M3 Rock Festival 2010 Review
Monday, June 21, 2010 at 12:01AM 
Festivals are my thing. I love them. I like the idea of seeing a lot of bands in one shot but the best part is seeing friends. At each festival I attend, I get to spend a significant amount of time with people that are very important to me. Even better when I get to meet someone face to face for the first time. From a friendship perspective, M3 2010 was great. Not only did I get to hang with some close buds - I got to stay with them as well, thanks to a generous offer from BBG! friends the "NirVranas." To the rest: thanks so much for approaching me and having a chat. Music is best appreciated live and in the company of good people.
At this point in my life, I don't care about being down front for every song. There's something to be said for hanging back with friends and relaxing. After all, that's what summer is all about. M3 is held at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. (For those not familiar with the area, that's very close to Baltimore). Being a one-day festival with a strong lineup in a major city helped make the second edition of M3 a rousing success. In fact, attendance was easily doubled over the 2009 event. From what I heard, around 12,000 - 15,000 attended this year...and that's huge.
I only went to the VIP area one time to speak with Kix but the meet n' greet line was nice. It moved slow, but that's life. People pay money, they want their face time I guess.
A big drawback to M3 this year over last was the heat. Last year, the event was much earlier (in May) so the weather was true perfection. Yesterday, the sun was brutal and literally made walking up and down the hill between stages less desirable. I know plenty of people who just decided to stay in their seats as the day wore on because the heat was just too much and the stages too far apart.
Speaking of stages, the schedule didn't mention much overlap but there was definite "sound bleed." In fact, there was a ton of overlap, meaning it was basically impossible to see full sets of every band on the bill. Because of this, there was a constant stream of people coming and going between the Pavilion (main stage) and side stage area. By the time I'd get to the side stage, a band would already be going and I'd be far back and couldn't see anything.
There was a hassle with my passes and I had to go to every gate (misinformation) to get into the venue, thus I missed really seeing Jetboy. I've seen them before though and I know they deliver live and I heard they were absolutely amazing at M3. I believe that. Rob over at Hard Rock Hideout spoke to the guys in Jetboy after their set and said they were happy and cordial. See a video of Jetboy's performance.
I've seen Z02 before and I dig them. I liked their cover of Rush's "Tom Saywer"although JT from Hard Rock Nights said it best: "If you've only got 30 minutes and you want audience exposure, why do a cover?" JT is probably right.
I watched both Trixter and L.A. Guns from afar. I noticed the band had special stage banners made that said "Trixter World Tour 2010" so I guess the band is going overseas soon (or maybe they already have and I missed it) but I thought that was interesting. They played a few songs, obviously closing with "Give It To Me Good" and overall the crowd seemed into the band, singing along. I've read a few forums with people saying Trixter was their surprise band of the day. When I saw them at Rocklahoma 2008 I thought they were solid, so this doesn't stun me but I don't think they were the best band on the bill.
Everyone knows I'm partial to the Tracii Guns version of L.A. Guns -- and the Phil Lewis version played M3. The band sounded good, and performed the songs I like including "Never Enough," "Rip and Tear," "Ballad of Jayne" and "Sex Action." My friend Todd (you know him as KixRules) came to visit after L.A. Guns and a giant battle ensued over the two versions of the band. As always, the argument ended in a truce but we still don't see eye to eye on the issue and I don't think it was necessary for Phil Lewis to say something like "Thanks for partying with the real L.A. Guns."
I like Winger. Always have. They are a band of true musicians and I love hearing them live. I thought they sounded great at M3! The set was a little backward because some hits such as "Can't Get Enough" and "Down Incognito" were early when new stuff off Karma was sort of in the middle, then there was "Headed for a Heartbreak" which shows off the amazing guitarist Reb Beach and of course the end with "Seventeen." The problem, I think, was the stage overlap - fans were missing some of the "biggies" because of walking and sound creep. Of course, that could have been Kip Winger's main plan to give his new stuff maximum exposure. Nevertheless, I appreciate the fact that Winger plays new material without fear. I love that about them.
Ok. So there was some side stage action, including Mass and Bang Tango before Kix, but I was too busy pacing and looking for a spot to watch Kix. I did watch one Bang Tango song and I was surprised at how big the crowd was because most people were pacing like me: when Kix plays Baltimore, you pay attention.
The M3 promoters let the "people who traveled the furthest" announce Kix. The only problem was that I was with the single person who traveled the longest distance for M3: Christian! Sure, an Australian couple got to do the announcing...but Christian is from Tasmania, which is truly the end of the earth! Because he purchased his VIP ticket from a friend, he wasn't counted in the "distance pool" so I'm setting the record straight now: Christian wins. So there.
All that aside, the dirty boys of the underground did great, as always. I'm biased and I don't care. They did flub up the beginning of "Sex" but even that was cute. Singer Steve Whiteman used the mistake to say the band needed to practice once in awhile. There was no set surprises here: if you've seen Kix, you know what you're going to get, which is a solid rock show. There was "Cold Blood," "Girl Money" "Cold Shower," "Don't Close Your Eyes" and of course "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah." The sound, as always, was perfectly mixed. At the end of the set, balloons were thrown. Steve made jokes. The lawn danced, the pit was sweaty, people were happy. Now, let me say I was standing next to a group of guys -- complete strangers. One said to another "Who are these guys? They are good." and I couldn't help it...I interjected myself into their conversation.
Me: "You've never heard of Kix?" At this point, I'm aghast and sort of staring.
Guy 1: "Nope."
Me: "Are you from here?"
Guy 1: "Nope. Ohio."
Me: "I'm from Ohio! Dayton!"
Guy 1: "I went to the University of Dayton."
Me: "I went there for grad school!"
Guy 2: "I saw Kix at Hammerjacks when I was 14. They made me pick up the guitar. Dude (to Guy 1), just listen to their songs. Appreciate it."
This went on and on and I either made a new friend or annoyed some strangers. Whatever, shows are about connections. Truly, I was stunned to find someone at a Kix show in Baltimore that had never heard of the band before. I hope the band earned a new fan that day.
During "Cold Shower," it's customary that Steve pop an umbrella and he and bassist Mark Schenker sing under it. Well, the prop umbrella was intentionally broken, so instead Steve and Mark donned shower caps. I gotta admit, they didn't look pretty in said caps.
After the set, I got in line to talk to the band and I showed them a cassette single of "Girl Money" that my friend Johnnie gave me earlier in the day. I had them sign it and I swear each guy rolled his eyes at me. Oh, and Brian Forsythe is still hot. Whatever. That's not professional but dammit, I'm human too.
I missed basically all of Vince Neil because I was in the Kix line. My husband was down front for Vince and he thought "Live Wire" and "Dr. Feelgood" sounded pretty good. He was trying to take pictures through the fog, but that didn't work out too well. I guess Vince burned through a couple ear monitors during the set. Since I wasn't watching, I can't attest to much of what was going on except I know it was loud and smokey.
I'm keeping it real: Nelson with Mark Slaughter was fun. I've seen Nelson before so I was most interested to see how Mark did on "co-lead" guitar. Honestly, it wasn't that bad. Mark sang a little backup, but for the most part, he just played away and seemed happy in the process. Nelson did some new songs as well as "After the Rain" and "Love and Affection." Say what you want: there was a massive sing-a-long during "Love and Affection" and I noticed more than one guy jumping up and down.
Cinderella, quite simply, ruled M3. I mean, truly. Just phenomenal. I thought they were great at Rocklahoma but they were so much better at M3. The sound was perfection. The band was admittedly sluggish to start, but once they got going and got moving, it was on. Tom Keifer sounded amazing - his voice is there, spot on. My favorite is always "Night Songs" and it was great at M3. My girl Kari was down front, rapt in the experience. Like Kix, Cinderella keeps a consistent set list, including "Push Push," "Coming Home," "Don't Know What You Got ('Til Its Gone)," "Nobody's Fool," "Shake Me" and more. At Rocklahoma, the band had a giant electronic board that said "Cinderella" but not at M3. I guess it's possible that Cinderella was using part of ZZ Top's staging at Rocklahoma but I just assumed I'd be seeing that expensive "banner" all summer. The stage set-up at M3 was bare bones, no frills, just the band. Tom wore his top hat, which I thought was great. The crowd was eating it up too: it was clear, a ton of people showed up to see Cinderella. I think they tied Kix for the best performance of the day.
In the meantime, Warrant closed out the side stage. I wandered over because singer Robert Mason is awesome. His voice is strong and clear and he's just a nice guy. Once again, I was shoved to the back and my short little legs weren't working for me. I kept moving around, trying to find a better spot. I literally could not see anything. I'm talking, not even the top of a head. It was infuriating but the band sounded awesome. Just incredibly tight and I have to admit, I was impressed. I saw this version of Warrant last year at Rocklahoma and they were good - but at M3 they were on. My only complaint is over the useless intro tape. It's a pointless time-waster. Just get on stage and play because that's what everyone wants! All the expected Warrant songs were performed. Dare I say Robert sounds better than Jani Lane while he was in his prime? No matter the singer, when "Cherry Pie" comes on, people go nuts. It's like a gut reaction or something. "Cherry Pie" is far from being Warrant's best song but it's like a Pavlovian reaction: hear it and you move.
The Scorpions went on about 35 minutes late. Lead singer Klaus Meine was sick and he was mad over the sound issues. The Scorps had a cool stage setup with a raised drum kit and some fog and lots of lights and video. The band sounded good but the entire bit felt a little stilted to me. I'll give the band slack though: I can't imagine having to perform sick and if Klaus had the flu as rumored, I say give the man an award! Still, I'm sure Klaus was getting help from some canned vocals. I mean, how could he not? He admitted he barely had a voice. Vince Neil came out and sang "Another Piece of Meat" with the band and that was cool! Those sort of experiences are what festivals are all about and I was glad I got to see it live with my own two eyes. By this time, I was sitting on a bench, rubbing a swollen ankle. Oh yes. Standing and walking for roughly 12 hours (and not even counting the hours of walking around Washington, D.C. the night before) took a toll on my body. By the time the Scorps got around to "Big City Nights" and "Rock You Like a Hurricane" I felt like I'd been hit by a bus or something. I'm glad I get to see the Scorpions again next month at Rock n' America. Hopefully Klaus will be feeling better and I won't have a swollen ankle. It would be nice to try and get a pick or something since this is the farewell tour.
I met Sam Dunn, the documentary filmmaker, in the parking lot before the show and he told me, Kari and Christian about his new project for VH1 Classic. That was awesomely cool. I also got to briefly talk with Eddie Trunk. I met the one and only Metalboy!, our new writer Brian (yes, we'd never met in person), had a cool hang with the famous DJ Will of KNAC and hugged a ton of people in and around the Shiprocked tent, all thanks to Captain Alan for letting that be an "unofficial gathering spot." Basically, it was an awesome day. I can't wait for next year.
Reader Comments (37)
Met some great new ppl but have to admit, didn't really stop very long in one place. Seriously, I was ALL OVER the place! And happy as a glam princess can be (again, I think that's a title I can really love, lol)!
I'll post my highlights tomorrow. I'm ALMOST finished putting it together and my draft is on my computer at work so I can't finish it tonight. DOH!
I can hardly wait for RNA! I can hardly wait for m3 again, it's become a huge highlight for me over the last two years! I do hope they push it back to spring though, one month earlier makes a HUGE difference in the weather!
until tomorrow....
Okay, I now realize what Kweens was wearing, hahaha!!!... Silver Metal Flake Platforms, not Stack Heels, per se, tho I've heard them called that before...
...Now, where were we?...
Ah, yes... so, I followed Metal Priestess Kari up to talk to Glamistress Allyson a little more and lo and behold, the only way I was gonna do that was to buy a stateroom for Shiprocked, as she was helping out her friend at the Shiprocked booth. It's something I would really like to do, but things are so up in the air right now, I can't quite pull the trigger on it yet...
I didn't want to interrupt Al's sales pitch so I wound up saying hello to Metal Lord Christian again and then got a big hug from Johnnie NirVana, who also had a table on the side of the Shiprocked tent for his charity, Cancer Sucks! We chatted for awhile when suddenly I got a call from my ex-lead guitarist, Jimmy Knight, who was with his nephew, another Geetar Slinger, El Gunn.
I asked 'em where they were and he said they were right in front of the Shiprocked booth! What th...? Weird how life can work out like that sometimes, eh?
I introduced the boyz to the Bringbackglammsterz and found out they hadn't checked into the VIP tent to get their passes yet, so I took 'em over to get 'em signed in.
When I directed them thru the VIP entrance to the VIP deck, the kid, El Gunn, made the very astute observation that, indeed, "There sure are a lot of characters here!". I broke it to the kid that he'd have to include himself and me in that exclusive club, tho...
Right at that time we heard the sputter and spurt of the sound sound check for Winger, so we headed down to our seats. Now, I'm not much of a Winger fan so I was really just looking at their set as kind of a sound check for Kix who was coming on after them.
But I gotta say, they were pretty damned good. I mean, they were really pro, which I expected and really replicated their records flawlessly.
So, it really didn't matter that I find Kippy annoying -- there's no denying the man can play some mean bass (and he's got the pedigree to prove it having played with Alice Cooper for several tours and albums) and has a pretty competent voice. And Wes Beech, Winger's guitarist just absolutely shredded the stage apart.
One detail about Beech that I love is the fact that he looks like a cross between a bum who sleeps in one of the beachfront parks in Santa Monica and a commune hippie candidate for a "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy" makeover.
Now you could argue 'til the cows riding Harleys out in the M3 parking lot come home about whether Winger is AOR Melodic Hard Rock or Glam Metal, but one thing is for sure, Beech didn't look the part and he sure as h*ll didn't play the part either. He was straight up Hard Rock all the way.
That said, theez boyz know their equipment and once it was all channeled thru the mixing board what we got was nothing but pure, straight up L.A. Hair Metal...
All the hits: "Can't Get Enough", "Madelaine", "Seventeen" and the hirs just keep on coming including that annoying keyboard workout for Kippy I'm too lazy to Wikipedia but you know what it is.
And since I like those songs, all "Kippiness" aside, I quite enjoyed the show. The hits were all there and masterfully delivered. If I could have one bad thing to say about it, tho, I thought Kippy's bass was a tad to fat in the mix but what do you expect from a band whose name is that of the egomaniac front and center on stage, no matter that his time slot is plonk in the middle of Rock'n'Roll obscurity.
I looked over at Jimmy during "Can't Get Enough" and saw him texting but later as the kid and I were bopping to "Seventeen" for the encore, Jimmy had already split the Pavilion. Still, El Gunn and I loved it. Flawless Pop Metal Confections flawlessly delivered by Los Angeles Music Professionals (L.A.M.P.).
Once Winger was off and not a moment to soon, as Kippy's Kippiness was starting to get to me, we were up on the VIP deck harassing ex-strippers again.
We did get over to another outside bar we thought was going to be a replica of Hammerjack's based on the signage on the awning out front, but once inside it was a replica of the 9:30 Club, both places, Baltimore and D.C. stalwarts of club stopping rockers back in the heyday.
Back down front for Baltimore's own Kix, who were just completely killer, as usual. I should know, having been to 23 shows or something. That said, I do have two complaints, tho... well, besides that I still miss former fearless leader and resident creative genius bass player, Donnie Purnell... Brian "Damage" Forsythe's Telecaster wasn't loud enough and they do not need to play "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah", which can be boring and monotonous and a guitar player's coffee break as it features lead singer Steve Whiteman rapping about a one-night stand gone horribly and disgustingly wrong.
Since it was a short set they could have stuck in a couple more of their big local FM hits during that song and come out on top in my Unofficial Battle of The Bands Contest.
With that we decided to go for a Pit Beef sandwich. As we wondered up the hill we ran into L.A. Guns who were heading back down the hill.
I told them that they "Stole the show.", which wasn't a lie, as they had stolen tho show along with Kix. At that point it really was a virtual tie between those two bands as to who was winning my little unofficial battle with Jetboy coming in a close second.
It really was a draw between the two, with maybe L.A. Guns eeking it out with Kweens Chrome Metal Flake Platform Shoes breaking the deadlock. They were flawless, but come to think about it, that Tracii Guns surrogate Phil employed was having Guitar volume issues, too.
All of this sound stuff was fortelling really blatant sound probs to come...
But none of these other bands had sound problems like Kix had slightly experienced with Forsythe's guitar. I thought he was going to fracture his thumb, he had to raise it so many times to get the tone-deaf sound guy to crank it but he finally did and that sure made it sound killer, at last!
Cute Glam Metal Moment Of The Day:
Forsythe's little toddler daughter getting a kiss from Daddy mid song as she was brought up close back stage by her momma donning a pair of adult those airplane lander ear muffs as a little insurance against any possibility Daddy's amp accidently went over 11.
I was kind of drawing a parallel to when my Dad used to bring me into his office at Newsweek in NYC when we lived in Old Greenwich, CT, when I was a kid, but I must say Forsythe's kid's whole experience smokes any of my Dad's "Bring Your Kid To Work" initiatives. Just another day at the office for Forsythe is on a whole other plane as any of my Dad's former workdays.
Back to the VIP deck after Kix and a little chat with L.A. Guns, who were hanging out. I told Phil I was the guy who was singin' back ups from the audience and he recognized me and he told me again, he thought I sounded great. I told him the first time I saw him was in L.A. in '87 at The Country Club.
Still obsessing over Kweens shoes (okay, I admit it, I have a shoe fetish, no matter who's wearing 'em, hahaha!!! I should restate that to say "I have a COOL shoe fetish")...
I mentioned to Kweens that the only thing more bad-a*s than his outfit or at least he's tied with (hey, you know, you're talking to theez Rock'n'Roll Freax, ya gotta jock'em a little), was a clip of Deep Purple Mark II from '75 or so that shows a more than adequately self-confident Coverdale and Tommy Bolin (who replaced Blackmore during that era) preening about the stage during an incendiary performance of "Highway Star".
Lots of stage moves in huge bell bottoms and platforms in said clip complete with Dio observing from backstage and the tip of a roll of film being flipped in with something funny taped on the end Coverdale didn't even bat an eye at eating.
I suggest you YouTube it as I did the same to Kweens and he double checked with me exactly what to key in. I believe "Deep Purple Coverdale Highway Star Japan" should do it. Buckle your seatbelts.
Winger schminger.
Stay tuned for PART III, the third installment of my "M3 Metalerium" series, starring Vince Neil, Cinderella, Scorpions and the one and only Glam Princess. Look for it late Saturday night or Sunday morning... Believe it or not, Metalboy! duz have other stuff to do, well, at least for now!
Apologies for any typos or random dangling participles and run-ons...
I wish I could have made the after party! How was that?
As far as Kix's sound... You're darn tootin' they put a lot of money into their sound system which is why Forsythe kept leaning off stage left to tell the his sound people to crank his guitar more, knowing full well there was more to get out of it.
I should know. I was third row, VIP, point blank directly in front of him.
These sound issues were continuous throughout the evening.
Look for more comments on the sound problems of each artist who experienced them (all except one band did of the final three).
I still have more to review yet in the upcoming "Metalerium, Part III" installment of my "review" of the show...
My sources tell me the promoters are aware of the sound issues and that they will be corrected next year.
p.s. Shadow! I kept buggin' ya to come! Think about comin' next year -- I know it comes down to the line-up, but at least pencil it in! It's almost as amusing to watch the people as it is the bands, but the better the bands are, the more emphasis you can put on the word "almost".
I thought all the sets, on the main stage, were really good. Starting with LA Guns: Did not get to enjoy them, due to a ballooned out ankle.
Winger was amazing. I have been listening to their newest CD for a while, with anticipation of them playing some new stuff. Amazing...Winger on Steriods, and they can kick it. Too bad they got that Beavis and Butt Head stigma.
Kix always is awesome. I see them all the time, but in a big venue, like ROK and M3, they seem even better, especially, since Steve W. loves the lime-light.
Vince was a lot of fun. I wish he would have played a couple songs from his first solo CD, but the selection of songs was FUN. Since The Crue is my favorite band, I knew I would enjoy Vince Solo. The Led Zep cover that they did was awesome, too.
Cinderella was the best. I had not seen them in a long time, and was especially looking forward to their show. Tom's voice sounded great. He actually was 'singing' the songs and not screaming with his raspy technique. The band was amazing and the crowd was pumped.
By the time the Scorps came on, I was spent. My ankle was horribly sore. However, I loved how they opened with their new song, "Hey Hey..sting in the Tail." This new CD is unbelievable. I have worn it out over and over. My wife did not think they were good, but I was just glad to have finally seen them for the very first time. Too bad Klaus was not feeling well. It was cool that Vince came out and sang.
Cannot wait til next yr. Def Lep opening??!!
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The M3 promotors didnt get them up on stage just because they came the furthest (but googlemap it, they did), but also because they interacted on the forums, organised VIP seating plans so people attending M3 would all know each other, helped organise the two parties at the Sheraton (including working with the hotel when everyone got a bit rowdy, trying to organise a solution so we could all party on), and basically acted as a 'go between' amongst all the other participants on the forum to help each other get to know one and another before the event (not to mention diffuse a number of arguments between people about Ticketfly and setlists/band listings). Thats why we (and many many more) took the effort to get to know this amazing couple. You'll see praise on the M3 forums for their efforts! Maybe you guys could have taken the time to say hello to them too! You certainly missed out, but I bet they will return next year, so you'll get a chance then. Of course, the other option is to sulk in the corner!
We were chatting to them when the promotors asked them to get up there, and they were reluctant to get up on stage, to the point of being away from their seats at the time the promotors asked them to be available, and then tried to share the limelight with a bunch of others who had also travelled great distances (Singapore, Russia and more Aussies), but the promotors said it was a bit too hard to organise.
But, Im sure Christian still thinks he should have got a special mention for not telling everyone he was one of about fifteen Aussies at M3!
(b) Rushing to try and get to Jetboy (I saw them briefly last year, as I got to the side stage late, but this year NO WAY was I gonna miss em). Unfortunately, b/c of hiking all over the festival grounds looking for the right entry gate I was a bit late for their set but happy b/c I got to see most of it. (Ally that SUCKS that you had to miss them).
(c) ZO2! I was so curious about these guys and I’m a fan of ZROCK on IFC so I hightailed it to that back stage and was very impressed with these three guys from Brooklyn (secretly I was hoping for them to play the intro song from the set and maybe they did b/c I got there after they already started (what Ally spoke about with the overlapping from one stage to another, there was almost no way to catch FULL sets by both stages) (d) Meeting Z02! Paulie Z-David Z & Joey were all very cool to hang out on the grounds and chat and smile and sign cds/take pics, they seemed to be having as much fun as we all were (liking their CD a lot btw). (e) LA GUNS! Yes, I’m a huge supporter of Phil Lewis and was glad to see them on the main stage. They rocked it hard and fit in as many songs as they could in their set. I’d also like to add that Kenny Kweens, who is a WHO DAT SAINTS FAN btw (thanks Sydna for sharing that with me) wins the award for most GLAMMED out of the day! From silver scarfs to silver platform, KISS-like boots, he was decked out from head to toe! LOVED IT! (f) KIX, KIX, KIX! YEAH, YEAH, YEAH! Need I say more? I will add to this that out of all the bands on the main stage, KIX was the one band who had both of the sides of the stage packed with people, including many festival band members all watching and rockin’ out with the rest of us! (g) Meeting Kix! Like Ally, this was the only time I stood in the MNG line back stage and they signed my VIP laminate, great bunch of characters those guys are! (h) CINDER F’N RELLA! I swear I can’t say it enough, the BEST I’ve ever seen em. Tom was truly just all over that stage, electrifying, very Hendrix-like/Keifer-like/ROCK N ROLL-like! The band is sounding the best they ever have and I just can’t get enough of em right now. Yes, the camera guy put my face on the screen while I was singing during Heartbreak Station. Yes, Tom sang to me during Nobody’s Fool and it was a moment I’ll never forget (school girl silly moment, but it was my moment and I walked away glowing). Of course I thought I was going to be able to get one of Fred’s drumsticks but oh well, I’ll keep trying! Cinderella didn’t even have their backdrop for their set; it was stripped down, raw and just SHAKIN’! (I) OK, now on to Warrant! I first saw Robert Mason with Warrant at ROK 09 and thought he did a fine job. This go round, it just made me think he is one helluva vocalist! DAMN, that man can sing! (No disrespect to Jani, whom I was always pulling for, but things are what they are and you move on). (sidebar: I will say this that I thought JANI rocked M3 last year and so maybe things have worked out for the best with Warrant doing their thing and Jani doing his own thing and I’m so glad to hear he’s writing again and doing well). Now, back to M3 2010...if you want to see Warrant just play the tunes like you hear on the records, then you’ll LOVE Robert Mason singing with Warrant, the band is TIGHT and they sound GREAT! And yes, Robert is actually a better vocalist than Jani ever was (I’m in agreement there). However, (imo) if you are looking for the “old warrant” days where there was energy & charisma on their stage, unfortunately those days are long gone (but, at least the band isn’t airing their dirty laundry on the stage though and they seem to be happy with Mason in the front). That side stage crowd was ridiculously packed and SOOOO LOUD! WOW! I made my through the thick, thick, crowd and to stage right and it was so loud I could literally feel my chest pounding! Never thought I’d say this but I’m actually excited to see them play at RNA next month. KUDOS to them for keepin’ it going! (J) Eddie Trunk – ok, so I happened to see him walking by while chatting with friends back at the Shiprocked tent and thought I’d go say hello. Well, I opted for a non-traditional greeting and rather my local way of greeting people and walked up to him and said “WHO DAT”. Of course he looked at me like I was nuts, asked me what does that mean and well….(K). SCORPIONS! I didn’t know what to expect, this was the one band on the main stage that I’d never seen before and had heard so many wonderful things about Scorps and their live show I was FIRED UP! After all, this was the push for me to go to M3 again this year b/c I didn’t think I’d get to see them in my part of the country (luckily that is no longer the case as the tour is coming to my town 7/19). I think my face hurt from smiling so much, I mean; I was watching a piece of RNR History! At first I didn’t think it was loud enough and then when Klaus announced he was having some vocal issues that night, but all in all, I really thought he sounded GREAT! So if that was an “off” night for him, I can’t wait to see him sing on an “ON” night! I felt like I was watching old mtv days (and it took me back to watching the Moscow Music Peace Festival ). The band just rocks and I loved the videos and big lights and just everything! Kottak is a mad man on the drums and I’m not a fan of the drum solo but he actually made a drum solo worth watching (thanks to the video that accompanies his solo). Very creative! I loved the songs, had a great time rockin’ out with my M3 neighbors and meeting new friends and was so sad when it was all over!
UNTIL NEXT YEAR M3!