation, this is the place to do it!
Get your tickets for the M3 Rock Festival through Ticketfly at this link!
1 Five Great Reasons to Attend the M3 Rock Festival This Week – Reason # 5 – Loudness!!
Japan’s Loudness makes a rare U.S. Appearance this weekend at the M3 Rock Festival in Columbia, MD. If you have never seen Loudness before, this is a great opportunity to check the band out! This is the first appearance from Loudness at M3, and it is going to rock!! You can still get tickets here!!
Check out the band’s video clips, “Heavy Chains”,”Let It Go”, “Crazy Nights” and “You Shook Me”below!
1 Lineup Changes for M3 Rock Festival – Cinderella Cancels; Two Acts Added!
We received the following info regarding the M3 Rock Festival a few mintues ago:
There have been some changes to this year’s M3 line-up and we want to fill you in. Unfortunately, we just learned that Cinderella is unable to perform as their lead guitarist, Jeff LaBar, is currently receiving attention for an unspecified medical condition, and the band will be off the road through mid June. We wish Jeff well.
We are glad to report, however, that we’ve added LA Guns and Great White to the bill – and there’s another exciting addition. There will be an unforgettable M3 All-Star Jam with many artists from this year’s festival joining onstage, showcasing their talents in this one-time only epic event.
We look forward to seeing you May 11 and 12th!
If you have any questions regarding this change, you can reach us via email at [email protected]. Please include the name of the event and your confirmation number in all correspondences.
8 M3 Rock Festival Announces 2012 Lineup
M3 has announced their 2012 lineup. Tickets go on sale February 3rd. Check out the full lineup below!
OFFICIAL M3 KIX-OFF PARTY & CONCERT FRIDAY, MAY 11 at 5pm 2012 M3 ROCK FESTIVAL SATURDAY, MAY 12 at 11am
Discounted 2-Day Packages on sale Friday, February 3 If Available, Single-Day Tickets On Sale Friday, February 24
The heavy metal time machine will turn back to the 1980s and ʻ90s when Queensryche, Cinderella, Ratt, Kix, Warrant and Night Ranger are among the 19 bands to take over Merriweather Post Pavilion, playing full sets of their glam rock and heavy metal hits. For the first time, M3 fans wonʼt have to choose between bands with overlapping set times, since each band will play one at a time. Also, the festival will take place on two separate stages, each simulcasting the other, giving fans the option to stay in one seat and watch all the bands as they appear on both stages, or fans can move from stage to stage without missing a note.
In its fourth year, I.M.P. Presents M3 Rock Festival starts with The Official M3 Kix-Off Party Friday May 11th at 7pm. Acts playing Friday night include Night Ranger, Kix, Enuff ZʼNuff, In the Pink and Let There Be Rock. The full- blown 2012 M3 Rock Festival begins Saturday, May 12th at 11am and will include Queensryche, Cinderella, Ratt, Skid Row, Warrant, Quiet Riot, Dokken, Stryper, Loudness, Lynch Mob, XYZ, Bang Tango, Drumwars, and Street Light Circus.
Each year VIP and Pavilion seats sell out in minutes. VIP and discounted 2-Day Packages will go on sale Friday, Feb. 3 at 10am EST through Ticketfly. If there are any tickets remaining as of February 24th, they will go on sale as Single-Day tickets at 10 am EST. Tickets can also be purchased at the Merriweather and 9:30 Club Box Offices. For more information, visit http://www.ticketfly.com/ or http://www.m3rockfest.com
VIP ticket holders will have:
• Private VIP Entrance gate
• Official M3 2012 Festival T-shirt
• Official M3 2012 Concert Poster
• Access to floor and prime pavilion seating
• Access to M3 VIP Deck located backstage (includes access to VIP concessions and VIP restrooms)
• Access to Artist Meet-&-Greet Lounge.
10 Vie’s Verses – Bands I Want To See At M3 2012
M3 is officially scheduled for May 11th and 12th this year. As of now, the only bands that are quasi-confirmed are Quiet Riot and Warrant. Every year, M3 manages to bring some major hair metal bands to the show. Here are the bands that I’d like to see grace the stage this May.
Returning Bands
Jetboy needs to come back and be on the main stage once again. New singer D.K. Revelle has been magnificent and Jetboy was one of the best bands of the festival in 2011. Having them return for the fourth year would be a real treat.
Kix should be back and it would be great if they headlined the Friday night slot once again. Their live performance is always one of the best in rock and roll and playing a hometown headlining gig in Maryland for the second straight year would be worth the money.
Pretty Boy Floyd has to return and they should get a spot on the main stage this year. They were possibly the best band at last year’s M3. While Tesla comes close, Pretty Boy Floyd was fantastic, and anyone who did not get over to the second stage to see them missed out on an amazing experience.
Tesla, Sebastian Bach, and L.A. Guns should also return. They all gave exceptional performances last year and the fans loved them. Bringing them back would be rewarding the fans in a big way.
New Bands
There are a lot of bands that have not yet performed at M3, but should.
Mike Tramp/White Lion
I don’t know if Vito Bratta and Mike Tramp have officially made up, but Mike Tramp has been able to use the White Lion name in recent years. While a reunion of all original members would be preferred, Mike Tramp’s version of White Lion would be acceptable. With massive hits such as “Wait,” “Tell Me,” and their splendid cover of “Radar Love,” White Lion would be an excellent addition to M3.
Vain
After being dead silent since 1990, Vain has recently made a comeback. They put out an album of unreleased material in 2010 titled All Those Strangers and toured the UK in 2011. Last year they released Enough Rope, one of the best rock albums of 2011. While no tour plans have been announced yet, M3 would be a great way for the band to kick off a summer tour to the delight of many fans.
Jackyl
Jackyl is a band that I never get tired of listening to. The energy that frontman Jesse James Dupree brings is legendary and up there with the likes of Bruce Dickinson. The man knows how to work the crowd, how to have a good time on stage, and how to host a rock and roll party. With plenty of hard rocking hits that would wow the masses, Jackyl is a band that should get serious consideration for an M3 performance. They are currently scheduled to tour California this January, and a slot at M3 in May would be a great starting point for a summer tour.
Lynch Mob
Since it is virtually impossible that a Dokken reunion with George Lynch and Don Dokken will occur, seeing the Lynch Mob would be the next best thing. I’ve always been a fan of lead singer Oni Logan, and Lynch Mob’s last album (2009’s Smoke and Mirrors) was spectacular and one of the best albums I’ve heard in years. George Lynch is one of the finest guitarists in rock and it’s a shame that he hasn’t performed at this festival already. There are rumors that the band is in the studio working on a follow up to Smoke And Mirrors. If the timing works out, Lynch Mob could release the record right around the time M3 arrives. A performance at this festival would be a great way to inform fans about a new record.
WASP
Every year, M3 gets an incredible band to headline the Saturday night performance and close out the show in style. This year’s headliner should be WASP. Their concert performances are legendary, and even though it is Blackie Lawless and a bunch of studio musicians, a WASP concert is still an amazing thing to see live. Blackie gives his all, the band plays all the hits, and the fans always leave feeling more than satisfied. Having WASP headline M3 in 2012 could be one of the best experiences the festival ever had.
What bands would you like to see at this year’s M3?
7 M3 Rock Festival Returns in 2012!
The M3 Rock Festival will be returning for the fourth consecutive year in Columbia, MD on May 11th & 12th, 2012. Only one band has been confirmed so far, and that is Quiet Riot. Save the Date!! More info coming soon!
2 M3 Rock Festival – Day 2 Review – Slaughter
Slaughter made their third annual appearance to the M3 Rock Festival in 2011. Ok, so they technically played at three m3 Rock Festivals. Two thirds of Slaughter was Vince Neil’s backing band in 2010.
I have to admit that when I saw Slaughter at the first M3, I was pretty disappointed. Every band has its bad day, and I was hoping they would be better in 2011. Honestly, they weren’t better. Mark Slaughter’s voice wasn’t at it’s best, and that made for what I considered a somewhat lopsided performance. On the flipside, Zoltan Chaney is an absolute beast on the drums, and he is a hell of a lot of fun to watch, as is Dana Strum who always has his hair flying, and making crazy faces while playing. The band played the songs you would expect including “Spend My Life”, “Burning Bridges”, “Take Me Away”, “Wild Life”, “Up All Night”,and “Fly To the Angels”. At one point in the show, Mark Slaughter made his way into the stands while singing, which was much to the joy of many fans.
Overall, Slaughter attempted to bring it at M3, but I thought they fell a little short. I was somewhat disappointed in their set, but it was one of the few low points at M3, so who am I to complain. For another perspective on Slaughter’s set, check out Ryo’s opinion here.
You can view our Photo Gallery from Slaughter’s set at this link.
0 M3 Rock Festival – Day 2 Review – Firehouse
I can’t believe it has been three weeks since M3, but our coverage continues………..
When I last saw Firehouse back in 2007, at the Cherokee, NC they were one of the better bands of the weekend. Needless to say, I was really looking forward to seeing Firehouse play live again. With a short set, but band played everything I expected them to, but it would have been nice to see a song or two off of their last album Primetime. Their set list included the songs “Shake & Tumble”, “All She Wrote”, “When I Look Into Your Eyes”, “Overnight Sensation”,”Love Of A Lifetime”, “Reach For The Sky”, “and Don’t Treat Me Bad”. I thought Firehouse sounded good, but nowhere near as good as the last time I saw them. They still brought it, and that is all I can ask for!
The band did mention that they have a new greatest hits CD, Full Circle (released June 1st; available at iTunes, CDBaby & Amazon.com) so if you are looking for a cool compilation with all of Firehouse’s hit tunes (re-recorded), you may want to check that out. Also CJ Snare has a new side project called Rubicon Cross with Chris Green from Furyon. You can check out the samples here.
Check out our Firehouse Photo Gallery at this link.
5 M3 Day 1 Review – Kix
In 2009, at the first M3 Rock Festival, many of us thought Kix should have headlined that show. They were much better than the bands they played before (RATT, & Twisted Sister).
In 2010, they were stuck behind Vince Neil, Cinderella & The Scorpions, and again they should have been much higher on the bill.
Like Steve Whiteman mentioned during the show, M3 is probably the only place where Kix could headline, and this year Kix got the respect they deserve by headlining the Friday night show on Day 1 of the M3 Rock Festival.
I have seen Kix a few times over the years, but this was easily the longest set I have ever seen the band perform live. Kix’s set list went something like this: “No Ring Around Rosie”, “Atomic Bombs”, “Don’t Close Your Eyes”, “Sex”, “The Itch”, “Hot Wire”, “Girl Money”, “Cold Shower”, “Blow My Fuse”. The Encore had the following songs: “Kix Are for Kids”, “For Shame”, “Midnite Dynamite”, and “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah”.
I don’t know how old Steve Whiteman is, but the man has more energy than most singers I have seen. He is an incredible performer, and his energy on stage is completely infectious. Trying to capture images of him live is a daunting task, as he is always moving on stage.
Once again, Kix was one of the major highlights at M3. Kix still sounds amazing in 2011, and their performance at M3 was second to none.
I wish I had the opportunity to see these guys more than once a year, but with the performance Kix put on, they ought to be the first band on the bill for the 2012 M3 Rock Festival.
Now if we could only get the band to record some new tunes. I bet there are many of us that would love to have a new Kix album!! One can only hope……….
Check out our Kix Photo Gallery at this link.
1 L.A. Guns M3 2011 Photo Gallery
These are just a few of the photo we took of L.A. Guns at M3. Enjoy!!
12 M3 Day 1 Review – Jetboy
For the second year in a row (and third M3 overall), Jetboy kicked off the M3 Music Festival in style. With a brand new lead singer in tow, there were several question marks about how their performance would go over. However, the question marks came from the fans and not the band. The band always knew how great their live
performance was going to be. Then Jetboy went onstage and proved it to the rest of the hard rock world.
Last year, Jetboy was one of the most underrated bands on the M3 bill. Their noon performance kicked off the 2010 M3 Festival in style and they had one of the best live performances. This year was no different. Despite the fact that Mickey Finn is no longer in the band, new lead vocalist, DK Revelle squashed any concerns that fans may have had about Jetboy with a new lead singer.
The band stormed the stage on Friday night with ferocious energy, ready to rock. The Kix-Off party found the Merriweather Post Pavilion pretty full by the 7:00 PM start time. While fans were still filtering in, most had found their seats (or spots on the lawn) when Jetboy took to the stage. And they came out with the force of a tsunami. Their high energy, hard rock filled performance was one to be remembered. DK Revelle’s impact was immediately felt.
DK’s vocal style is considerably different from Mickey Finn’s, but not in a negative manner. The gravelly, growly, singing style fits in perfectly with Jetboy’s sleaze rock sound. While fans may have been wondering where Finn was at the start of the first song, by the end of that song, their attention had changed. No longer were they focused on Mickey Finn. They were now asking the more appropriate question. Who is this DK Revelle? Simply stated, he was amazing.
The band behind him was typical Jetboy, but with a new found love for live performances. The addition of Revelle has helped the band gel in the live setting and finds the boys having more fun than they have in years. Sometimes a personnel change will do that. In the case of Jetboy, it has done it well.
Revelle filled in the lead vocalist role with ease. Coming off a tour of Europe, the band had time to bond and feel each other out on stage. While at times it was noticeable that DK is still finding his groove as the lead singer of Jetboy, their live performance receives a high passing grade.
While on the road, the band had time to write some new material. Two new songs were performed for the M3 crowd. The first, “Strip Down,” is a four beat, blues style, sleaze rock song that sounded amazing. If this song was available on a record, I would have bought it that night. This could be the best Jetboy song I’ve ever heard, and that includes “Feel The Shake.”
The second new song that the band graced us with was “Little Miss Sin Eater.” This song was equally as brilliant and performed in the similar fun, sleazy, Jetboy style. Hearing both of these songs live has me yearning for a new Jetboy album. Hopefully there were some record executives in the crowd that felt the same way.
The band closed their tight 30-minute set with their best known tune, “Feel The Shake.” DK was able to take the hit single and make it his own. It’s obvious that he was into the song as much as his band mates. “Feel The Shake” was performed with passion and the fans responded in kind, singing along as loud as they could.
At the end of their set, Jetboy received a well-deserved rousing ovation, and most of the fans had forgotten about the band’s past. They were more focused on the band’s future. And with the addition of new lead singer DK Revelle, some exceptional new songs, and a brand new attitude, the future for Jetboy is something the fans should be focused on.
Hard Rock Hideout 