Two principal members of Ratt will reunite and David Lee Roth will emerge from retirement to headline this year’s M3 festival.
Ratt singer Stephen Pearcy and guitarist Warren DeMartini will team up to serve as the headline act at Columbia, Maryland’s Merriweather Post Pavilion on Sunday, May 4. It will be the first time they’ve performed together since 2018. The two other surviving classic-era members of the band, bassist Juan Croucier and drummer Bobby Blotzer, were not mentioned in the announcement.
“Never say never, right? There was no question when the idea was brought up doing something with Warren again,” Pearcy explained in a statement announcing the festival on X. “It wasn’t even a thought, it’s time, let’s do this. Pearcy and DeMartini back in the cellar, let’s go! Let’s break the ice, with the utmost respect and do what we do best together, play Ratt music. It’ll seem like yesterday instead of years when we’re back onstage regardless. It’s time to Ratt n’ Roll again, even if it’s a double shot. It’s about the band’s legacy. I know what we can do as a team, and that’s writing great songs and kickin’ some ass onstage. It’s only appropriate that the first show in years be at M3 2025. It’s a great event. You’re getting all the Ratt hits and more, let the ‘Invasion Celebration’ begin.”
Ace Frehley, Warrant, Great White, Lita Ford and Vixen will also appear on Sunday.
Read More: Stephen Pearcy Explains Warren DeMartini’s 2018 Ratt Departure
Roth will headline the festival on Saturday, May 3. This will be the first official show he has played in over five years, as his last performance was opening for Kiss on March 10, 2020, at the United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas.
The former Van Halen singer was due to launch a farewell residency in Las Vegas in early 2022, but instead announced his immediate retirement from the road when those shows were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, adding “it’s not about me anymore.”
Roth has reportedly played a handful of private events since then, and he’s posted numerous new songs and re-recorded covers of Van Halen tracks on his YouTube page.
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Gallery Credit: Bryan Rolli
