The Ramones debut album turns 50 and gets a Hollywood tribute concert

Fifty years after the Ramones released their self-titled first album in April 1976, a tribute concert on Sunday, Aug. 30 gathered a large part of the rock and punk world at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles. Fan-shot video from the night has been circulating widely since.

The show was built around Cretin Family, a group put together for the occasion: Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day on vocals and guitar, Rancid's Tim Armstrong on guitar, Travis Barker of Blink-182 on drums and CJ Ramone, who played bass in the Ramones themselves, in his old role. John Travolta hosted the afternoon-to-night event.

They played the catalogue straight, with Blitzkrieg Bop, Judy Is a Punk and Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue among the songs, at a volume the material was built for. Introducing the group, Armstrong said it was the first time he had ever shared a stage with Barker, and that he was getting to play alongside an actual Ramone.

Guests kept arriving through the set. Fred Armisen sang Danny Says, Jason Freese took Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?, and The Linda Lindas were brought out for I Wanna Be Sedated. Billy Idol handled Beat on the Brat and then Ready Steady Go.

The anniversary ran past the music. Organisers screened Brian De Palma's Carrie on the cemetery lawn afterwards, along with Propeller One-Way Night Coach, the film Travolta directed. That first Ramones album packed 14 songs into under half an hour, and half a century on it is still the reference point every act on that stage was measuring against. Billie Joe Armstrong has said before that Joey Ramone was the punk equivalent of a religious figure, a line Far Out Magazine has quoted for years.

Green Day's own year has taken a different turn, with the band moving into film with the comedy Nimrods, while Barker's story is the subject of a documentary called Louder Than Fear.