The Ramones will be remembered as one of the most influential bands in the vast history of alternative music. The New York outfit who is widely considered one of the best punk rock groups ever, unfortunately, did not have the easiest career. Drugs, disease, and inner-band conflicts have all been known in the band’s tumultuous history. Four Ramones have sadly passed on since the late 90’s. The Grunge channel covered all of the unfortunate tragedies that Joey, Marky, Dee Dee, Johnny, Tommy, and CJ endured in the video above.
Why focus on the sad stuff, right? For those of us who never got the sweaty pleasure of seeing Joey and company thrust it around live, check out these sets which took place in Chicago and beyond.
Ramones played Northwestern University’s Cahn Auditorium in 1979, an institution is known for refined intellectualism but that does not mean that the students did not want to do the Blitzkrieg Bop. Here is a very rough bootleg but the soulful mixture of grit, soul, and swaggering rage is all there.
WKQX has felt the magic every year at the majestic Aragon for our Nights We Stole Christmas residency, and some of that stardust comes from memorable nights like this.
This not really a full show but you have to love the Super 8 film mixed together with band visiting the long-defunct Old Chicago amusement park and playing Schaumberg’s B’Ginninings.
In 2014, the Ramones officaldropped a beautifully shot restored and remastered show from New Year’s Ever 1977 when the band played the Rainbow in London, England. The racuous 26-minute roller coaster ride of fist-pumping hey-ho-lets-go chaos they are known for. This show was released in 1979 as the live album ‘It’s Alive!’. Enjoy and don’t stand still while enjoying this.
