PHOTO: YOUTUBE
Cretin Family's Ramones tribute gig featured The Linda Lindas, Fred Armisen, Billy Idol
The one-off supergroup made up of Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong, Rancid's Tim Armstrong, blink-182's Travis Barker, and CJ Ramone played its debut show over the weekend at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in LA, bringing out some fellow punk-loving special guests.
The show was in honour of the Ramones' 50th anniversary and saw the band run through covers of the obvious big hits ("Blitzkrieg Bop", which Green Day use as their warm-up music before every show), as well as deeper cuts like "The Crusher", from Dee Dee Ramone's solo album (Standing in the Spotlight, released as Dee Dee King). The Armstrongs (who aren't related but both came out of the same Bay Area / 924 Gilman scene) and CJ traded lead vocals throughout.
CJ Ramone replaced Dee Dee, the band's original bassist and founding member, and put together the Cretin Family supergroup, named after a Ramones song. Fred Armisen, who has done impressions of each decade in punk and fronted the satirical SNL punk band Ian Rubbish and the Bizzaros, came onstage for "Danny Says" from End of the Century. The Linda Lindas joined for "California Sun" and "I Wanna Be Sedated". As for Idol, he sang the set's finale songs. See the full setlist below, and check out some footage of the gig courtesy of blink182italia on Instagram.
Cretin Family setlist at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 30 August
"Durango 95" by Ramones
"Rockaway Beach" by Ramones (Tim and Billie on lead vocals)
"Cretin Hop" by Ramones (Billie on lead vocals)
"Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment" by Ramones (Tim on lead vocals)
"Do You Wanna Dance?" by Bobby Freeman (Billie on lead vocals)
"The Crusher" by Dee Dee King (CJ on lead vocals)
"R. A. M. O. N. E. S." by Motörhead (CJ on lead vocals)
"Danny Says" by Ramones (with Fred Armisen)
"Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" by Ramones (Billie on lead vocals)
"Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?" by Ramones (Jason Freese on saxophone)
"California Sun" by Joe Jones (with The Linda Lindas)
"I Wanna Be Sedated" by Ramones (with The Linda Lindas)
"Commando" by Ramones (Tim on lead vocals)
"Havana Affair" by Ramones (Tim on lead vocals)
"Oh Oh I Love Her So" by Ramones (Billie on lead vocals)
"Surfin' Bird" by The Trashmen (Billie on lead vocals)
"Beat on the Brat" by Ramones (with Billy Idol)
"Ready Steady Go" by Generation X (with Billy Idol)
"Blitzkrieg Bop" by Ramones (with Billy Idol)
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