Concert Memory - M3 Musical Festival: May 4-5, 2018

The 2018 edition of the M3 Music Festival was supposed to be one for the record books. Sadly it was not. Instead it was an empty promise filled with chaos and confusion. Sure there were debuts and good times as well, but in retrospect, the bad outweighed the good for the first time since I’ve been attending the event. Although it was the 10^th anniversary of this festival, and the promoters claimed greatness for year ten, I don’t think there was anything spectacular about it. The lone exception being that Ace Frehley was performing there for the first time in his career. That, however, still wasn’t enough to make it a grand 10^th anniversary celebration.

Perhaps I am jaded from attending 9 of the last 10 festivals (I’ve only missed the first one), but I found myself wondering if this was going to be the last one I came to for a while. Yes, I love spending the week in Columbia with some great friends and capping it off with a weekend of fabulous music, but it might be time to consider a different festival in 2019. The future will show what course I take for certain next year, but for the first time since I’ve been going to the M3 festival, I am giving actual consideration to not going to the next one.

What exactly went wrong to even put those thoughts in my head? Well, there were several snafus that led to this train of thought. The first being the acts announced were far from the acts that ended up performing. When M3 was officially announced, the bands on the bill included LA Guns and Loudness. Both acts excited me for different reasons. I wanted to see LA Guns because they had just released a magnificent album with Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns in the band (The Missing Peace). And Loudness was unable to enter the country last year, so having them try again in 2018 was good news. I’ve seen Loudness in concert and they are exceptional!

Unfortunately, neither of these bands made the final lineup. Loudness once again had issues getting into the country and had to cancel their trip. This makes me wonder when they are going to get new management, because their current company clearly doesn’t know how to gain appropriate access for their band to come to the US. 

LA Guns pulled out a week before the show. The rumors are that they didn’t like the time slot they were given. Now, I can’t overly criticize M3 for this, I mean with Night Ranger, Ace Frehley, and Queensryche wrapping up the night, when exactly did LA Guns think they were going to perform? As it was, they would have been either right before or right after Sebastian Bach. If you ask me, given the lineup, that’s a pretty good slot for them.

I love their new album, and I really wanted to see LA Guns perform with Phil and Tracii, but there is no way they can go on after Night Ranger, Ace Frehley, or Queensryche. I’m not even sure they can go on after Sebastian Bach. These are the heavy hitters of hard rocking metal and not to criticize LA Guns, they just aren’t on that level from a live performance perspective. It would be like Faster Pussycat saying they want to go on after one of those bands. I love to see them live, but they aren’t in the same league. LA Guns were not willing to accept this and thus they pulled out of the event. If M3 is smart, they will have to think about not inviting LA Guns back for a long while (if ever). It sucks to say that, but you can’t have bands pulling out if they aren’t comfortable with the time slot they are issued.

Other challenges occurred all weekend long as well. The most egregious of them was the fact that venue renovations were not completed before the concert. I paid decent money to have a good seat only to learn that it wasn’t covered and there would be no roof over my head. This caused several issues for me. The first being that rain was in the forecast for Friday night. If I didn’t buy a lawn seat, it was for good reasons, one of those being I don’t want to get wet during the night. Not having a roof over my head prevented the possibility of staying dry if the rains were to come (and they did).

My second issue with being in an uncovered seat (and probably a much bigger issue for me) was that there would be no protection from the sun. I am a borderline albino vampire and the sun and I just don’t get along. I’ve tried to make amends with the big shining star for years, but he’s not having any of it. If I stay exposed too long, I’m going to burn. I put on my sun block when I need to but I don’ t like it. And again, since I had purchased actual seats, I didn’t expect the sun to be an issue. But it was, because day two had all the elements. Heat, sun, and then rain. It made for an interesting day at the festival.

Perhaps because of the ongoing renovations there was no second stage this year either. Last year, the venue built a permanent structure in the woods that was a lot of fun to visit. It provided an opportunity to get up close and personal with any of the bands performing there If timed correctly. This year, the venue went back to the rotating stage, which I commend. However, I missed the opportunity to see certain acts in a more intimate setting in the woods. I guess the second stage will return next year once all renovations are completed, but it wasn’t happening this year.

Parking was also a complete mess. We had to get a parking pass well in advance of the show and could only park in the lot that was printed on that pass. The problem with that was the lots were not well numbered and it was impossible to find ours. On night one we just parked wherever we could and on day two we finally saw the tiny little sign that told us where our lot was. And the parking staff were pretty much useless (like most venue parking lot staffs). And due to the renovations, there was only one road in and out of the venue which led to some serious traffic. 

And while those irritating nuances caused some disappointment, it was the music that I came for. Night one consisted of KIX (who were spectacular as always), Y&T, Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd, Faster Pussycat, and Tom Keifer. It was great seeing Pretty Boy Floyd, although I do have some personal issues with the band (a story for another time). As much as I liked them, there is animosity that prevents me from loving them. Nelson was tremendous and even gave a touching tribute to their estranged mother who had passed away a week earlier. Faster Pussycat had their lead singer intact this time around, so they gave a tremendous performance that included one of my favorite covers “You’re So Vain.” I was never a huge Y&T fan, so I sat through their set, but I really just wanted to hear “Summertime Girls,” which they did play toward the end.

KIX was magnificent! They gave a special 30 year anniversary performance of Blow My Fuse in its entirety which was jaw dropping and a real treat. I’ve seen KIX a dozen times now and this was the most special performance I’ve ever seen. Just hearing “Piece of the Pie” live made my entire weekend. Unfortunately, due to schedule constraints and the fact that they were not the headliners, KIX wasn’t able to play much more besides that album. And for the first time ever in witnessing their live act, they did not close with “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” which left a lot of fans angered. They didn’t even play it.

And that is probably the biggest issue I had with M3 in 2018. Look, I absolutely love Tom Keifer and I am a big supporter of his solo album and his Cinderella stuff, but there was no way that he should have went on after KIX. Especially not in Maryland. It just wasn’t meant to be. And if Tom’s ego forced him to say that he had to be the headliner on Friday night, then M3 should have said “Thanks, but no thanks. We’ll find someone else.” Keifer has been playing the same setlist for the last five years and he’s been at M3 four years in a row. It might be time to give him a rest and get some other acts in there. There are several that could have played in the slot before KIX on Friday night. Just off the top of my head they could have gotten any of the following: Mike Tramp (of White Lion fame), Dokken, Warrant, Michael Monroe, Extreme, Steel Panther, or Saigon Kick. I know it’s not easy organizing these events and it’s hard to secure bands, but M3 needs to stop going to the same well year after year. And while Keifer’s performance was solid, it wasn’t as good as KIX who should have wrapped the night.

Day two was filled with its own issues, but at least we were able to find the correct parking lot. And the lineup for day two was a strong one. Not historical, or one for the record books, but solid nonetheless. Tyketto, Last In Line, Warrant, Lynch Mob (both with Robert Mason singing), Stryper (who also could have filled that Friday night slot before KIX), Sebastian Bach, Ace Frehley, Night Ranger, and Queensryche. That’s one heck of a lineup!

Seeing Tyketto live was grand. I had never seen the band perform before and although their set was extremely short (I think they played for 25 minutes) they gave their all in one of the hardest slots of the entire weekend (opening band, day two). This is what draws me to M3 every year. An opportunity to see a band that I missed back in the golden era of glam rock. Tyketto was one of those bands and I am glad that M3 got them to perform. Now if we could get Vinnie Vincent or Mike Tramp for 2019 I may have to confirm my attendance.

For me, the treat of the weekend was Ace Frehley. I gave a brief review of his performance on a recent episode of my podcast (The Psycho Circus Podcast), but I’ll reiterate it here. Ace was exceptional and I expected nothing less. Some folks thought he was drunk or high, but he wasn’t. That’s just the way Ace is. He’s spaced out. But he’s clean and sober now which is a win for the fans. Ace was brilliant and gave an exceptional blend of KISS songs, solo songs, and Frehley’s Comet songs. The one gripe I had was that he talked about the brand new single he just released (Bronx Boy) and made it sound like he was going to perform it, and then went into an entirely different song. Now, I don’t know if that was due to the time constraints of his performance or that the band didn’t rehearse the song, but it was odd and a trifle annoying. Other than that, Ace was extraordinary.

I honestly didn’t think anybody was going to top his performance, but Queensryche showed why they were billed as the headliners for 2018 (a recommendation I’ve made in the past). Queensryche slayed onstage. As tired as I was from a long week of partying and rocking, I was on my feet for the entire set. The Todd LaTorre led version of Queensryche is an unstoppable force and if you haven’t taken the time to see them live, you must. Put aside the fact that he’s not the original lead singer and take in one of their shows. Your rock life will be forever changed.

All in all, it was another fun weekend, but M3 has to fix a lot of things if I’m going to be back next year. The venue has to be completed (or move it to another one – the Arts Center in Jersey would show them how it’s really done). The parking has to be fixed. And the acts have to be stronger and preferably acts that haven’t been there in a while or at all. Get Jetboy back. Bring back Steel Panther. Give us Poison as a headliner. Do something different. For 2019 I am going to have to seriously study the lineup and as painful as this is to say aloud, if the acts aren’t there, I may not be there either. It may just be time to check out another hard rock festival and create a new annual adventure.  

2017 M3 Rock Festival Recap

Another M3 Music Festival has come and gone. Another great week in the Baltimore/Columbia area has ended. Another week with one of my best pals (Mr. Rob Rockitt) is over. Once again Rob and I were joined for the festival by the lovely ladies Christine Sixx and Dee Deadly. We did some drinking, we did some laughing, and we did a hell of a lot of head banging. As always I had an amazing time and I am already anxious to see what’s in store for next year’s M3, which will be the 10^th one. Hopefully there is something special lined up for the tenth anniversary.

Here’s the highlights from this year’s festival.

The Atmosphere

The weather was hot. It was the second hottest M3 I had ever attended. The only one that was hotter was the first M3 I ever went to in 2010 and that’s because it was held in the middle of June.

Getting in was a little disorganized and chaotic on Friday afternoon. The lines to enter were long and it seemed that there wasn’t enough security and scanners to check people and scan their tickets. Thus, we missed the first band. It wasn’t a big deal to me, but it was surprising that after so many years there are still issues getting fans into the venue. The doors didn’t open to non-VIP members until after 3, so no one could go in early. M3 needs to figure out a better way to handle this in the future.

Being at the Merriweather Post Pavilion for 2 days meant that I was going to eat there at some point. Sadly, the food still isn’t as good as it used to be. The new hospitality company the venue uses is slow, disorganized, and lacking in quality. The cheesesteaks are still cheese-whizzed (as opposed to the good old days when it was real provolone cheese) and no lettuce or tomato was available. A slice of pizza was still ridiculously priced and the overall selection was lacking. Plenty of fried food if that’s what you wanted, but not much else.

Faster Pussycat Killed It With No Singer

There was concerning and sad news from Faster Pussycat the day before night one. They had to cancel a scheduled performance in Pittsburgh due to lead singer Taime Down being admitted to the hospital for bronchitis/pneumonia. There was no word on what that would do to the band’s Friday night performance at M3. So, when it was time for Faster Pussycat to come out for their performance, I had no idea what was going to happen. There had been no official cancellation from the band or from M3. I was wondering how was this band going to perform without a singer.

Well, when the time arrived, Faster Pussycat was introduced and I was scratching my head. If their singer is in the hospital, how are they going to perform? As an instrumental band? The band took the stage, explained the situation with Taime Down and told us that the band decided to push on anyway. They were going to have guest singers come out and they were going to take a chance singing as well. They opened with “Cathouse” and drummer Chad Stewart took care of the vocals and sounded decent. I was impressed. “Slip of the Tongue” followed, also sung by Stewart, and the band was well into their M3 performance.

Faster Pussycat tapped Jason McMaster of Dangerous Toys to sing their cover of “You’re So Vain” and Share Pederson from Vixen sang “House of Pain.” Then for the final two songs, Ted Poley of Danger Danger came to the stage. He announced to the crowd, “Welcome to Faster Polycat!” and the fans loved it. Ted is a high energy, fun loving guy, and it was a cool treat to see him sing with Faster Pussycat. He closed their set with “Bathroom Wall” and “Babylon.” And the fans gave Faster Pussycat a standing ovation.

So, while it sucked that Taime Down was in the hospital, it was incredible to see Faster Pussycat pull it off and give a grand performance in a pinch. It was also nice to see members of other bands pitch in and help Faster Pussycat out in their time of need. 

Loverboy Was A Terrible Choice

While they weren’t terrible, they were a terrible choice. Loverboy simply did not fit this bill. I enjoy a few of their songs, but Loverboy should be out with bands like REO Speedwagon and Styx, not the 80s hair metal era bands like Cinderella and KIX. I know there were fans who enjoyed their set and were genuinely happy that they got to see Loverboy in concert, but I was not one of them. I just kept thinking how there were so many other bands that could have gone on in that slot. I tried to get into their performance, but I don’t know their content save for the songs everyone knows. Hopefully this was a one year experiment and next year bands like Stryper or Extreme will take the slot right before KIX.

Rhino Bucket Kicked Ass

Rhino Bucket is a band that just does not get the credit they deserve. Their songs are fabulous, their live set is incredible, and they are a true grit rock and roll band. They’ve been bringing it since 1990 and I’ve been a huge fan since their self-titled debut. Their performance was at 11:30 AM on Saturday and they sounded like they were headlining the show. As lead singer Georg Dolivo put it, “This is real early for some, but really late for others.” I don’t know if that means he pulled an all-nighter, but I do know his voice was strong and solid. Rhino Bucket’s set was short but stunning. If the organizers at M3 are smart, they will give this band a better and longer slot at a future M3.

Junkyard Also Kicked Ass

I had never seen Junkyard prior to the Saturday M3 show. Growing up I was a huge fan of the band. I listened to their debut album endlessly and just thought they were one of the greatest bands around. To finally see them live in 2017 was a dream come true. They had just released a new album the week before and while I hadn’t had the chance to dive into it, what I heard was terrific. Junkyard performed on the “Forest Stage,” which was a new stage built in the wooded area of the Merriweather Post Pavilion. It is a beautiful stage that will be there permanently for future events held at the venue.

Prior to the concert, I told myself that I wanted to get as close to the stage as I could for Junkyard’s performance. Since the Forest Stage is in the woods and setup general admission style, whomever arrives first can get as close to the stage as they want. My dilemma was that Autograph was playing the main stage while Junkyard was starting their performance. I had to make a tough decision, which was to leave Autograph’s set early and miss their signature song “Turn Up the Radio.” It was worth it to me though, as I got to the Forest Stage and could stand about four rows away to watch Junkyard.

“Blooze,” “Hollywood,” and “Hands Off” were all performed from the debut album. A new song was played, which sounded great live, and other classic Junkyard tunes were unleashed on the fans. Junkyard sounded like they were still in 1989, which is to say, they sounded magnificent. Singer David Roach’s voice was impeccable and the rest of the band was crisp and tight. I may have waited 28 years to see the band live, but it was worth it! And if I get the chance to see them again, I will be there front and center.

Vain Stole The Show

Vain is another band that I had never seen live. They are a lesser known band from the late 80s hair metal era that I’ve always enjoyed. Their debut album, No Respect, was incredible and I listened to that a lot during my high school years. Over the years, Vain released other albums and I added most of them to my collection. They were solid records, but not quite as magnificent as their debut. And while I thoroughly enjoyed the band’s music, I never thought I would get to see them live. I didn’t see many tours from them and wasn’t even 100% sure that they were still together. When they were announced to be on this year’s M3 bill, I was delighted.

Vain played a mid-afternoon set and only had 30 minutes to work their magic. Singer Davy Vain mentioned that he likes to have a lot of fun, crack jokes, and mess with the band during their live sets. However, since they were on limited time, Vain had to let the music do the talking. And talk it did! “Secrets,” “Icy,” and “Beat the Bullet” were all played and sounded delightful. I was grateful that I finally got to witness this band in action. Their M3 performance has me hopeful that I will have the opportunity to see them again sometime soon.

Mitch Malloy Opened My Eyes

I honestly did not know who Mitch Malloy was prior to this event. Some people may scream that my Guru status needs to be revoked, and you could make an argument for that. However, I know who he is now and that’s the important thing. Christine had told me a few weeks before the concert that Malloy was magnificent and I needed to see his performance. So, when he came onstage, I made sure that I was in my seat. I am glad that I did. Mitch Malloy’s set was short but sweet and exceptional. Even though I didn’t know any of his songs, I enjoyed every moment of his performance. It was packed with high energy and a general gratefulness that he was there. Unlike some of the other bands on the bill, Malloy felt honored to be performing at the festival and it showed in his performance. I am certainly going to pay more attention to him and his music moving forward.

RATT Was An Expected Letdown

I wanted to enjoy RATT, but Stephen’s voice is gone – they tried to overcompensate by turning up the volume way too loud. After “Way Cool Jr.” was destroyed, I knew it was time to leave. I figured that RATT was going to be a train wreck and I know that plenty of fans stayed and loved their performance. I just don’t think RATT is that great live anymore. They fall in with Slaughter and Vince Neil as bands that should think about hanging it up, or change the way they do things. Stephen Pearcy doesn’t have the range he used to, but he still tries to have that range and that is his biggest downfall. They should think about reworking their material a little to fit Pearcy’s current range, ala Tom Keifer. Fans aren’t expecting you to hit the high notes, but they are expecting you to put on a professional performance. RATT just didn’t have it.

The Future of M3

M3 needs to get better headliners for future festivals. There are a lot of bands from the era out there that can headline with the best of them, and M3 needs to think about that. Queensryche are headliners. Def Leppard is out there. Poison is back together. The Scorpions. Twisted Sister. These bands are choice headliners. And yes, some of them have headlined the event before, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t, or shouldn’t do it again. And while I will most likely continue to go to the M3 festival if they continue to have it, a choice headliner will make me stay until the last note of the night.

M3 Rock Festival Is Back For 2017

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 9^th at 10AM through ticketfly.com. Get some!