Hard to believe it's been a week already since M3 2010. I've read several reviews about it, and it's interesting to hear other's opinions. Having been there last year, I'm able to compare the two - see what they did right and wrong. This year had a much larger crowd and for the most part, it was wall handled. We had been told that bands would not overlap again, but when the schedule came out, bands were scheduled to follow one right after the other with no time in between. With two stages, and quite a hike between them, this made for a grueling day, and it became impossible to catch all of each band's set. The second stage was a good bit lower than last year, which made it harder for the late-comers in back to see. Also, you can't expect a band to play exactly within the time limit, so sets did overlap, sometimes by quite a bit. I hope they make some changes for next year.
This year, I was once again acting as a photographer, so that’s what my experience was and that’s what I’ll write about. Unfortunately, there was quite a mix-up with credentials. By the time I received my pass and got into the venue, not only was I already hot and tired, but I had completely missed my opportunity to shoot Dingleberry Dynasty and Jetboy. I skipped Z02 on the second stage so I could catch my breath and get some water. When I got to the main stage for Trixter, security turned me away saying there was a limit of 10 photogs in the pit, and he had his quota already. That didn't sit too well with me, seeing as how none of the information I had been sent mentioned a quota. I could shoot from elsewhere in the venue, but to get enough elevation to shoot over everyone's heads, I had to move farther back than my longest lens would reasonable reach.
Well, all of this confusion plus the miserable heat made me loose my desire to shoot. I decided to have some lunch and hang out with friends, just listening to LA Guns, Black Mambooza & Mass. When Winger was set to come on, I headed back down to the main stage to try my luck again. Well, someone must have changed the rules, because they let more than 10 in. In fact, it was quite crowded, only making the heat worse. They could really use a fan or two to at least circulate the air.
Winger put on a good show and sounded great. I had never seen them before, and was quite impressed. I decided to skip Bang Tango & Dizzy Reed on the second stage. Kix, the hometown boys, were the next band I covered. They put on their usual lively show and were a crowd favorite. Vince Neil was up next on the main stage and were late getting started. He always likes to use the fog machine, but it was a bad idea on this day. The total lack of air movement kept the fog on the stage, completely obscuring the artists at times. That was unfortunate, since drummer Zoltan Chaney is always a joy to watch and bassist Dana Strum was full of energy for this show. My first journey to the second stage was to see Nelson, with Mark Slaughter on guitar. I've never been a Nelson fan, but they sounded pretty good. Finally, came the band many were waiting for - Cinderella. Tom Keifer's voice isn't quite 100% - he had some trouble with the high notes - but otherwise he sounded great. The best show of the day as far as I was concerned. Since I couldn't shoot the Scorpions, and I couldn't get close enough for a good view, I decided to call it a day. I’ll have another chance to see them here in my hometown.
I hope the M3 Festival remains much as it is in years to come. Many people like the 80’s band format, but so many other festivals are selling out to the younger crowd. Money is everything, after all. But judging by the size of the crowd, M3 has a good thing going. Can’t wait for next year.
