In the summer of 1999, Poison, Ratt, Great White and L.A. Guns teamed up for a tour of amphitheatres. Hair metal was considered dead and buried, and industry professionals doubted that the tour would be a washout. They were wrong; it was one of the most successful tours of the year.
A decade later, hair metal has risen from the dead and packs sheds every summer. A new development is the 80s rock festival, which began two years ago with Rocklahoma. This year, the M3 Rock Festival will bring the Aqua-Net faithful to Charm City. Here are some of the bands that will be invading Meriwether Post Pavilion on May 30.
Twisted Sister
If you need one reason to check out the M3 Rock Fest, Twisted Sister is it. They still look, sound and perform as if it was 1984. Dee Snider is even more frightening in middle age, and his voice is even more powerful. Come for the hits, but stay for the more obscure songs like “Under the Blade,” “SMF,” and especially “Burn in Hell.” The Sisters don’t perform very often, so if you haven’t seen them, don’t pass it up.
Ratt
Although they are primarily known for their ubiquitous 1984 hit “Round and Round,” Ratt had much more to offer. Guitarists Warren DiMartini and the late Robbin Crosby updated the tandem guitar sound of Thin Lizzy for the 1980s. Crosby’s melodic playing provided a backbone to DiMartini’s lightning-fast shredding. Singer Stephen Pearcy doesn’t have a good voice in the traditional sense, but his sleazy drawl gives Ratt its flavor. Besides, all their songs are about strippers with hearts of gold. Isn’t that what we all want out of life?
Extreme
It’s easy to make jokes about Extreme, since their two biggest hits were primarily acoustic. Their lyrics could be a bit clunky at times (“Rock a Bye-Bye” anyone?), but Nuno Bettencourt is probably the best guitarist the genre ever produced. He shreds, but he’s got taste and feel. Even when he’s playing a million notes a minute, it’s never shredding for the sake of shredding. He knows when to play and when to hold back, and that cannot be taught.
L.A. Guns
The Steve Riley/Phil Lewis version of L.A. Guns might not have the band’s namesake, but they deliver the goods live. Would you rather hear Phil Lewis sing “The Ballad of Jayne,” or the dude from Rock Star: Supernova? I thought so.
KIX
KIX is the pride and joy of Baltimore and will probably end up stealing the show. Their songs still hold up, Steve Whiteman has charisma dripping from his pores, and Brian Forsythe and Ronnie Younkins are riffing machines. I would be afraid to follow them on any bill, but in Baltimore? Forget about it. The Hammerjacks faithful will be en masse.
Steel Panther
If I get to hear “Big Boobs” live, I will die a happy man.
Keel
I think I know what to expect from Keel’s set. They will probably play “The Right to Rock,” which will remind us that we’ve got it, the right to rock. That’s awesome and all, but the real question is….will Keel tell us that his horse is a Harley?
Other Bands on the Bill:
Dokken
Jani Lane
Bulletboys
Slaughter
XYZ
Y&T
Jetboy
Gilby Clarke
SLAMM
If you are a fan of the genre, you don’t want to miss this show. Tickets can be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets and Ticketmaster.com, as well as the Meriwether box office.