It was another year at Merriweather Post Pavilion for the 15th annual M3. As you know the weather in May in Maryland can be any way it likes and again this year the weather decided to rain upon the crowd, but that didn’t stop the fans from coming and listening to some amazing bands. 2 days of 80s rock and roll. 

The Highlights of day 1 on Saturday has to be Fan Valen kicking off the stage and bringing us some awesome music of Van Halen. We got to sit down with the guys and talk and these guys are no joke, super awesome guys. Of course you had Baltimore’s own Child’s Play rocking out the stage as well. Germany’s pride Doro rocked the stage and always puts on a hell of a show while still looking amazing (it must be the Jagermeister). Quiet Riot got the crowd to bang their heads, Stephen Pearcy got them going round and round while we got a rare Queensryche set. Saturday set the bar very high. 

Sunday we got a little warmer weather mixed in with a little rain but not as much as on Saturday. Sundays lineup I was super excited for. After Sundogs had to cancel do to illness that meant my boys in Pretty Boy Floyd got to open up the day and damn those boys know how to rock, and given a little extra time was able to have Steve banter and throw some fun shade. We got to sit down and talk to drummer Nick Mason which is always fun. 

The other highlights of Sunday were Cold Sweat kicked ass on stage and we talked to them on Saturday back at the hotel which was a awesome time and kept running into the band the whole weekend and they kept just hanging with us and talking and taking photos, such a class act is Cold Sweat. Faster Pussycat tore the stage up as well. The i guess you call them maybe the “White Sheep” of M3 Stryper put on a “Heavenly” set and we also got to sit down with Michael and Robert Sweet which was a huge highlight of the weekend . 

Then came Bret Michaels and his band to end the night and boy did they ever. Before they hit the stage we got to talk to the drummer Mary about playing with such an icon like Bret. Bret destroyed the stage and the night and might have been one of the best performances I’ve seen ever on the M3 stage. He played some classic Poison songs along with other covers bringing his friends on stage with him as well as another icon Dee Snider. It was such a great way to end the night and to end the 15th M3 Rock Festival. 

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Ron

Ron has keen eye for new talent, a love for the underground, and a tremendous passion for music of any genera. You’ll probably bump into him at a horror convention or some seedy club checking out the next need-to-know band.

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Concerts midweek won’t stop the true fans,especially when it comes to metalcore fans presented with an awesome lineup, which is exactly what Asking Alexandria brought to The Roxian in Mckees Rocks, Pa last Tuesday with their All My Friends North American Tour. 

They made it definitely worthwhile bringing along with them all their friends in bands NERV,The Word Alive, and Memphis May Fire.

Opening up the night was the California based band NERV, a 4 piece genre bending rock band fronted by lead vocalist Dillon Jones. Though their setlist was short, the band definitely got the crowd going, playing some of their more well known songs such as Low and Bad Habits. The band just released a new single/collaboration with Awaken I Am titled Upside Down. NERV paved the way and prepared the crowd for our next band, The Word Alive. 

The Word Alive picked up the pace from the moment they hit the stage. Again, with a shorter setlist the band played a decent amount of songs off of their latest album, Hard Reset, which was released August of last year. This was also the first album released since changing their label and signed with Thriller Records. While playing well known songs off of the new album such as “One of Us” featuring the ever growing popular band Bad Omens, they did play some older songs as well including but not limited to “Why Am I Like This?” from their 2018 album Violent Noise. Needless to say the crowd was rearing and ready to get rowdy with the next group, Memphis May Fire.

With releasing their last album in 2022, Remade In Misery, Memphis May Fire for sure had a descent list of popular songs from songs such as “Bleed Me Dry”, “Misery” and “Blood & Water” for the crowd to mosh, crowd surf, and all around rock out to. The Texas based band also made sure to play their latest single “Chaotic” which released mid-April. Could we possibly hope for a new album in the near future? I guess only time will tell, but for now let’s get back to the review, as we head into our headliner, Asking Alexandria.

Hoping over the pond, we find our english metal band, as well as our headliner, Asking Alexandria. With lead singer and frontman Danny Worsnop leading stage presence, the crowd surely wasn’t disappointed. The band, now based in York, has had a strong following since being formed in the early 2000’s, and their fans didn’t disappoint. Crowd surfing galore, keeping Security busy throughout the performance, and all out jamming for some of the fan favorites so 

much so that they had to come out at the end and give an encore performance of their hit song “Alone In A Room” off their self named title released back in 2017. The Song remained on Sirius XM’s Bigguns list for several weeks when it released. Needless to say, AA definitely brought all their friends, and made a memorable night for their fans..

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Shelby Tyce

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Sum 41 came into Baltimore on their final tour, Bringing along with them The Interrupters and openers Joey Valence & Brea. 

Joey and Brea opened up and I wasn’t quite expecting to hear the type of music they play. It’s a cool sorta tribute/Style of the Beastie Boys. They had super energy and was a fun way to open up the show. 

The interrupters played next. They are a ska/punk band from LA. This band had super energy as well the guitarists were jumping all over the stage and singer Aimee was a bundle of joy to watch on stage such an amazing voice but also looks like she’s having so much fun on stage and interacting with the crowd . 

This was my first and I guess last time I’ve seen Sum 41. I remember when “All Killer No Filler”album came out they were everywhere. My friends were into the punk scene and I checked them out. I loved the energy and remember watching a home video they sold with crazy antics and shooting water guns at drivers and cars. 

The set list was a good mix of old and new with the latest and last album “Heaven x Hell” having a good chunk of that set list. I was happy to hear “Fat Lip” live and was blown away by them doing a few seriously metal songs. They did a cool version of “We Will Rock You” and did a cover of Social Distortions version of “Ring of Fire”. 

The crowd was filled at pier 6. Young and old were among the crowd that were mostly ur late 30s punk kids and the new wave of punk kids. It was a super fun show and I’m glad to say I’ve seen Sum 41 play at least one show. If you get a chance to check them out while they’re on the final tour go do it, even if it’s just for a quick stroll down the nostalgia highway. 

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Ron

Ron has keen eye for new talent, a love for the underground, and a tremendous passion for music of any genera. You’ll probably bump into him at a horror convention or some seedy club checking out the next need-to-know band.

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