JayTrucker.com

May 6, 2013

 On their own, some of the bands playing the 5^th annual M3 festival at Columbia’s Merriweather Post Pavilion, can’t fill a bar, let alone an amphitheater.  But the draw of the M3 festival is in the homogeneity of the lineup.  This isn’t a “something for everyone” festival with various themed tents meant to appeal to the broadest swath of concert goers with disposable income.  This is a concert for people who like bands that wore aquanet and topped Dial MTV in the late 80s. 

And a lot of people still do.  From fans who remember when MTV played music and people made phone calls with their phones to a surprising number of teenagers wearing throwback gear, the M3 festival did brisk business on Saturday, despite a weaker lineup than in years past.  There was no Warrant, Winger, LA Guns, Whitesnake, Ratt, Cinderella, etc. and the main stage was headlined by a guy known more for reality tv than music in recent years.  Still, by 3 o’clock the pavilion and lawn were filling up and fans were mulling about the concession area, some sporting mullets not often seen in a union state.   This is a destination concert, and license plates from surrounding states dotted the parking lot, highlighting the rarity of an 80s glam festival in the Mid-Atlantic, even if there’s a long list of conspicuously absent Reagan era chart toppers.

Fans traveled between two stages, the main ampitheater stage and a makeshift riser at the back end of the gated area dubbed the “festival stage.”  Though the main stage could house more spectators, the “festival stage” offered fans closer access to the show in a standing room only fenced in plot of pavement. 

Below are some thoughts on the bands that performed in the mid-afternoon and into the night for day two of the M3 festival. 

JSRG

This is 4/5 of the all-female band Vixen, who lost a lawsuit to the other 1/5 for the rights to the band name.  But even if they had performed as Vixen, this group was never popular enough to draw a huge crowd.  The performance was fine and included a guitar-heavy version of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” and their signature hit “Edge of a Broken Heart,” but during their set many fans helped themselves to concessions or vied for sightlines at the second stage, where Great White were readying.

Great White

This is lead singer Jack Russell’s version of the band.  A recovering alcoholic and drug addict, Russell looked sober and sounded crisp during the short set.  Jack Russell is the only original member of Great White in this version of Great White, officially dubbed “Jack Russell’s Great White,” but he’s recruited a highly capable cadre of replacement players.  The band closed with their biggest hit, “Once Bitten, Twice Shy,” itself a cover of a 1975 song by British artist Ian Hunter.  Fans sang, swayed, and in some cases even played tambourines that apparently made it through security.  They were watching Russell’s band, a tribute band to his own band, performing a cover song.  It didn’t matter.  The song had a great video back in the day and everyone knew the words.

Loudness

Japanese metal band Loudness played the main stage, performing what was arguably the heaviest set for Saturday’s festivities.  Though they never experienced the success in the U.S. that many American 80s acts achieved in their home country, Loudness was a favorite at the 2012 M3 festival, and they came back to the states just to play this gig.  With 25 albums to pull from, Loudness had plenty of material to choose from and their ballad-free, guitar solo-heavy tracks were full of energy, but like JSRG, they’re another band that would have benefited from the up close and personal second stage.  Last year, Loudness snuck up on a crowd that didn’t know much about them and made a number of new fans.  This year, an upgrade to the main stage didn’t do them any favors, with the amphitheater creating a distance between the band and the people watching the show.  Though they were once again well received, the frenetic energy of their music wasn’t absorbed with quite the same fervor via the main stage, where their unfamiliar sound was more of a novelty.

Steel Panther

The only band that didn’t actually originate in the 80s (regardless of what their bio says), Steel Panther probably won a few converts on Saturday as well.   Lead singer Ralph Saenz and guitarist Russ Parish are 80s hair band veterans, but their homage to 80s excess is often misconstrued as demeaning parody.  Thankfully, songs like “Death to All But Metal” and “17 Girls in a Row” played to the crowd’s interest and fans saluted with devil horns aplenty.  Steel Panther is a comedy act, but with only 40 minutes to work with, they could have stuck to songs from their two albums of originals rather than bantering for 10 minutes during band introductions.  The shtick takes away from their show, and though they are selling an “act,” not just a band, they could abbreviate their talking points to a few quick quips s during shorter shows.

Firehouse

This band has remained largely unchanged since their early 90s heyday.  Perhaps their lasting popularity in Asia and South America (where they still headline large venues) has kept them together.  In the states, they’re mostly remembered for their ballads like, “When I Look Into Your Eyes” and wedding classic “Love of a Lifetime.”  For the ballads, singer C.J. Snare played piano, quickly jumping into heavier fare after each ivory-laden single.  Snare’s voice sounded solid and on key.  He sported a fully follickled head that didn’t match his facial hair, suggesting that he may not be the president of the hair club for men, but he is a member.  Most of Firehouse’s set was heavier than expected, with drummer Michael Foster filling up the rhythm section with copious amounts of double bass.

Twisted Sister

This was the surprise of the day.  Twisted Sister haven’t had a new album in over 25 years and they performed without their classic stage makeup, but the band, with all of its original members in tow, played more like a bunch of guys in their 20s than a crew on the verge of 60.  Lead singer Dee Snider sprinted up and down the amphitheater stage, singing rapid-fire lyrics without missing a note a la Vince Neil or audibly gasping for breath a la Axl Rose.  Twisted Sister had fun with their show too, mocking themselves for going on a “10 dates a year tour,” and later teasing an unplugged set with an acoustic guitar before smashing it to bits, cursing off unplugged music and the bands who “sell out” via the unplugged format, and charging back into hard-pounding songs from their classic catalog that also played heavier live than on record. 

The crowd ate it up.  Like Twisted Sister, they wanted to rock.  And rock they did.  With their original members, engaging stage presence, and a popularity that endures in part from the rarity of their performances, Twisted Sister could have easily headlined this year’s festival.

Brett Michaels

Brett Michaels was selling-shirts for his Pets Rock line of products at Pet Smart.  We left before his set.

Sassy Sandy adds some tambourine to “Once Bitten, Twice Shy”

The “M” in M3 stands for mullet.

One of the perks of fronting a band with goth-leaning tendencies (or Kiss) is the ability to freeze the aging process by slathering on ever-increasing amounts of makeup.  Coal Chamber frontman Dez Fafara certainly took advantage of the opportunity during Monday night’s performance at Rams Head Live, covering his face in white paint save for a blackened strip across his eyes.

But if Dez looked like the third member of Insane Clown Posse, his band’s performance otherwise remained unchanged, almost as though it was frozen in time since their last tour with the evening’s headliners, Sevendust, in 1998.

Without any new material to promote, the band pounded their way through a thirteen song set that relied exclusively upon their 10+ years old studio output.  The capacity crowd, many of whom were on hand to see Coal Chamber’s first area performance since reforming late last year, were partial to songs from the band’s debut, including Loco, Big Truck, and the set closer, Sway.  As ever, Coal Chamber’s bottom-heavy sound, coupled with Dez’s gravel-gargled screams, played heavier live than on record.  And while Dez has never really gone away, recording and touring for the past decade with Devildriver, guitarist Meegs Rascon and drummer Bug Cox came back with the same stage presence as they did 15 years ago, Meegs glaring dead-eyed at the crowd while Bug broke drum sticks at will as roadies stood by with back up. 

Coal Chamber’s newest member, Chela Harper, must have responded to the band’s craigslist ad requesting a female willing to wear dark makeup and pirouette while occasionally hitting a few bass notes.  A teeny bopper at best during the band’s heyday, she was clearly a hit with the mostly male crowd.

Compared to Coal Chamber, Sevendust’s post-90s output is a study in nu-metal contrast.  The Atlanta, Georgia five piece never went away, putting out 9 albums while consistently touring the club circuit.  With the return of guitarist Clint Lowery a few years back, the original lineup is the same as it was when the band formed in 1997. 

Unsurprisingly, songs from their debut album and follow-up Home saw the most devil horn salutes.  Five of the band’s thirteen song set came from the 1997-1999 era.  While he’s not jumping around the stage as buoyantly these days, singer Lajon Witherspoon’s vocals sounded rich and his gracious stage presence was a sharp turn from Dez’s painted jumping bean. 

The band tore through their 75 minute set, with bassist Vince Hornsby and a hooded Lowery showcasing for the crowd most energetically.  Along the way, they debuted 3 new songs from the recently released Black Out the Sun.  If their sales haven’t kept up since the last millennium, their sound hasn’t changed much.  The only disappointments of the evening were the piped-in backing vocals that were apparent during several songs (note: if you’re going to use backing tracks, at least keep your mouth near the mic when they’re in use) and the band’s decision to close with post Y2K encores on a co-headlining tour whose appeal is clearly nostalgic.  “Bitch,” “Waffle,” or the title track from Home could have sent the fans home happy. 

Still, if you were an angsty, testosterone-addled man child in the late 1990s or loved someone who was, this a tour worth grabbing your chain wallet and plunking down $30.  

Originally published October 29, 2012 on The Baltimore Sun’s Midnight Sun

Shortly after 10 p.m., Deftones — the California five piece alt-metal band — hit the stage, opening with the title cut from 2010′s “Diamond Eyes.” Two more tracks from “Diamond Eyes” followed, the churning “Rocket Skates” and “You’ve Seen the Butcher.” The latter featured the band’s signature slow-burning to convulsive and back verse-chorus pattern, to which the crowd responded appropriately, shouting along to Chino Moreno’s vocals and surging toward the stage with the occasional crowd-surfer plunging forward to his eminent expulsion.
While new songs were well-received, two of the band’s oldest tracks, “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)” and “My Own Summer” prompted more sing/shout-alongs and cell-phone waving than did the band’s newer material.
Veteran frontman Moreno, who played guitar intermittently throughout the evening, best commanded the crowd when free to roam the stage with only his heavily taped microphone. Wearing a red flannel shirt and baggy pants, Moreno catered to every portion of the crowd, perching atop amplifiers stage front before racing toward one end of the stage and back, occasionally wrapping the mic chord around his neck like a noose.
Guitarist Stephen Carpenter and Sergio Vega (filling in for Chi Cheng) seemed content to give Moreno most of the stage, rarely roaming out from their respective corners.  Along with drummer Abe Cunningham, the band’s sound is nearly as tight live as it is on record, even with a bassist who’s only been touring with them for a few years. Also, there was a guy on stage with a Mac computer. I suppose he is the DJ.
With few breaks between songs, the band raced towards a late set peak that included “Change (In the House of Flies),” “Passenger” and “Bloody Cape” before a brief break and an encore of “Bored,” “Root” and “7 Words.” Bad Brains vocalist H.R. (aka Paul D. Hudson), who joined the band for “Right Brigade,” returned to trade lyrics with Moreno on “Bored,” though his microphone was nearly too low to hear in the heavy mix. For “Passenger,” a song recorded with Tool’s Maynard James Keenan, Moreno encouraged audience participation to fill in the missing vocals.
The band’s platinum days may be behind them, but they show no signs of slowing down, either in the studio or on the road. With a new album, “Koi No Yokan,” due next month, Deftones’ current tour will  continue into 2013. Though they’ve often been lumped in with late ’90s mook-rockers, the act enjoyed a rare level of critical respect and have developed a dedicated fan base who came to the show ready for a night of well-worn songs that have yet to gather rust.
Before the Deftones, Scars on Broadway played a well-received set. The band features Daron Malakian and John Dolmayan of System of a Down. Accordingly, they sound like System of a Down minus frontman Serj Tankian’s distinct howl. If you hear a Scars on Broadway song and think one of the lyrics sounds like the tongue-twisting Mary Poppins tune “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” that’s because it is. The band presented a solid set but Malakian and company cannot replace the manic charisma of Tankian, and given the band’s similar dance-beats-meet-thundering-strings sound, it is hard not to make the comparison.

Deftones’ setlist: “Diamond Eyes” “Rocket Skates” You’ve Seen the Butcher Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away) My Own Summer (Shove It) Poltergeist Rosemary Feiticeira Digital Bath