The lineup has been announced! The M3 Rock Festival in
Columbia Maryland is returning once again in 2017. Overall, theses acts
appear to be decent ones, however there are a couple of question marks. I know
I will be attending and I know I will have a good time, but ultimately the 2017
lineup of 80s metal bands is far from perfect. Let’s break it all down.
What’s Good
Vain and Junkyard are exceptional additions to
the festival. Both played at the Hair Nation festival in September, and while I
did not attend, I heard great things. I am so glad that I will finally have an
opportunity to see both of these bands live. As a metal head in high school, I
loved both of these bands, even though they were lesser known. I played both of
their debut albums over and over again for most of my junior year and was crazy
for both bands. Seeing them live for the first time is going to have me
grinning. Granted, they will probably play a 30 minute set, but that’s okay.
Some is better than none.
The return of Rhinobucket
is a real treat. I saw them once at the 2015 M3 Festival and while their set
was short (30 minutes was all they got) it was amazing. The AC/DC sound alike
band is exceptional and their live performance was rock and roll solid. In 2017
they will be going on stage a little later, so they may get to perform for a
slightly longer period of time.
Dangerous Toys will
perform on Friday night and they are probably the band I am most excited to
see. I’ve never seen them live and this epitomizes what M3 is all about.
Bringing those bands that you may have missed back in the day. Thanks to M3
over the years, I’ve witnessed several bands in action that I would not have
otherwise seen. And in April, I will be able to cross Dangerous Toys off of my
list. When they break into “Scared” I just know I am going to scream like a
school girl with a crush. I won’t be able to help myself. I’ve always wanted to
see this band and now I finally will.
What’s Not So
Good
Loverboy does
not fit this bill at all. What the hell was M3 thinking? They are putting
Loverboy on right before KIX on Friday night and I am scratching my head.
Loverboy? Really? I went back and listened to some of their songs after the
announcement and was filled with confusion. Loverboy isn’t a terrible band, but
they aren’t an M3 band. What’s next? REO Speedwagon?
The Saturday headliner selection isn’t great either.
Look, I know there are a lot of RATT fans
out there and a lot of people who love Stephen Pearcy, but let’s face it, his
best years are behind him. Last year his solo performance was atrocious and I
don’t think he will do any better with RATT. The music will be too distorted
and Pearcy won’t be able to hit any of the notes. I will be straining to figure
out each song before they get to the chorus because it will just sound
horrendous. I hope they prove me wrong, but I doubt they will. Some bands need
to just hang it up and RATT is one of them.
What I’d Rather
See
Poison would
definitely be a better headliner than RATT. I know Bret Michaels is out doing
the solo thing, but couldn’t they find a way to get the band together for one
night? Poison is much better than this incarnation of RATT and they have a
proven track record as an exceptional live band. They could probably go out on their
own tour and sell out amphitheaters during the summer.
It would also be nice to see Steel Panther return. They have a new album coming out in 2017.
They are an amazing live band that packs wherever they play. They are a perfect
fit for a glam metal festival. Inviting Steel Panther to return to M3 in 2017
is a no-brainer. So why didn’t M3 do it?
Replace Loverboy with Steel Panther and put Poison on in
place of RATT and you have the makings for the best M3 festival yet. Again, I
will enjoy the show, but it could have been so much better with a couple of small
tweaks.
What’s New
This year, M3 has also added a Sunday Southern Rock show. Lynyrd Skynyrd, Charlie Daniels Band,
Outlaws, Molly Hatchet, Black Stone Cherry, and Blackfoot will all be
performing on Sunday. While I won’t be attending that day of the show, it was
interesting to see them add the third day this year. I am curious to see how
well tickets sell for day 3.
Tickets for 2-day and 3-day passes go on sale Friday,
December 9th at 10AM through ticketfly.com. Get some!
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