Merriweather Post Pavilion was in full throwback mode on May 2, and the M3 Rock Festival did what M3 always does best, which is remind everybody that melody, volume, and a little hair-spray-era swagger still go down just fine on a spring night in Columbia, Maryland.
The place had that familiar festival hum from the start, a mix of die-hards in band shirts, folks who have probably seen every one of these acts three times already, and a few younger fans who looked like they wandered in, got curious, and then got happily steamrolled by the whole scene. It wouldn’t be long before their curiosity was fulfilled by headliners Cinderella’s Tom Keifer and Queensÿche.
Trixter got things rolling with a set that was lean, quick, and refreshingly unpretentious. “Bad Girl” and “Heart of Steel” had the easy bounce of a band that knows exactly what lane it lives in and has no interest in swerving out of it. “Tattoos & Misery” and “One in a Million” kept the gears turning, and by the time “Give It to Me Good” arrived, the crowd was already in that sweet spot where the nostalgia feels less like a museum piece and more like a live wire. There’s something nice about a band that doesn’t over complicate the warm-up slot. Trixter came in, cracked the window a little, and left the engine idling.
Watch the official music video for “Give It To Me Good” by Trixter on YouTube:
Faster Pussycat brought a different flavor entirely, way dirtier around the edges and a little more insolent. “Motorbike” and “Cathouse” did exactly what they were supposed to do, which is kick the door open and drag some gnarly attitude into the room. Taime Downe still knows how to sell sleaze-rock without turning it into costume jewelry. “Slip of the Tongue” and “House of Pain” hit with that grimy club-pulse the band has always worn well, and “Bathroom Wall” was the kind of chorus that still gets a crowd grinning like they’ve been let in on a private joke. “Shut Up and Fuck” closed the set with the blunt-force charm of a cinder block wrapped in leopard print. No subtlety, no fuss, no problem.
Watch the official music video for “Bathroom Wall” by Faster Pussycat on YouTube:
Barry Goudreau’s Engine Room was one of the more interesting turns of the day, mostly because the set leaned into classic-rock muscle without trying to cosplay as a tribute act in formal wear. Opening with Boston staples like “Peace of Mind,” “Smokin’,” and “Hitch a Ride” gave the room a familiar lift, but the band didn’t just coast on title recognition. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” added a thoughtful stretch in the middle, and “A Man I’ll Never Be” always has a way of pulling a different kind of attention, the kind that quiets a crowd without making a scene of it.
Then they came back around with “Rock & Roll Band,” “More Than a Feeling,” and “Foreplay/Long Time,” which, let’s be honest, is basically a setlist loaded with gasoline and a match. They finished with “Rock and Roll,” and the whole thing had the feel of musicians who know the history, respect the history, and still want to hit it hard enough to shake the paint loose. White Lion was one of the day’s sweeter punches of melody. “Hungry” and “Lonely Nights” opened the set with that polished bite the band always carried so well, and “Living on the Edge” and “Little Fighter” kept the rhythm brisk.
Watch Barry Goudreau’s Engine Room perform “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by The Beatles on YouTube:
Mike Tramp’s voice still cuts through in a way that feels oddly graceful for music built on leather, big hair, and power chords. “Tell Me” and “Lights and Thunder” gave the set some room to breathe, then “Wait” arrived like a communal reflex. Everybody knows that song, everybody knows that hook, and everybody knows they’re going to sing it whether they plan to or not. “When the Children Cry” slowed the whole festival down for a second, and that was a good thing. It’s still one of those songs that can make a big outdoor venue feel smaller and more human. “Lady of the Valley” and “Radar Love” sent the set out with plenty of muscle, and White Lion left the stage sounding like a band that still believes in the power of a well-built chorus.
Watch the official music video for “Radar Love” by White Lion by YouTube:
Buckcherry came out later and kicked the temperature up several notches. “Lit Up” remains the sort of opener that makes people stand up a little straighter, as if the amps themselves just got a little meaner. “Roar Like Thunder” and “So Hott” kept the pressure on, and “Somebody Fucked With Me” brought the crowd a shade closer to the edge. Josh Todd has always had a bruised, streetwise charisma that works better live than it has any right to.
“Ridin’,” “Let It Burn,” and “Say Fuck It” kept the middle of the set moving like a bar fight with a beat. “Come On” and “Gluttony” were ugly in all the right ways, then “Sorry” slowed the whole thing just enough to remind everyone the band can still bring a hook without sanding down the grit. “Blackout” hit hard, and the closing medley of “Crazy Bitch/Sex Machine/Bad Girls/Irresistible Bitch/Proud Mary” was pure festival chaos, the good kind. Not elegant, maybe not even legal in a couple of counties, but absolutely effective.
Watch the official music visualizer for “Blackout” by Buckcherry on YouTube:
Queensrÿche then stepped in and changed the shape of the evening. They have always been a band that can turn a festival slot into something a little more cerebral without losing the crowd. “Queen of the Reich” and “Breaking the Silence” set the tone early, then “I Don’t Believe in Love” landed with the kind of emotional precision that made the venue feel suddenly more attentive. “The Mission” and “Warning” leaned into the grander side of their catalog, and “Behind the Walls” kept things taut.
The one-two punch of “Take Hold of the Flame” and “Silent Lucidity” was the sort of stretch that reminds you why Queensrÿche carved out such a distinct place in metal in the first place. They can be muscular, theatrical, reflective, and sharp as a blade.
“Jet City Woman,” “Screaming in Digital,” and “Neue Regel” kept the machinery humming, while “Empire” and “Eyes of a Stranger” closed the set with the kind of finish that felt like metal opera. No one else on the bill sounded quite like them, which is exactly the point.
Watch the official music video for “Jet City Woman” by Queensrÿche on YouTube:
And then Tom Keifer took the top headliner spot and did what headliners are supposed to do. He gave the night a proper landing. “Night Songs” was a perfectly loaded opener, and from there the set kept stacking up like a favorite jukebox that somehow only plays winners. “All Amped Up” and “Heartbreak Station” gave the band room to flex, while “Bad Seamstress Blues” and “Fallin’ Apart at the Seams” brought the whole thing back to the grit and glam that made this catalog stick in the first place. “The Death of Me” and “Coming Home” showed the emotional side of Keifer’s writing, but the crowd was clearly waiting for the deep cuts of their memories.
When “Nobody’s Fool” came around, the room did that thing fans do when a song is older than some of the people singing it. The volume changes and the smiles get bigger. “Solid Ground,” “The More Things Change,” and “Somebody Save Me” kept the set tight and roomy at the same time, then “The Last Mile” and “Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)” hit that exact nerve where power ballad and hard rock stop being separate categories. That’s the trick with Keifer. The voice still has that sandpaper ache, but he knows how to use it. “Shake Me,” “Shelter Me,” and “Tumbling Dice” added some swagger and a little curve ball charm, and by the time “Gypsy Road” closed things out, Merriweather was basically one big singalong.
Watch the official music video for “Nobody’s Fool” by Cinderella on YouTube:
That’s what made this M3 bill work so well. It wasn’t just a nostalgia parade, although there was plenty of that. It was a sequence of bands that each understood their own particular angle on hard rock and heavy metal, and none of them tried to pretend to be something else. Trixter brought the shine, Faster Pussycat brought the grease, White Lion brought the melody, Barry Goudreau’s Engine Room brought the classic-rock heft, Buckcherry brought the teeth, Queensryche brought the drama, and Tom Keifer brought the closing blast of hooks and lived-in grit. On paper, that’s a stacked bill. In the flesh, under festival lights, it felt even bigger.
Tom Keifer’s Setlist
1. Night Songs
2. All Amped Up
3. Heartbreak Station
4. Bad Seamstress Blues
5. Fallin’ Apart at the Seams
6. The Death of Me
7. Coming Home
8. Nobody’s Fool
9. Solid Ground
10. The More Things Change
11. Somebody Save Me
12. The Last Mile
13. Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)
14. Shake Me
15. Shelter Me
16. Tumbling Dice
17. Gypsy Road
Here are some photos of Tom Keifer performing live at the 2026 M3 Rock Festival. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Michael Sprouse/ Odd Rocker Photography.
Queensryche’s 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 Regel
13. Empire
14. Eyes of a Stranger
Here are some photos of Queensryche performing live at the 2026 M3 Rock Festival. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Michael Sprouse/ Odd Rocker Photography.
Buckcherry’s Setlist
1. Lit Up
2. Roar Like Thunder
3. So Hott
4. Somebody Fucked With Me
5. Ridin’
6. Let It Burn
7. Say Fuck It
8. Come On
9. Gluttony
10. Sorry
11. Blackout
12. Crazy Bitch/Sex Machine/Bad Girls/Irresistible Bitch/Proud Mary
Here are some photos of Buckcherry performing live at the 2026 M3 Rock Festival. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Michael Sprouse/ Odd Rocker Photography.
White Lion’s Setlist
1. Hungry
2. Lonely Nights
3. Living on the Edge
4. Little Fighter
5. Tell Me
6. Lights and Thunder
7. Wait
8. When the Children Cry
9. Lady of the Valley
10. Radar Love
Barry Goudreau’s Engine Room’s Setlist
1. Peace of Mind
2. Smokin’
3. Hitch a Ride
4. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
5. So You Ran
6. Walk Away
7. A Man I’ll Never Be
8. Rock & Roll Band
9. Footstompin’ Music
10. More Than a Feeling
11. Foreplay/Long Time
12. Rock and Roll
Faster Pussycat’s Setlist
1. Motorbike
2. Cathouse
3. Slip of the Tongue
4. House of Pain
5. Bathroom Wall
6. Shut Up and Fuck
Here are some photos of Faster Pussycat performing live at the 2026 M3 Rock Festival. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Michael Sprouse/ Odd Rocker Photography.
Trixter’s Setlist
1. Bad Girl 2. Heart of Steel 3. Tattoos & Misery 4. One in a Million 5. Line of Fire 6. Surrender 7. Give It to Me Good
Here are some photos of Trixter performing live at the 2026 M3 Rock Festival. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Michael Sprouse/ Odd Rocker Photography.
