All Hopped Up and Ready to Go: All-Star Punks Honor Ramones at 50

Travis Barker, Billie Joe Armstrong, Tim Armstrong, and CJ Ramone's Cretin Family lead concert tribute to punk group

Tim Armstrong, Travis Barker, Billie Joe Armstrong, C.J. Ramone, and Billy Idol perform at the Ramones 50th Anniversary Tribute

Onstage in a red — though not raspberry — beret, a bearded John Travolta introduced the inaugural performance from punk all-stars Cretin Family for the Ramones 50th Anniversary Tribute by resurrecting the geriatric cemetery joke: people were literally dying to get in. There was no rim shot from Blink-182-Cretin drummer Travis Barker, but the raucous performance by the Cretins, rounded out by Rancid guitarist (and the event’s musical director) Tim Armstrong; Green Day singer-guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong; and Ramones bassist CJ Ramone, could have raised the dead.

In this legendary internment oasis in the middle of a gritty Hollywood neighborhood, the departed “audience members” include classic cinema stars Rudolph Valentino and Jayne Mansfield, along with classic punk rock star Dee Dee Ramone, who rests not far from the imposing 8-foot guitar statue/cenotaph honoring his musical brother, guitarist Johnny Ramone.

The onstage vocal guests were as diverse as those below ground, and the confused curiosity about Travolta’s participation and the post-concert screening of his amiable autobiographical film, Propeller One-Way Night Coach, faded as the nascent band kicked off their set with “Rockaway Beach,” marking, as Billie Joe noted, the first time he’d ever performed with hard-hitting superstar drummer and multi-hyphenate celeb Barker.

From “Cretin Hop” into “Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment,” West Coast punk honored their East Coast legends and forefathers, the revered and influential Ramones tied only with Motorhead in the cool and ubiquitous T-shirt category. The Ramones’ appeal and fame crosses genders and ages, as onstage vocal guests — and an audience that included toddlers on shoulders — proved. Fred Armisen, who has his own Ramones covers band, delivered 1980s lyrically detailed and poignant Joey Ramone tune “Danny Says” as the first guest star of the 20-song set.

If the Ramones have been covered and honored by everyone from U2 to Rob Zombie to Sonic Youth, their own covers are likewise diverse, leaning into old American gems including the sped-up wonder of Bobby Freeman’s 1958 “Do You Wanna Dance.” The Cretins were doing a cover of a cover. It’s easy to imagine the late classic Ramones lineup of Joey, Dee Dee, Johnny, and Tommy appreciating the evening’s aural tributes in their own decidedly Noo Yawk manner, but it was especially hard to resist L.A.’s the Linda Lindas, whose vocals and youthfully energetic goofiness shone on the Riveras’ surf-rock hit “California Sun.”

Following her onstage stint and hanging with her mom, Linda Lindas guitarist-singer Lucia de la Garza, 19, tells Rolling Stone, “We grew up listening to the Ramones in the car and at home. We learned, ‘I Wanna Be Sedated’ [which they performed with the Cretin Family] at the very beginning, I must have been 11 or 12.” Her band has toured with Green Day and Rancid, but she’s “pretty sure” they were initially invited to participate in this anniversary show by Johnny Ramone’s widow, Linda, who they’d met at their 2024 album release show. “This is just such an honor,” de la Garza said. “And we really wanted the chance to meet CJ and Travis.”

Linda Ramone is a key player in the band’s history and songs, and keeper of the Ramones flame through this annual official event that benefits Ellison Medical Institute for cancer research. (Johnny died of prostate cancer in 2005 at the age of 55.) Resplendent in lavender sequin cape and dashing cavalier hat, Linda was the belle and impetus of the hotly anticipated and sold-out Official Ramones 50th Anniversary Tribute. A busy and behemoth backstage found folks like Motley Crue occasional guitarist John 5 lining up at the In-N-Out Burger truck, with Starcrawler singer Arrow De Wilde, Foo Fighters/Nirvana/Germs guitarist Pat Smear, and other local musicians mingling in the large parking lot, surrounded by graves and massive mausoleums.

Across decades of banddom, the leather-clad Ramones radiated on sunny songs including another cover favorite, “Surfin’ Bird,” done ably by the Cretins. The “Family” band even had a guest “pinhead” with a “Gabba Gabba Hey” sign onstage, the character known to Ramones fans from Rock ‘n’ Roll High School. It might have been an “if you know you know” moment. But most in the thousands-strong crowd knew, and appreciated.

The strident and staccato “Rock and Roll Radio” was a standout, but it was all phone cameras aloft when Billy Idol took the stage, performing a song perfect for his patented snarl, “Beat on the Brat.” He and the Cretins also did a good version of one of his own older songs with Generation X, “Ready Steady Go.” Idol contextualized the tune and his own debt to NYC’s own, telling the crowd, “it’s like the Roundhouse in London in 1976. We all sped up our music after we heard the Ramones. It was fucking great.”

There’s no replicating the classic Ramones vibe, playing, or energy, but if Barker was almost too beefy and hard-hitting a player, and the guest stars breaking up the flow of a classic, frantic Ramones concert, the spirit, joy, and songs were undeniable.

While a large portion of the crowd filed out after the Cretin Family debut, Hollywood Forever is renowned for its outdoor film series, and many people were spread across the lawn — and grave-adjacent — for a post-concert movie. It was certainly a classic — the Brian De Palma-directed, Stephen King-created Carrie — but why not King’s film Pet Sematary (which features two Ramones cuts, including the title track), or the most iconic film associated with the band, Rock ‘n’ Roll High School?

Still, as Travolta pointed out as he introduced his own film post-concert, five cast members from Carrie were on hand (he played high schooler Billy Nolan in the film), including Nancy Allen and P.J. Soles, the latter portraying spirited super-fan Riff Randell in Rock ‘n’ Roll High School. But they declined to join Travolta onstage despite his urgings.

It’s been 50 years since the Ramones’ self-titled debut launched, 14 iconic songs wrought in less than 30 minutes. All four original members have been gone since 2014, but the legacy lives large across generations: “Blitzkrieg Bop” was redone into a song for kids; “Beat on the Brat” escaped any woke policing despite its (humorous) imprecation to violence, and one can only imagine (hope) that “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue” would likewise be granted immunity. The Cretin Family band may live onstage — and who knows if the tribute be a one-time event — but the Ramones’ own cretin family of fans clearly live everywhere for all-time.

Welcome to our weekly rundown of the best new music — featuring big singles, key tracks from our favorite albums, and more. This week, a Turnstile song gets the Elton John treatment, Erykah Badu and the Alchemist team up with Earl Sweatshirt for a soulful album highlight, and Natanael Cano gets the crowd on their feet with a corrido collab from his newest album. Plus, new songs from Billy Strings, Ice Spice, Olivia Rodrigo, Interpol, and Little Big Town.

Turnstile feat. Elton John, “Seein’ Stars: Elton John Version” (YouTube)

Natanael Cano, Gabito Ballesteros, Javier Rosas, “Nos Vamos De Dance” (YouTube)

Erykah Badu, The Alchemist, feat. Earl Sweatshirt “I Know That Man” (YouTube)

Billy Strings, “I Wish I Wanted To” (YouTube)

Ice Spice, Lil Yachty, “Out My Face (My Baby)” (YouTube)

Olivia Rodrigo, “Serena Joy” (YouTube)

AZ Chike feat. Tyler, the Creator, “Look Like My Mama” (YouTube)

Interpol, “Wings On Fire” (YouTube)

Alabama Shakes, “Time” (YouTube)

Sara Bareilles, “Just a Kid” (YouTube)

Prince, “Bestest Friend” (YouTube)

Flowerovlove “Debonair” (YouTube)

Little Big Town feat. Jason Isbell, “The Door” (YouTube)

Asher White, “White Castle Sad” (YouTube)

Ken Carson feat. Osamason, “Vamp City” (YouTube)

The Linda Lindas, “Everybody Told Me” (YouTube)

Mike D, “Make It Stop” (YouTube)

Alex Warren, “Wildchild” (YouTube)

ErisThePlanet feat. Rico Nasty, “8 Feet Tall” (YouTube)

Dahi feat. Kendrick Lamar, Amber Mark, “How to Pray” (YouTube)

Los Bitchos feat. Ambrose Kenny-Smith, “Holding Cell” (YouTube)

Liim, “Buttas On” (YouTube)

Todd Snider, “Solid Country Gold” (YouTube)

Imperial Teen, “All Over You” (YouTube)

Kam Franklin, “Pho For Breakfast” (YouTube)

Trim, “Get Hit” (YouTube)

Lex Walton, “Hipster Runoff” (YouTube)

Temper City, “Reverse Psychology” (YouTube)

The Olivia Tremor Control, “Advice From the Oceans” (YouTube)

The Prince Estate has released Timeless, a 10-track collection of rare and previously unreleased recordings that stretches from 1977 to 2016. Released Friday through The Prince Estate and Legacy Recordings, the compilation traces Prince’s career, with material rescued from his famously deep vault.

Timeless moves across almost the entirety of Prince’s recording career. The chronological tracklist begins with early material and travels through recordings from the ’80s, ’90s, 2000s and 2010s, ending with a live performance from 2016, the final year of his life.

The collection includes “Stone,” a previously unreleased track first unveiled in June. Written by Sandra St. Victor, Tom Hammer and Jules Van Even and recorded in 1995, the song offered an early glimpse of what was waiting inside the Vault.

Some of the other recordings reach much further back. “Tick Tick Bang” dates to 1981, while “Heaven” comes from 1985. The album also includes “The Guilty Ones,” recorded at Paisley Park in 2007 and now accompanied by an official video.

For longtime Prince fans, some of these recordings may sound familiar, as some portions of his expansive archive have circulated among collectors and bootleg traders for years. Timeless finally gives these songs an official release and, in many cases, a new place in the artist’s recorded legacy.

New York-based global IP platform Authentic Brands Group announced Thursday that it has acquired a 51% stake in October's Very Own’s intellectual property, effectively handing the company majority control of the Toronto-founded fashion and lifestyle brand. Superstar Canadian rapper Drake retains 44 percent, while Vince Holding Corp. owns the remaining 5 percent and has acquired OVO’s operating business.

Vince will handle the nuts and bolts of the business, including product development, merchandising, retail and design. The company also becomes OVO’s core apparel licensee, while Drake and his team will remain involved in the brand’s creative direction.

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Founded by Drake, Oliver El-Khatib and Noah “40” Shebib in 2008, OVO grew from a Toronto imprint into a global clothing operation, with 12 flagship stores and an online business serving customers internationally. Authentic says the partnership is intended to expand the brand into new markets, while Vince plans to use its retail and wholesale infrastructure to push OVO further into the U.S.

The transaction also comes with a sizeable paycheck. Transaction documents put the asset purchase price for OVO’s intellectual property at $117.65 million USD ($164 million CAD). The agreement also addresses OVO debt following a lawsuit filed this summer by lender Applied Real Intelligence over alleged loan-payment defaults.

A previous version of this article called Authentic Brands Group an investment company. It has been edited to accurately represent the fact they are an intellectual property platform.

The Linda Lindas are haunted by past conversations and existential advice on their latest single, “Everybody Told Me.” The song arrives with a Victorian-themed music video alongside the group’s third studio album, Gotta Get Out.

“‘Everybody Told Me’ is always so fun and magical to play, and it was also a really collaborative song to write,” the Linda Lindas’ Mila De La Garza said in a statement. “That back-and-forth environment brought out so many different ideas from all of us, which led to the call-and-response in the bridge and our first-ever fade-out ending.”

She added, “We really dove deep into our emo and sad vibes on a few songs on this record, and had a lot of fun with this one in particular. There was also a lot of spooky creative direction with the ghostly, Victorian feel of the music video — something we’ve never done before.”

Four years on from their debut album, appropriately titled Growing Up, the Linda Lindas have done just that. Their skills as musicians sharpened and expanded with each release, but it’s their songwriting that has transformed the most throughout their evolution. “We have felt very inspired at a time when routine and habits are easy to fall into,” the band told Line of Best Fit. “It was necessary to be inspired and try new things and reinvent and feel hope and all the joy in all those things – making art – in order not to feel crushed every day.”

The band’s live shows are only getting better, too. The Linda Lindas plan on spending the rest of their year on the road headlining a tour with support from the Rat Utopia Experiment, VIAL, Deux Visages, Adan Diaz, and Grace Bowers. They will also join Bleachers on a few of the band’s upcoming dates in September.

Elton John

Turnstile have released their all-star “reimagined” version of Never Enough, including Elton John’s take on the band’s “Seein’ Stars.”

The new version combines Turnstile’s uncharacteristically poppy single with John’s trademark piano twinkling, with singer Brendan Yates and John trading verses before their voices come together on the chorus:

In addition to John, Never Enough: Versions features new takes on the band’s Grammy-winning 2025 LP from artists like Hayley Williams (“Ceiling”), Slayyyter and Dying Fetus (both recorded their own spin on “Birds”), Four Tet (“Look Out for Me”), Faye Webster (“I Care”) and Panda Bear and Alex G, who each take on Never Enough’s closer “Magic Man.”

Also on the guest list are Oklou, Shabaka, fellow Baltimore native Dan Deacon, Porches, Floating Points, Brandon Woody, Chanel Beads, Angel Du$t, Nourished By Time, Rod Lee, Kettama, and Mustafa.

“Thank you to all these incredible artists and friends who helped make this so special,” the band wrote on social media upon the album’s release.

Some of the Never Enough: Versions contributing artists — Angel Du$t, Nourished by Time, Slayyyter, and Porches — will also take part in Turnstile’s Never Enough Tour Pt. 2, which brings a mini-festival to amphitheaters nationwide this September and October. The trek kicks off September 9 in Milwaukee and concludes a month later in Santa Ana, California on October 18.

Hear Turnstile’s original take on “Seein’ Stars” below: