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	HOLLYWOOD’S RAMONES TRIBUTE "ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR"

A week ago Wednesday, Johnny Ramone finally succumbed to the prostate cancer that he’d been battling and the world lost yet another punk legend. But if there’s a silver lining to this particular cloud, it’s that Johnny lived long enough to see the 30th anniversary of the band he played guitar in celebrated in grand style, even if it was 3000 miles away from the city the Queens-bred rocker had long called home. The celebration took the form of a September 12 alt-rock all-star gig at Hollywood’s refurbished Avalon Theatre (formerly the Palace) that was put together by the remaining Ramones, Tommy, CJ, and Marky. (Singer Joey passed away in 2001; original bassist Dee-Dee died of a heroin overdose in 2002.) The show wasn’t just an anniversary party, it was also a benefit to help Johnny fight what turned out to be a losing battle with cancer.

Although Johnny wasn’t able to attend, the show was full of people who’d been associated with the Ramones over the years, from producer Rick Rubin to Rodney Bingenheimer, the LA DJ who’s the subject of George Hickenlooper’s documentary The Mayor of the Sunset Strip and was very likely one of the first to play the Ramones on American radio. Fromer MTV VJ Nina Blackwood sat up in the balcony reminiscing with everyone around her about the band’s history while clips of the band’s early shows, MTV videos, and interviews with friends and associates were projected on a large screen.

There were plenty of musicians, too. Openers the Dickies, one of hundreds of veteran punk bands who were inspired by the Ramones, played a too-long set of pop punk that included a cover of "Today Your Love, Tomorrow, the World." Aside from over-long set changes that lasted longer than any of the performances, the night picked up from there. Host Rob Zombie introduced surprise guests X as LA’s answer to the Ramones, and they blasted through a set that leaned more heavily on their earlier punkish material than their later rootsier rock, with singer/bassist John Doe taking centerstage for a fist-pumping version of "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" as the audience engaged in a frantic sing-along.

It was hardly the evening’s last. Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea counted off Dee Dee’s "One, two, three, four" before each of their five covers, which they performed with typical energy and atypical reverence. Although singer Anthony Kiedis has never had much Joey in him, his shirtless delivery of "I Just Want To Have Something To Do" was spot-on, with guitarist John Frusciante blasting out the three-chord riff as he bounced off the drum riser.

This was all just a lead-in to the top-billed Ramones all-star cover band, with Marky on drums, CJ playing bass, long-time producer/songwriter Daniel Rey filling in for Johnny on guitar, and a slew of alt-rock royalty sitting in for Joey. With every-other count-off came a new face: Rooney’s Robert Carmine — a shaggy-haired dead-ringer for the band’s late frontman — throatily roaring "The KKK Took My Baby Away"; Pete Yorn admitting he didn’t know why he was invited before slaughtering (in the worst possible way) "I Want To Be Your Boyfriend"; Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and Rancid’s Tim Armstrong reviving "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker." Bosstone Dicky Barrett, Henry Rollins, and Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones, among others, all got their two to three minutes of Ramones rocking.

But the performances weren’t as important as the reason everyone was there: to pay tribute to the Ramones who couldn’t be present and to remind kids in the audience that they shouldn’t take for granted the band’s importance as punk-rock trailblazers. That message seemed to get through to punk’s third generation, who thrashed through the last half of the all-star jam in a mosh pit larger and more frenzied than this Hollywood venue has seen in years — perhaps since the full Ramones last tore through, in 1996.