M3 Rock Festival kicked off on Friday, May 1, 2026 at the Merriweather Lakehouse Hotel with a private pre-party for VIP guests who secured their badges during their swag bag pick up that evening. Quiet Riot took the stage around 9:30 pm, and for those who couldn’t get in, the band could also be seen on big screen TV in the hotel’s lobby during their hour performance in the hotel ballroom.
So, as if the small stage wasn’t cramped enough for the likes of Jizzy Pearl (vocals), Rudy Sarzo (bass), Alex Grossi (guitar), and Johnny Kelly (drums), the band was joined mid-set by MiniKISS for some AC/DC with a cover of “Highway to Hell” following the tiny KISS tribute band’s performance at the nearby Collective Encore, which has been the venue for previous pre-party events.
While the low ceilings made for entertaining visuals as the lights were literally shaking out of their sockets, the crowd didn’t seem to mind as they gathered for a night of “arena rock” hits that was in your face and full of the energy that Quiet Riot is known for, along with a bonus cover of Love/Hate’s “Blackout in the Red Room” reminding us that Jizzy Pearl is still keeping his own band alive and well with a new release scheduled and a UK tour this year!
In addition to the fun at our host hotel, Dave Dillman’s M-PRE Party had a stacked line-up performing all evening at the nearby Reckless Shephard, and we were lucky enough to swing by just in time to catch the Ron Keel band’s set which featured a surprise appearance from Ronnie Younkins of KIX fame.
Having the festival reduced to a single day was a big change over previous years, and certainly had its drawbacks, but it sure was nice to get a good night’s sleep following the parties before heading over to the Merriweather Post Pavilion. The day began with the typical soundcheck from the rock academy before Trixter took the stage with longtime bandmates Steve Brown (guitar) and PJ Farley (bass) trading off turns on lead vocals, and Ben Hans (drummer) joining in on background vocals. The trio brought the energy we needed to keep warm on the chilly afternoon with favorites like “One in a Million” and “Give it to me Good,” as well as my personal favorite “Tattoos & Misery.”
Trixter was followed by Faster Pussycat, who returned to the festival with a new line-up featuring Jacob Bunton (Steven Adler, Mick Mars) and Ace Von Johnson (LA Guns) trading guitar licks given Sam Bam Kolton’s new gig with Godsmack and Kieran Robertson’s tour with Geoff Tate who is touring with his solo band in support of the third installment of the Mindcrime story, which, of course, was first introduced by Queensryche.
Rounding off the line-up were longtime bandmates Taime Downe (vocals), Chad Stewart (drums), and Danny “Slim Tender” Nordhal (bass), who seemed out of place in the daylight as they emerged from the foggy backdrop in the pavilion’s stage lights while we watched the axe slingers duel it out for the first time together at M3.
Much like Trixter, Faster Pussycat was given minimal time on stage, leading to just a seven song set that included an intro of “Motorbike” followed by sleazy favorites like “Cathouse,” “Bathroom Wall,” and “Babylon,” along with their biggest hit of course, “House of Pain.”
While it was great to see both bands included, may were left wondering why they didn’t get more time to perform, especially since the following act Barry Goudreau’s Engine Room, the brainchild of guitarist Barry Goudreau of Boston, seemed a bit out of place to many fans, but I will note that the first time I saw Barry perform was with the band Scrap Metal featuring members of Nelson, Lita Ford, Mark Slaughter (Slaughter), and other artists from our era like Mr. Big’s Eric Martin and Y&T’s Mike Vanderhule. So, one can certainly call him family.
Unlike that Scrap Metal project, which was a fun jam band focused on hair metal classics, Barry Goudreau’s Engine Room was more focused on his classic rock roots. The band released their first CD Full Steam Ahead back in 2017, making them the newest band in the line-up. They featured keyboardist Brian Maes and Mary Beth Maes taking the lead on vocals to deliver an hour set of classic rock favorites from Boston to Grandfunk Railroad and more.
Mike Tramp of White Lion returned to M3 Rock Festival this year with a full band, and took the stage next with Marcus Nand (gutiar), Jerry Best (bass) and Troy Patrick Farrell (drums) for a set of White Lion favorites that included “Wait,” “When the Children Cry,” and even the classic cover of Golden Earring’s “Radar Love” that kept the crowd engaged as the afternoon played out. They were followed by Buckcherry, who were new to M3 Rock Festival, but received with enthusiasm from the crowd who kept to their feet the entire set.
Interestingly, Marcus Nand can be found performing along with 35 guest musicians on William Shatner’s new heavy metal album set for release this year on Cleopatra Records. The 95 year old actor, describes the project as a “metal extravaganza” featuring appearances by Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society, Zakk Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne) , Ritchie Blackmore (Rainbow), and Rob Halford (Judas Priest), and we are looking forward to hearing it!
Having traditionally been included in more modern rock line-ups, Buckcherry was another band that fans questions, that was until the band that brought us Roar Like Thunder last year approached the stage with the energy they are known for. The band is Josh Todd (vocals), Stevie D and Billy Rowe (Jetboy) on guitars, Kelly LeMieux (bass), and Francis Ruiz of CC Deville’s Samantha 7 (drums).
I’m used to shooting Buckcherry’s sets, so I have seen them at least half a dozen times in the past year, and can say with confidence that this setlist was stacked, from the intro of “Lit Up” followed by the namesake of their latest album to favorites like “Gluttony” and “Sorry” and two cuts from the infamous F#ck EP to the finale of two of the best dancing songs “Blackout” and “Crazy Bitch.” For those who haven’t seen it live, “Crazy Bitch” includes a lengthy breakdown of songs like “Bad Girls” and “Proud Mary,” and showcase Josh Todd’s moves that mimic that of the legendary James Brown, and a line dance of sorts that offers up a showcase of each band member center stage that concludes the band’s show.
I was honored to shoot full sets and take end of show photos for both Mike Tramp and Buckcherry from the drum riser before taking a brief break to fuel up for Queensryche’s set, which I was able to enjoy from the crowd after the allotted two-song media visit to the photo pit.
While Queensryche’s set during their last visit to the M3 Rock Festival on the “origins” tour didn’t appeal to everyone, the band never fails to disappoint me personally as they are one of few bands who always offer unique set lists to keep things fresh and unanticipated with the musical precision that most bands can only hope for. It is so rare for bands to dig deep into their archives, but Queensryche’s efforts to resurrect entire albums has given them the ability to pull out those gems that we haven’t heard for ages. I’ve caught them twice this year on the Cruise to the Edge and twice again on the Monsters of Rock Cruise, and the band didn’t repeat a single song during their encore performances on either of those cruises. I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen another band pull that off!
So, at M3 Rock Festival, nobody was truly wasn’t sure what we’d hear, myself included. But, if you want to talk about the band redeeming themselves, just wow! The set kicked-off with “Queen of the Reich” before pulling the first of several cuts off of Operation: Mindcrime, “Breaking the Silence,” and continued with a sold mix from all eras of Queensryche much to the delight of the crowd. I was able to join my friends in the audience for the first (and only) time that day, and really enjoyed taking in the full video experience on the big screen. Honestly, I couldn’t stop thinking of how cool the badass heavy metal “queen” would look on a ladies t-shirt as I watched her take shape behind the band.
With a heavy does of Empire album favorites like “Jet City Woman,” “Silent Lucidity,” and of course the title track also in the mix, it seemed that the casual fans in the M3 audience was given their wish of a “hits” set. But, those die hard fans looking for the unexpected, were treated as well with “Neue Regel” and “London” making the cut! Then, when you take into account how amazing this band sounds, all I can say is that they totally nailed it this year!
Making the transition from metal to blues, Tom Keifer returned to M3 Rock Festival with his band for a set of Cinderella band classics and a couple extras. The line-up featured Tony Higbee (guitar), Luis Espaillat (bass), Jarred Pope (drums), Kory Myers (keyboards), and Tanya Davis (percussion & background vocals). Notably missing, however, was Tom’s wife Savannah who can typically be found supporting the band on vocals and joining Tom for a duet behind the piano. We hope she heals quickly and is back with the band when we see them on tour at The Palace in Greensburg next month as it was sad seeing her empty chair and microphone on the stage that night.
It has been a while since I’ve seen the Keifer Band live. So, I was really looking forward to catching the show. I enjoyed the opportunity to take in the show from up close and feel that passion behind Keifer’s soulful delivery of favorites like “Nobody’s Fool” and “The Last Mile” along with solo band cuts like “Solid Ground,” and a cover of the Rolling Stones cut “Tumbling Dice.”
As expected, the set concluded with the high-energy “Gypsy Road,” which we listed to as we quickly exited the pavillion in an effort to catch the after-party set from Steven Adler, which had a transition time as short as the rest of the day despite being at a different location! I must say it was really difficult to tear myself away from that show. Tom never fails to disappoint as he engages his fans and offers up all that he has in the tank. Excited to see these guys on the road this summer with support from acts like Buckcherry, LA Guns, and John Corabi.
And just like the pre-party with Quiet Riot, the after-party with Steven Adler, another “arena rock” veteran, was in the ballroom of the Merriweather Lakehouse for a VIP-only audience. And despite cutting out before the crowd, the ballroom was already packed to the back when we got there (I guess everyone else had the same idea). So, I am thankful to those who made way for me and my camera and allowed me to capture the fun from close proximity to the stage.
I’ve got to say it was a bit wild to see these shows in a hotel after catching both Quiet Riot and Steven Adler in full-scale performances on the Monsters of Rock Cruise just weeks prior, but one thing never changes, and that is Mr. Adler’s contagious smile! He always draws us in as he offers that grin and rests on his kit as the crowd goes wild. Another thing both bands shared on the Monsters of Rock Cruise was guitarist Alex Grossi, but for M3 Rock Festival, Alistair James returned on guitar along with Michael Thomas and Cristian Sturba was on bass.
Now for those who couldn’t see what was happening at the front of that ballroom, I’d like to clear up one point of confusion. Frontman Ari Kamin, who many will remember from his post-covid National Anthem performance at M3 that one time it was held on the 4th of July, is still kicking ass leading this band, but former Adler frontman Jacob Bunton who was playing guitar for Faster Pussycat earlier in the day, did take the mic for one song, “It’s So Easy” and what a treat that was!
The band had a killer set that included favorites like “You Could Be Mine” and “Welcome to the Jungle” before closing out the night with “Paradise City”! And, the party continued in the lobby until noise complaints shut things down around 2am.
In short, the festival was in fact too short, and attendance certainly suffered because many out-of-towners couldn’t justify flights for a single day of fun. But, what a day it was. Many people are calling the performances the best they have ever seens from these band’s and for once, it did not rain a single drop while we were at the pavillion. Rumors have been plentiful from this being the final festival to the festival moving to another location or another date. We hope that we will get some clarity in the coming months, but it seems that the VIP emails noted that M3 Rock Festival will be back in 2027 and we sure hope that is the case. But with Monsters on the Mountain, Picktown Pallooza, and the Monsters of Rock Cruise all on my agenda, I see no sign of this music getting silenced. Check back soon for our coverage of the Sunday Sermon following M3 Rock Festival.
Coverage by Editor and founder Kara Marie Uhrlen on 5/7/2026. All event photos © Kara Uhrlen and The Pure Rock Shop.
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