Concert Review: M3 2015 Night One Featuring KIX

May 1, 2015 

It’s hard to believe that it’s been more than two months since the M3 Festival. M3 2015 was another year of absolute fun had by all. Once again I met Rob Rockitt in Maryland and we geared up for our annual M3 Festival of rock and roll. There was a lot of food, drink, and fun to be had in the days leading up to the show, but on May 1^st it was all about the music. The opening night lineup featured KIX as the headliners and brought Quiet Riot, Dio Disciples, Trixter, and Dokken to the party. 

Trixter

25 years since their debut album landed, Trixter still has it going on. The band has kept busy and even released a new album on June 9^th, Human Era. It’s good to see that Trixter is still making new music and working hard. And while their M3 performance was short and sweet, Trixter managed to perform a new song, play a track from their last album, Tattoos and Misery, and pull out the obligatory classic hits. Trixter sounded terrific and the audience sing along for “One In A Million” and “Give It To Me Good” was in full effect, showing that Trixter still has their fare share of fans as well. It was a great way to kick off M3 2015. 

Dio Disciples

Dio Disciples are a band of rockers who have gathered together to keep the memory and the music of Ronnie James Dio alive. Some of rock’s greatest including Simon Wright, Vinny Appice, Tim “Ripper” Owens, and Oni Logan are in the lineup. Having never seen Dio live (a shame I will take to my grave), I knew this was the closest I was going to get. What I love most about this band is the fact that it takes two vocalists to match the late great Ronnie James Dio. Both Oni Logan and Tim Owens take vocal duties in this band, and neither of them disappointed. Dio Disciples was flat out excellent, performing all of the greatest Dio hits. I was extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to witness them in concert and do hope that they plan to take this show on an extended tour. They were sensational! 

Quiet Riot

When I heard that Jizzy Pearl was singing for Quiet Riot and that they would be performing at the M3 Festival, I was ecstatic! I love Jizzy Pearl. I was a huge fan of Love/Hate, and have followed Jizzy’s career through LA Guns, Ratt, solo material, and now Quiet Riot. He is definitely one of my favorite singers of the 80s era. Having the opportunity to see him front Quiet Riot was a delight. The band’s M3 performance was amazing showing that Quiet Riot is still a force to be reckoned with! Classic hits from the first two albums were performed and sounded as great today as they did in the early 80s. Jizzy Pearl fit in perfectly with the rest of the band and the end result was stunning. If this version of Quiet Riot were to come to a club near me, I’d have tickets in my hand immediately. 

Dokken

I will be completely honest---I did not see one minute of Dokken’s performance. I heard most of it, but I was not in my seat for it. I have never been a huge Dokken fan. They have some songs that I like and I own a couple of their classic albums, but I’ve never been all in with them. And without George Lynch, they are almost not worth seeing. Don Dokken is a shell of his former self, and the songs don’t sound the same without Lynch playing the leads and solos. So, when Dokken came on stage, I took it as an opportunity to get some food, drink, and hang out with Rob Rockitt and a few other guys that he knew. And they didn’t bother to play my favorite Dokken song anyway (“Burning Like A Flame”), so I really didn’t miss much. 

Kix

What can I say about this band that hasn’t been said thousands of times already? Every year when they give their performance at M3 it is absolutely amazing. I am always left stunned at how talented this group is on stage. This year was no exception. And as an added bonus, Kix had some new music to perform. Having purchased and fallen in love with their new CD, I was extremely pleased with their decision to play new material. Five songs from Rock Your Face Off were pulled out live. And while my favorite of the disc, “Rolling In Honey,” was not given a live performance, the tracks they did play were superb.

Kix has been rocking the masses for over 30 years and still bring the talent every time they perform. The Maryland crowd loved seeing their hometown heroes and everyone showed positive response to the new material, even singing along to the songs. That pleased me, because I hope that it encourages the band to consider another new album in the future. And if a new album doesn’t happen right away, perhaps it will encourage them to continue to include the new material in their setlist. 

The night was well rounded with familiar classics too. “Sex,” “Girl Money,” “The Itch,” “Cold Blood,” and “Blow My Fuse” were all performed. Each one of them sounded exceptional in their own right. Steve Whiteman still has amazing stage presence. Mixing in jokes and stories between the songs, setting the crowd up for the appropriate sing along, and dancing like a madman possessed on the stage, his energy is second to none. Bands with singers half his age would find it hard to keep up with his vitality and stamina.

When Kix closed out the night with “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah,” we were exhausted but satisfied. A grin filled my face. Kix had once again blown me away and already had me yearning for next year, when I can hopefully see them again. 2016 can’t come soon enough!

Kix Setlist

Wheels In Motion

Girl Money

No Ring Around Rosie

You’re Gone

Sex

The Itch

Midnight Dynamite

Mean Miss Adventure

Don’t Close Your Eyes

Get It While It’s Hot

Cold Blood

Love Me With Your Top Down

Blow My Fuse

Encore

Can’t Stop The Show

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah

Quiet Riot: Well Now You're Here, There's No Way Back

At this year’s M3 Rock Festival (review coming soon), Quiet Riot was all the talk. Not only is the extremely talented Jizzy Pearl singing for them now, but there were also many questions around their new documentary. When is it coming out? Has it been screened yet? And most importantly --- how can I see this film? Well, you have questions and The Guru has answers.

Quiet Riot will be releasing their documentary, Quiet Riot: Well Now We’re All Here, There’s No Way Back on DVD this summer. In anticipation of the release, the documentary will be screening at the Cannes Film Festival on May 14^th. The full press release follows.

THE YEAR’S FUNNIEST HEARTBREAKING ROCK DOC

“QUIET RIOT: WELL NOW YOU’RE HERE, THERE’S NO WAY BACK” SCREENS AT THE CANNES FILM FESTIVAL ON MAY 14

“If you don’t carry on the legacy of your friend, nobody else will” - Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne)

“QUIET RIOT: Well Now You're Here, There's No Way Back”, the award-winning feature documentary about the seminal heavy-metal band Quiet Riot, screens at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday, May 14 at 6 pm at the Hotel Gray d'Albion, 38 Rue Des Serbes, Cannes, 06408, France. For more information, and to see the trailer, visit www.QuietRiotMovie.com.  The inspiring and surprisingly relatable documentary is an inside look at Frankie’s road to recovery after losing his best friend and Quiet Riot lead singer Kevin DuBrow to a drug overdose in 2007 as he forges ahead to conquer his loss, regain his life and put the band back together. 

The film begins in 2010, three years following the loss of Kevin DuBrow. Frankie Banali faces a crossroads in his life and finds himself talking to former Quiet Riot bassist Rudy Sarzo who said, “If you don’t carry on the legacy of your friend, nobody else will.”

At times both utterly tragic and downright hilarious, like an outtake from “Spinal Tap”, the film follows Frankie’s journey through the emotional feat of trying to fill the void left by his singer and best friend.

The 105-minute character-driven documentary looks beyond the guts and glory of the common getting-the-band-back-together tale. "QUIET RIOT: Well Now You're Here, There's No Way Back" reveals an unforgettable man who uses ambition, relentless determination and principle to navigate through the obstacles that attempt to control his fate.

Quiet Riot made history when they topped the Billboard Album Chart in 1983 with the first #1 heavy-metal album, “Metal Health”, that sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.  This paved the way for bands from Motley Crue to Poison and turned the 80s into the decade of heavy-metal rock.

Watch for cameos from Matt Sorum and Stephen Adler (Guns N’ Roses), Glen Hughes (Deep Purple), Dee Snider (Twisted Sister), Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne), Dana Strum (Slaughter), John 5 (Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie) and Martha Quinn (Original MTV VJ).

“When Frankie told me he was planning to meet with Kevin DuBrow’s mother to get her blessing to go on with the band and find a new singer, I thought this would be an extraordinary story for a documentary,” explains director and producer Regina Russell.

Regina gained access to the private video and photo archives of the band. She followed Frankie for four years and interviewed many of the integral characters in the band’s history.

Quiet Riot rocks and I’m sure this documentary will too! Get some this summer!

Upcoming Concerts I Plan To Attend

Typically, I will not attend my first concert of the year until the weather is much warmer and there is zero chance for snow in the forecast. This year however, concert season is coming a little earlier for me. The reason for the early arrival is that Mrs. Vie and I have tickets to see one of our favorite live acts, Nickleback, on Valentine’s Day. We felt it was the perfect way to celebrate the day. And with that show right around the corner, I thought it would be a good time for me to figure out which other performances I will be attending this year.

 Caveat – I am trying to attend less concerts this year than I have in years past, due to financial constraints. But as the days wear on and more and more concerts are announced, I see myself bending that self imposed rule rather quickly. I’ll be sure to provide an update to this post as additional shows are added to my 2015 list. Here’s what I have, or expect to have for now.

Nickleback at PPL Center in Allentown, PA

As mentioned above, my wife and I will be attending this show. This will be the 4^th time that I am seeing Nickleback in concert and the first since they toured behind Dark Horse. From the first time I saw this band in concert I have loved them live and I have never been disappointed by their performance. I suspect that Valentine’s Day will be no exception.

Sixx: AM at Starland Ballroom, NJ

Metal Eddie caught me via text recently and inquired if I wanted to see this show. I haven’t seen Sixx:AM since Cruefest back in 2008, so I felt that it was time to check out the band live again. Of course this means that I will have to spend money on their new CD prior to the show. Man, why can’t bands just give me everything for free at this point? I give them enough coverage!

M3 Metal Festival at Merriweather Post Pavilion, MD

Kix! Europe! Quiet Riot! Warrant! Queensryche! Yes, the annual metal festival returns once again. This will be my sixth year in a row travelling to Baltimore to hang out with my good buddy Rob Rockitt and enjoy some of the greatest 80s metal music around. All over the course of 2 fabulous days in May! Horns out….rock on!

Dave Matthews Band at PNC Bank Arts Center, NJ

This is a definite must. Anytime the mighty Dave Matthews Band performs within 90 minutes of my house, I have to see them. I will be on the lawn for another wonderful summer night to enjoy one of my all time favorites in concert. Where I am torn is that the band is playing in CT two nights later. It’s a Friday night show and it is only a 3 hour drive for me to get there. I really want to go to that concert too, but I am conflicted, because the cost of the show, plus travel, plus hotel for the night adds up fast! And if I go to CT, the next night DMB plays in MA, and that’s only 90 minutes from CT… Stay tuned for updates on what I do regarding these extra shows.

Rush at Prudential Center, NJ

My uncle doesn’t own a country place, but he is a big fan of Rush. He reached out to me regarding attending this show and had the opportunity to purchase pre-sale tickets. Knowing how incredible Rush is in concert, I didn’t even need to give it a second thought. Okay, that’s a slight lie. I did ask my wife to validate that I could justify attending this concert. She did and told me I had to go, its family. I love my wife.

O.A.R. at TBD

While they haven’t yet announced tour dates for 2015, O.A.R. seems to be on the road every summer, and I would believe that this year would be no exception. And seeing as how I am a big fan of this band, I find no reason why I wouldn’t attend one of their shows, especially if it is a summer show at PNC on a Saturday night, as it has been for the past few years. So even though this is not official, due to no announcements having been made, I am pretty certain that I will be taking in another wonderful night of O.A.R.

AC/DC at TBD

The rumors are flying that AC/DC is on the verge of announcing their world tour and that Chris Slade will be their drummer for this tour. Remember him? He performed on The Razor’s Edge album and was with the band for 5 years. He was actually with the band when I attended my first concert ever (http://rockandrollguru.blogspot.com/2009/01/acdc-november-11-1990_17.html). AC/DC doesn’t come around too often, so needless to say, the second this tour is announced and a local date has been declared, I am in.

So even though I am trying to attend fewer concerts in 2015, I still have quite the slate of shows listed. However, I did skip out on U2 at The Garden, although I really wanted to see at least one of those. And, I am foregoing Billy Joel at The Garden this year, even though his last performance was amazing. I also skipped out on Extreme at the Bergen PAC, I’m skipping Kix at The Bergen PAC, and I opted to be a no for Foo Fighters at Citi Field. While 7 concerts may appear to be a lot for 2015, it could have been almost double that. I say good for me!!! And I still say bands just let me come to their shows for free…. *SIGH*

UPDATES: 
The AC/DC concert is official. They will be performing at Met Life Stadium in August, and I will be attending that show. O.A.R. will be at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey. I will also be at that show. I also plan to see Guster in July in Bethlehem, PA. And I have tickets for Def Leppard/Styx/Tesla at the PNC Bank Arts Center. That brings my total concerts for the year up to 9. And I still may see Twisted Sister in June.... expect more updates as they arrive.