Photography Reviews

Concert Review: M3 Rock Festival 7/2/21-7/4/21

By Shannon Wilk / July 7, 2021

It’s a humid Friday afternoon out in Columbia, Maryland and there’s an energy among these fans that the M3 Rock Festival has never seen. With COVID-19 calming down here in the states, thousands of people have packed into the Merriweather Post Pavilion and are ready to rock once again. Day 1 of this ‘80s arena rock festival has officially begun.

The night kicked off around 6:15PM with The Iron Maidens – an all-female tribute to the legendary Iron Maiden. These ladies put on quite a show and did justice to a band whose songs aren’t exactly simple. Being the very first tribute band to ever play the festival, The Iron Maidens proved themselves worthy of playing with this amazing lineup.

Tokyo Motor Fist put on a dynamite set including not only their own original music, but hits from both Danger Danger and Trixter whom the band features members of. Fans’ faces lit up as vocalist Ted Poley ventured out into the crowd during the performance. The M3 crowd gave a warm welcome to the band’s newest addition – drummer Jordan Cannata. And rightfully so, might I add, seeing that his energy is at an 11 behind the drum kit. With the obvious happiness and gratitude the band expressed for being able to be back onstage, it was impossible not to smile watching Tokyo Motor Fist play.

Next up was Slaughter who hit the stage around 8PM. They are one of those bands where every member really has their own personality onstage while still bringing 150%. The beginning of the set featured tunes like “Mad About You”, “Burnin’ Bridges”, and more. With Mark Slaughter’s birthday coming up on July 4th, the band celebrated by singing happy birthday to their beloved vocalist with thousands of fans. After their set concluded, the celebration continued but this time it was a firework show for the Fourth of July. 

Last but certainly not least was Kix! What would the first day of M3 Rock Festival be without them? After all, it has always been the Kix-off party. These hometown heroes always bring their A game and tonight was no different. Prior to the set there was chatter among fans about the newest addition to the Kix lineup, guitarist Bob Paré, since not many folks have gotten to see the latest incarnation of the band. Well he most definitely proved himself. Frontman Steve Whiteman is known for his stage antics and crowd interaction and I have to say, it was amazing to see so many people united by music once again. Overall, Friday was an incredible start to the M3 Rock Festival. 

After such a fantastic first night of the M3 Rock Festival, day two held high expectations – and these eight bands certainly came through. This festival provides the ‘80s rock n’ roll show that fans have been craving for the past year and a half. 

Enuff Z’nuff kicked off the festivities with their set starting at noon. I was unsure how the crowd would be for the band seeing everyone was tiredly moseying into the venue. Once the band started and the crowd heard one of their favorites Baby Loves You, it was immediately much more lively. What a way to start the day.

Second on the bill was Hurricane. The band still features founding members Robert Sarzo and Tony Cavazo alongside a new drummer and even newer vocalist. Their set featured primarily songs off their debut album ‘Take What You Want’ with some material from more recent albums sprinkled throughout.

Following Hurricane was one of the most vibrant bands of the day – Bulletboys. Each band member had their own personality in their performance which really heightened the entertainment value of their show. The audience took note of this and matched the level of energy with their cheering and singing along.

Steelheart took the stage around 3:15PM and rocked out a 45 minute set. I was surprised their show featured so many ballads but then again that was a big staple of the ‘80s rock scene. Back in the day vocalist Miljenko Matijevic was known for having one of the most impressive vocal ranges of the time. That’s quite a reputation to live up to all these years later but he has maintained his range and isn’t afraid to show it off. From I’ll Never Let You Go to She’s Gone to We All Die Young, Steelheart put on nothing less than a stellar show.

Next up was Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler with his solo band. Their set included primarily songs from ‘Appetite For Destruction’ which was exciting for fans like me who’ve never seen Guns N’ Roses live. There were also two Adler songs which was a treat for the dedicated folks who followed Steven throughout his entire career. To do justice to Axl Rose’s vocals is not an easy task but Ari Kamin is definitely the perfect man for the job. He has the pizazz necessary for an entertaining frontman in addition to the vocal ability. Steven Adler has put together a star-studded lineup with immense musicality and style.

‘80s rock icons Winger took the stage at 5:55PM with a diverse set of songs from all of their albums. It was beautiful to see the crowd become a choir singing in unison during ‘Miles Away’ and we are reminded once again that music unites us. One of the only bands from the era with a completely original lineup, these guys put on a great set lasting an hour and 15 minutes.

Representing European heavy metal was Accept. Though the band was heavier than the majority of the other bands playing that day, they seemed to effortlessly win over the audience. Towards the beginning of their set they had fans laughing at their joke that they’re partially responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic for writing their song ‘Pandemic’. The anthemic, energetic choruses truly brought up the enthusiasm among the crowd. The contrast between the bands of the day just made it that much more exciting to watch.

The headliner for the night was Queensryche. With the bar set high from Accept, these guys had quite the task but they managed to prove themselves. This was the band’s first gig after their previous guitarist Parker Lundgren announced his departure from the band. With a set including both classic Queensryche tunes and their latest releases, it was a recipe for a successful, balanced set. Day 2 of the M3 Rock Festival kicked ass!

The time had come, the final day of the M3 Rock Festival. Though fans were exhausted, there was still a contagious excitement for the 8 bands left of the weekend. It was the 4th of July and the audience was decked out in red, white and blue garb in celebration of their country. It was time to rock once more before heading home for the weekend.

The day started off pretty mellow with the guys in Little Caesar putting on a 10 song set of bluesy rock n’ roll. This band has been kickin’ it since 1987 and 3 out of 5 original members remain active in the band today. This guaranteed the audience would be transported into a ‘Rock-N-Roll State of Mind’ for that moment and through the rest of the day.

A band totally opposite of the previous, Pretty Boy Floyd took the stage at 1:30PM with full face paint and makeup, black instruments slung over their shoulders, and Jack Daniels in hand. In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Leather Boyz with Electric Toyz, the band was planning on playing the album in its entirety but singer Steve Summers was having way too much fun talking with the crowd and they ended up running out of time for The Last Kiss. These Hollywood rockers truly kicked it up to an 11 and set the bar high for the rest of the artists on Sunday.

Ari Kamin, frontman for the Steven Adler band, performed a beautiful, unique rendition of the national anthem in celebration of Independence Day.

Continuing the sleazy attitude established by Pretty Boy Floyd, it was now Faster Pussycat’s time to shine. Opening the show with the chugging riff of Where There’s A Whip There’s A Way was a perfect way to get the crowd headbanging. In addition to the classic FP tunes, the set also featured their latest singles ‘NOLA’ and their cover of Johnny Thunders ‘Pirate Love’. Unlike many bands from the ‘80s, Faster Pussycat’s new songs were received just as well, in a live setting, as their iconic songs from back then.

The fourth and perhaps the most controversial band of the day was Riley’s L.A. Guns. The band is the latest project of the original L.A. Guns rhythm section, drummer Steve Riley and bassist Kelly Nickels. With the two existing versions of L.A. Guns both releasing music, it seemed as though people were skeptical when it came to this particular group. After seeing their hour long set filled with classic L.A. Guns tunes, all I can say is they did not hold a candle to the Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns version of the band.

The original queen of rock n’ roll herself, Lita Ford strutted onstage in a red leather jumpsuit with her iconic red B.C. Rich Warlock guitar in hand – ready to rock. One of the best parts of her 10 song set was her and guitarist Patrick Kennison’s vocal duet on ‘Close My Eyes Forever’ – originally performed by Ozzy Osbourne and Lita herself. Aftershow chatter deemed Lita Ford a fan favorite for the day!

Come 6:35PM it was time for Great White. This was another show that was surprisingly mellow musically – filled with bluesy, slower tunes. Despite these differences, they did not disappoint when it came to the performance aspect. For the celebration of Independence Day, the band’s logo featured an American flag. Great White is yet another band with multiple versions – Jack Russell’s Great White and Great White (featuring original guitarist Mark Kendall). Both of these bands are fantastic but this weekend the M3 crowd was wowed by Mark Kendall’s version of Great White.

Hollywood hard rockers Warrant were next up celebrating the 30th anniversary of Cherry Pie. Not only did they play the album in its entirety, but they also threw in the hits from DRFSR. It was clear that Warrant surely knew how to put on a killer rock show. When the audience was passionately singing the chorus to Down Boys, even vocalist Robert Mason couldn’t help but smile.

The headliners of the night were Night Ranger. Leading up to the show, people could not say enough good things about the band so I had high expectations going into their set. Not only did the band sound fantastic but the lights, smoke and chemistry between the band members brought the show to the next level. At one point the entire band all had drum sticks and played a drum solo altogether. This weekend’s M3 Rock Festival was the proof we needed that ‘(You Can Still) Rock In America’.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

You may also like