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20,000 plus fans loaded in to Bill & Ted’s phone booth and landed at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in the year 1989. Sure, the spandex doesn’t fit as well; where there was once flowing locks now is replaced by a receding hairline, and the young faces have given way to the more distinguished lines of age. But for THIS weekend, a once a year weekend taking place in Columbia, MD, none of that matters. We relive the glory years of the 80’s before grunge swooped in and made everything depressing. These ARE the good ole days!
As we all descend upon the Merriweather Post Pavilion, some noticeable changes have been made. They have added more bathrooms, concession stands, as well as a rotating stage that facilitates quick set and tear down, greatly reducing time between bands. They cut out the second stage (which I think many missed, and from the sounds of it, will return next year). One thing that hasn’t changed is the extremely ridiculous pricing at the concession stands (with $10 beers and $7 hot dogs that aren’t even remotely appetizing, this can turn into an expensive couple of days if you do not plan accordingly). I highly suggest reviewing what can be brought in with you prior to attending the festival. On to the music!
First, I would like to say I think this year was one of the strongest line-ups I’ve seen in the four years I’ve attended M3. That being said, there were a good amount of repeat bands from last year, and unless they get creative, the festival will soon run its course.
Friday commenced with a set from the festival MC, Michael Sweet, for the VIP ticket holders only. This is a great set up: very intimate from a very talented musician. I highly recommend the VIP ticket if you can afford it; not only does it get you access to the VIP show, you also receive access to a special backstage area with the opportunity to meet some of the artists – Totally worth the money if you can do it. Once Michael Sweet finished up, the gates opened for the general ticket holders in time for newcomers, 86 Bullets, followed by Gabbie Rae, some fresh blood for the genre. They would be followed by some true veterans as Enuff Z’Nuff, Britny Fox and the legendary axeman, George Lynch’s Lynch Mob, who in my opinion stole day one. Fresh off the final Motley Crue tour, Vince Neil would follow Lynch. I’d like to note a couple things. First, I was surprised Neil did not close out the night, finding out later when Kix took the stage that he graciously gave the slot up for the hometown boys. Second, he was one of the performers I was really looking forward to and ended up being disappointed. I understand these guys aren’t 25 anymore; their voices have changed, but in the case of Neil, I feel as though he is just going through the motions, unfortunately. He’s out of shape and sings a portion of his songs, and for only having a 45-minute set, he actually gave way to guitarist Jeff Blando to sing a cover of Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.” Seriously? This guy has more hits than could be covered in a two-plus hour show, and he needs to take a break? It was a huge disappointment. That said, his band is fantastic, with drummer Zoltan Chaney stealing the show with his amazing talent and is fantastic to watch. After wrapping up their 9-song set, local boys Kix would once again close out the Friday night party. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: I like Kix, but it’s really time for M3 to consider a new Friday night headliner. Kix definitely belongs on the bill every year, but closing out Friday night, I personally do not believe they have the arsenal to justify their headline status on a yearly basis. But, overall, the crowd seemed good with it, and if you please a majority, you’re doing it right. A successful night one was in the books.
Day two: 12 hours of hair metal! Up first, Every Mothers Nightmare. Now, I’m not going to lie; I did not make it in for 11 am, and for those that did: kudos. After a short set, the day would continue on with a list of heavy weight acts that, at one time or another, could have headlined their own tour. Faster Pussycat hit the stage at a time I’m sure, they are not accustomed to: 11:20 am. They were followed by Heavens Edge, who took us into the early afternoon. Steelheart hit the stage at 12:20; this would be my sleeper band for the weekend, not the highest of expectations, but killed it. Miljenko Matijevic is one of the few frontmen from the genre that can still hit the notes, and it was on full display with the megahit, “I’ll Never Let You Go (Angel Eyes)”. Next up was Guns N’ Roses legend Steven Adler’s solo band, simply titled Adler, playing the G n’ R hits. With him back in action, maybe there’s hope he will end up on stage during the Guns reunion run. Another band that never disappoints is Y&T. They sounded great as usual. I was never a huge fan, but they deserve the credit. Up next was disappointment number two of the weekend: Stephen Pearcy. I was a huge Ratt fan, one of my favorite bands from the 80’s along with Motley Crue, and Pearcy simply looked like he didn’t want to be there. His band was definitely out of sync as well. It was just a poor performance that wrapped 10 minutes early of an already short set. It may be time for Stephen to reassess.
Getting things back on track were the “Don’t Treat Me Bad” boys, Firehouse, with their usual solid set. Quiet Riot hit the stage next. Now this one is a little touchy for me; I understand Frankie carrying on the legacy, but I also categorize this essentially a cover band. No offense, but when the only original member is the drummer, and he’s technically not the original drummer (although he was there during the height of their success) I can’t call them an original band. They delivered on the hits, and the crowd seemed engaged; I just think they maybe belonged earlier in the day before the likes of Y&T, Firehouse, and others. As the day wound down to the final five bands, this is where it got really good. Slaughter took the stage at 4:45 with an hour of some classics. Probably one of the most energetic bands of the weekend and the happiest bunch was Night Ranger; they looked to have a blast and sounded great. Once again, I am not a huge fan of this band, but you can’t help but enjoy them live as they really bring it, all five members.
Going into the final stretch it would be a toss-up for the my pick for best band; in my opinion, any one of these three I couldn’t argue. Cinderella’s Tom Keifer would put on an amazing hour and ten minute set that could have easily satisfied the headlining slot. He may be from the 80’s, but there’s something about Keifer and Co. that feels modern. His backing band is phenomenal, and Tom’s voice sounds great. I absolutely loved his set and would love to see him back every year. Queensryche, another amazing set by the Todd La Torre-fronted band, delivered the deepest cuts as well as great new material. These guys are slated to be around for many years to come, thanks to the rejuvenation Todd has brought to the band a few years back. This feat is something very few bands could pull off as successful as Queensryche has in replacing an iconic frontman. M3 2016 closed out with another legendary band that is a part of the genre, but I don’t really consider them a “hairband”. With a classic southern rock vibe, Tesla is always great live. They were headliners a couple years ago and filled the slot nicely again in 2016.
In all, this was a very good line-up for 2016. Sure, some of the bands have put on a few pounds or can’t quite hit the high notes like they used to, but they can still make us feel alive. And for two days in April 2016, that’s what M3 Festival did for over 20,000 fans: made them feel like teenagers again. It’s a great atmosphere, an absolutely great time, and all the fans are very cool. No bullshit here – just a good time. I’m hoping they can pull together a line-up worthy of making the trip in 2017 as it’s a great scene and just a lot of fun. Now load back up into the phone booth! It’s time to get back to the present until this time next year. M3 Festival: you don’t have to be from the 80’s to enjoy it. I highly recommend it, just a great time.
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Review and photographs by RockRevolt photojournalist – Brett Tully
