M3 Rock Festival kicked off on Friday evening with Ikons of Rock’s Snake Oil. The band which includes two members of the Canadian Rock Hall of Fame and featured Darren Moore and Christelle Dussault on lead vocals, Tim Sutton on drums, Kurt Krezanski on guitar, and Darcell Labiuk on bass.
The band was a welcome addition to the festival and a surprise highlight offering up covers of some of our favorite rock ‘n roll anthems from bands like KISS, Ozzy Osbourne, and Pat Benatar complete with makeup, bloody and bats, and costumes.
They were followed by Sebastian Bach who headlined Friday evening with a young band that included his son Paris on drums, Brody DeRozie on guitar, and Fede Delfino on bass. Bach joked that if his son didn’t play well, he wouldn’t be getting his allowance. The band tore through lots of classic Skid Row while the frontman interacted with fans who were taking full advantage of stage access.
The traditionally security and photo pit was removed for the festival which meant that VIP fans in the front row had to make way for the photographers for the first two songs, and that they could also approach Sebastian and ask for autographs. Many did and he seemed to be feeding off the energy. He even put on someone’s jacket and danced in it before signing an autograph and handing it back. We thought this may become a thing over the weekend, but he was really the only artist that got bombarded. We heard that he had even done a VIP meet ‘n greet after the show, but many missed it because the communication didn’t get out in time.
It seemed that there were some kinks to work out with the festival logistics on day one especially when it came to VIP perks, but the concert itself was top notch and set the stage for one hell of a weekend. And, like many, we had even more fun over at Union Jacks where the after party featured The Midnight Devils and Bad Marriage. Follow us for more M3 Rock Festival coverage and check out our pre-party recap here.
Also, for those in Los Angeles, note that Both VIP Seating Area and General Admission tickets are on sale now for this year’s ROCK FOR RONNIE Concert in the Park, benefiting the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund (www.diocancerfund.org), on Sunday afternoon, May 18, 2025, 11AM to 6PM, on the South Lawn adjacent to the Autry Museum of the West in Griffith Park. The annual ROCK FOR RONNIE, an afternoon of live rock music, silent and live auctions, food trucks and fun geared to the entire family, celebrates the memory of the late singer who succumbed to gastric cancer in 2010. Entrepreneur, author and producer Ahmet Zappa will host the event. We look forward to bringing you full event coverage and hope to see you there!
Review and photos by Kara Uhrlen for The Pure Rock Shop on 5/12/2025