A new supergroup featuring members of Green Day, Blink-182, Rancid and Ramones have formed for an official 50th anniversary Ramones tribute show in Los Angeles.
Cretin Family will feature Rancid’s Tim Armstrong, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and former Ramones bassist CJ Ramone, alongside special surprise guests.
The group will perform Ramones songs together for the first time at The Official Ramones 50th Anniversary Tribute, which will take place at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles on August 30. Tickets are available now and you can find yours here.
The event will mark 50 years since the release of Ramones’ self-titled 1976 debut album, the record that helped ignite the punk revolution with songs including ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’, ‘Judy Is A Punk’ and ‘Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue’.
“This is gonna be the biggest celebration of the Ramones anyone has seen for a long time!!!” CJ Ramone said of the show.
Billie Joe Armstrong added: “The spirit of the Ramones is alive in every backyard punk show, punk club and festival. Generation after generation of cretins and weirdos become Ramones lovers. Kids are influenced by the Ramones and they don’t even know it yet. ¡Viva Ramones!”
Tim Armstrong also paid tribute, saying: “From the moment I first heard the Ramones, music was never the same. They are my favourite band of all time! I can’t wait to play those great and perfect Ramones songs with my friends CJ, Travis and Billie. It’s gonna be wild!”
Barker said: “The Ramones are the blueprint. Punk rock wouldn’t be what it is today without them. I’m honoured to celebrate 50 years of one of the greatest bands ever!!!”
The night will be presented by John Travolta and will also include a double feature screening of the 50th anniversary deluxe edition of Carrie and Travolta’s new film Propeller One-Way Night Coach, as well as a guest DJ set from Shepard Fairey.
Travolta starred in Brian De Palma’s original 1976 horror classic Carrie, while Propeller One-Way Night Coach marks his directorial debut.
“Two years ago, I had the pleasure of experiencing the Hollywood Forever Johnny Ramone Tribute for the first time,” Travolta said. “It was a blast, and I want to return again for the Ramones tribute! With showing something new, my directorial debut, Propeller One-Way Night Coach. And something old, the 50th anniversary of original Carrie. It is going to be a fun night. See you there!”
Linda Ramone added: “I’m excited to celebrate the best band ever with Ramones fans from all over the world, and to welcome our new generation of fans. See you at Hollywood Forever. Hey Ho, Let’s Go! Gabba Gabba Hey!”
Proceeds from the event will support David Agus MD Cancer Research at Ellison Institute.
Ahead of the tribute show, Rhino will also release a limited edition first-time picture disc pressing of ‘Ramones’ on July 17, followed by a 2LP coloured edition of ‘Live At The Roxy, 8/12/76’ on July 31, as part of its ‘Spirit Of ’76’ campaign.
Green Day and Rancid both have history with Ramones, having appeared on the 2003 tribute album ‘We’re A Happy Family: A Tribute To Ramones’. Green Day covered ‘Outsider’ for the record, while Rancid contributed a version of ‘Sheena Is A Punk Rocker’.
Green Day recently announced the soundtrack to their upcoming coming-of-age film Nimrods and shared a new track, ‘I’m Never Gonna R.I.P.’. Their latest album ‘Saviors’ arrived in 2024, with NME giving it a four-star review and describing it as “their best work since ‘American Idiot’”.
