All-Star Cretin Family Featuring Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, Rancid’s Tim Armstrong & Travis Barker Celebrate Ramones’ 50th Anniversary

The all-star Cretin Family band took the stage at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles on Sunday night (Aug. 30) for a raucous tribute to The Ramones that featured some very special guests. The one-night-only performance honoring the pioneering New York punk band’s 50th anniversary included a 19-song set performed by Green Day singer/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong, Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and former Ramones bassist CJ Ramone.

The special event was hosted by actor John Travolta and honored a half-century since the release of the Ramones’ landmark 1976 self-titled debut album. It found the band blitzing through a number of the beloved, deranged songs from that LP, including “Blitzkrieg Bop,” “Beat on the Brat
and “Havana Affair,” as well as such classics as “Cretin Hop,” “Commando,” “Rockaway Beach,” “Sheena is a Punk Rocker,” “Do You Wanna Dance,” “I Wanna Be Sedated,” their Trashmen cover of “Surfin’ Bird,” and “Beat on the Brat.”

A number of surprise, unannounced guests also showed up, according to NME, including former SNL cast member and comedian Fred Armisen, who sat in for “Danny Says” and spiritual goddaughters The Linda Lindas, who hopped on “I Wanna Be Sedated” and the band’s cover of Joe Jones’ “California Sun.” Billy Idol, whose first band, Generation X, were heavily influenced by Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee and Tommy’s early sound, was a surprise final guest, performing “Beat on the Brat,” GenX’s “Ready Steady Go” and show closer “Blitzkrieg Bop” with the band.

In a fan video from the show, Armstrong bragged about getting to “play with Travis Barker for the first time in my entire life,” as well as taking the stage with “a God damn Ramone,” he said of 60-year-old bassist DJ, who was in the Ramones from 1989-1996, replacing original bassist Dee Dee Ramone. All four original Ramones members have died, including singer Joey, who passed in 2001, Dee Dee, who died in 2002, guitarist Johnny, who died in 2004 (and is buried at Hollywood Forever) and drummer Tommy, who died in 2014.