M3 Rock Festival celebrated its 17th year on a cool but beautiful day at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Colombia, Maryland. This year, Tom Keifer and Queensryche were the headliners, with Buckcherry, White Lion, Barry Goudreau’s Engine Room, Faster Pussycat, and Trixter filling out the bill. This year the festival was reduced to one day, which caused some fans to bypass the event this time because of travel costs for just a one-day event. For me, it was a slight benefit, because I didn’t have to take off Monday from work for travel. That being said, the promoter and venue always put on a stellar and memorable event with lots of great bands, VIP meet and greets, great merch, plenty of adult beverages and food.
If you were up early enough after partying at The Lakehouse Hotel at the VIP pre-party featuring Quiet Riot the night before, you probably made a pit-stop in Lot 5 for the yearly tailgating party. Fans were able to eat some great grilled food, listen to some music, socialize and enjoy some adult beverages, and reunite with friends. Doors for M3 opened at 11:30am, and fans filed through security efficiently to get in and make their way to the merch booth to get a shirt from their favorite artist, or the yearly M3 commemorative shirt, or maybe a blanket if they had a lawn seat.
12:35-1:10pm
Trixter was first to hit the stage, and they did it in a big way. With Steve Brown on lead vocals and guitar, PJ Farley on bass and backing vocals, and Ben Hans on drums, this 3-piece group wowed the fans. From what I was hearing, there were a lot of people that had never seen Trixter before and were saying how great they sounded. They played 6 songs off their self-titled album and one off of 2012’s New Audio Machine. They ended the set with fan favorite “Give It to Me Good” with everyone singing along.
Trixter is:
Steve Brown – Guitar, lead vocals
PJ Farley – Bass, backing vocals
Ben Hans – Drums, backing vocals
Setlist
1. Bad Girl
2. Heart of Steel
3. Tattoos and Misery
4. One in a Million
5. Line of Fire
6. Surrender
7. Give it to Me Good
1:25-2:00pm
The sleaziest band of the festival took to the stage after a short 15-minute stage change-over and did so with a recent lineup change. Sam Bam Koltun recently announced he was going out on tour with Godsmack, and long-time member Ace Von Johnson would be returning back to the band. Taime’s vocals sounded great and the whole band was tight even though they only were allotted a 25-minute set, we got to hear all the popular songs we wanted to hear. I heard a number of people saying they wish they had a longer set.
Faster Pussycat is:
Taime Downe – Lead vocals, guitar
Danny Nordahl – Bass, backing vocals (absent due to injury, Johnny Martin filled in)
Chad Stewart – Drums, backing vocals, percussion
Ace Von Johnson – Guitar, mandolin, talkbox, backing vocals
Jacob Bunton – Guitar
Setlist
1. Motorbike
2. Don’t Change That Song
3. Cathouse
4. Slip of the Tongue
5. House of Pain
6. Bathroom Wall
7. Babylon
2:30-3:30pm
So, Barry Goudreau’s Engine Room was the outlier of the event, per se. Barry Goudreau is a former member of the band Boston from the 1970’s. Fans of M3 were grumbling online that they didn’t belong at the festival because they didn’t fit the genre. I found it funny because much of 80’s rock and metal got its roots from its forefathers of the 70’s. Barry and his 7-piece band touched on mostly Boston hits, however also covered songs like “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by The Beatles, “Walk Away” by The James Gang, “Rock and Roll” by Led Zeppelin and more. The band played with precision and intent and they for sure won over many people in the crowd.
Barry Goudreau’s Engine Room is:
Barry Goudreau – Guitar, backing vocals
Tim Archibald – Bass, backing vocals
Brian Maes – Keyboards, lead vocals
Dickie Paris Jr. – Drums
Setlist
1. Piece of Mind (Boston cover)
2. Smokin’ (Boston cover)
3. Hitch a Ride (Boston cover)
4. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Beatles cover)
5. So You Ran (Orion and The Hunter cover)
6. Walk Away (James Gang cover)
7. A Man I’ll Never Be (Boston cover)
8. Rock and Roll Band (Boston cover)
9. Footstompin’ Music (Grand Funk Railroad cover)
10. More Than a Feeling (Boston cover)
11. Foreplay/Long Time (Boston cover)
12. Rock and Roll (Led Zeppelin cover)
4:00-5:00pm
Mike Tramp brought his band together to perform Songs of White Lion. For those of you that might not know, he released 2 volumes of this in 2023 and 2024. They are songs by White Lion reimagined, this is why a lot of people were left unsure on why it didn’t sound like the original recordings. It wasn’t supposed to. He is also planning on releasing volume 3 this September. Mike also let us know they were recording the show for a live album. That being said, I have seen him several times in smaller venues the last few years, but this time was special for him. He was really comfortable back on a big stage with Marcus Nand and the rest of his band. They played all of the White Lion hits reimagined, and well as “Radar Love” by Golden Earring.
Mike Tramp’s White Lion is:
Mike Tramp – Lead vocals
Marcus Nand – Guitar
Jerry Best – Bass
Troy Patrick Farrell – Drums
Setlist
1. Hungry (White Lion cover)
2. Lonely Nights (White Lion cover)
3. Living on The Edge (White Lion cover)
4. Little Fighter (White Lion cover)
5. Tell Me (White Lion Cover)
6. Lights and Thunder (White Lion Cover)
7. Wait (White Lion Cover)
8. When the Children Cry (White Lion Cover)
9. Lady of The Valley (White Lion Cover)
10. Radar Love (Golden Earring cover)
5:30-6:30pm
Buckcherry, another band outside of the 80’s genre that played M3 this year, was a big hit. They definitely set the bar high for the next 2 bands to take the stage. Their high energy performance and energetic stage show kept the crowd’s attention from the first note to the last. They hit the stage with “Lit Up” the only song they performed off their first, and self-titled album. Next, they played “Roar Like Thunder” off of their most recent album of the same name, which was released last year. When I first got this album, I had to listen to it over and over for about a month and still listen to it regularly. Such a great example of an older band still churning out great music. The crowd was pumping their fists and singing along to songs like “Somebody Fucked with Me”, “Come On” and “So Hott”. They ended their sweat filled set with a medley of “Crazy Bitch/ Sex Machine/ Bad Girls/ Irresistible Bitch/ Proud Mary”.
Buckcherry is:
Josh Todd – Lead vocals
Stevie Dacany – Guitar, backing vocals
Kelly LeMieux – Bass, banking vocals
Billy Rowe – Guitar
Francis Ruiz – Drums
Setlist
1. Lit Up
2. Roar Like Thunder
3. Somebody Fucked with Me
4. Ridin’
5. Let it Burn
6. Say Fuck It
7. Come On
8. Gluttony
9. Sorry
10. Blackout
11. Crazy Bitch/ Sex Machine/ Bad Girls/ Irresistible Bitch/ Proud Mary
7:00-8:20pm
Following Buckcherry, Queensryche had to bring their a-game, and that they did, playing all of their hits, popular songs, and even a few deep cuts like “London” and “Neue Regal”. Todd LaTorre has been a fantastic vocalist all along for Queensryche since he took the job in 2012, however after seeing them with Todd probably 20 plus times, I was even more blown away with his vocal abilities here at M3. They hit the stage at 7:00pm with a stellar graphic video of a futuristic looking “Queen of The Reich” and with that unforgettable scream opening the song of the same name. Mike Stone entered the stage wearing a gas mask and jump suit, which made for some fantastic photos. Mike Stone as well as Michael Wilton were sounding great using FU-Tone guitars. Original members Michael “Whip” Wilton and Eddie Jackson always bring the stage alive and are masters of their craft. Casey Grillo was tucked behind the drums making getting a clear photo of him difficult, but the way he had the fan blowing straight up at him made his hair look like devil horns. I don’t think there was a person not on their feet for their entire hour and twenty-minute set.
Queensryche is:
Todd LaTorre – Lead vocals
Mike Stone – Guitar, backing vocals
Michael Wilton – Guitar, backing vocals
Eddie Jackson – Bass
Casey Grillo – Drums
Setlist
1. Queen of The Reich
2. Breaking The Silence
3. I Don’t Believe in Love
4. London
5. The Mission
6. Warning
7. Behind the Walls
8. Take Hold of The Flame
9. Silent Lucidity
10. Jet City Woman
11. Screaming in Digital
12. Neue Regal
13. Empire
14. Eyes of a Stranger
8:50-10:20
Tom Keifer had the headline slot for the festival and with good reason. Tom and his band are always so passionate in their performance. Tom always puts 100% into his performances and it shows. Playing a mix of mostly Cinderella songs with a few of his solo songs thrown in as well. Sadly, Tom’s wife Savannah was absent from the show as he said she is recovering from surgery on her leg. There was a vacant microphone in her spot. Jarred Pope was pounding on the drums, Tony Higbee was slaying on the guitar and Luis Espaillat holding down the bass duties. They started the set with the fans singing along to “Night Songs” and through almost every song of the night. They touched on every popular Cinderella tune. After a few songs, Tom invited the people with lawn seats to come down into the pavilion seats and join the party. They played a song that Tom wrote, “The Death of Me”, about his battles with vocal cord paralysis and having to relearn to sing. The fans braved the cold to make it to the end of the set and got to hear a cover of The Rolling Stones song “Tumbling Dice” before they ended the set with “Gypsy Road”. This was the first show of Tom Keifer’s 2026 tour, and I suggest that you don’t miss his show if he comes to a city near you.
Tom Keifer Band is:
Tom Keifer – Lead Vocals, guitar, piano
Tony Higbee – guitar
Jarred Pope – Drums
Luis Espaillat – Bass
Setlist
1. Night Songs (Cinderella song)
2. All Amped Up
3. Heartbreak Station (Cinderella song)
4. Bad Seamstress Blues (Cinderella song)
5. Fallin’ Apart at the Seams (Cinderella song)
6. The Death of Me
7. Coming Home (Cinderella song)
8. Nobody’s Fool (Cinderella song)
9. Solid Ground
10. The More Things Change (Cinderella song)
11. Somebody Save Me (Cinderella song)
12. The Last Mile (Cinderella song)
13. Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone) (Cinderella song)
14. Shake Me (Cinderella song)
15. Shelter Me (Cinderella song)
16. Tumbling Dice (Rolling Stones cover)
17. Gypsy Road (Cinderella song)
The 2026 M3 Rock Festival was a hit with a bunch of rock bands from our youth pouring their heart and soul into their music for the fans. The weather was nice, albeit a bit chilly. From what I heard fans saying, Queensryche and Buckcherry were probably a tie for the best performance with Tom Keifer right behind them. For those people with Vip credentials, there was also a performance from Steven Adler after the show at The Lakehouse Hotel. There was no mention of next year’s M3 Rock Festival, however a friend received his Rockstar VIP meet and greet photos and in closing it said, “see you next year”.
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Music photography is my passion! Live in the moment, Capture the moment.