Marky Ramone’s ‘Blitzkrieg’ with Andrew W.K.
Santos Party House, New York, NY
May 3, 2013

Are you like me when it comes to concerts? A band comes to town and you say that you’ll just wait till next time. Yet more often than we’d like to admit, for one reason or another, the band doesn’t ever return due to scheduling conflicts, or worse, because of the death of key band members. Having experienced situations like this time and time again, I vowed not to let that happen anymore. It goes without saying that The Ramones are hands down the godfathers of the Punk movement. Marky Ramone is the only surviving, founding member of the band and on Friday night we worked our way down to rock venue Santos Party House to witness Marky Ramone’s ‘Blitzkrieg frontman Andrew W.K. handling vocal duties. This special evening would be the official kickoff for the newly formed band’s global tour. And what better way to launch a world tour, then with a stop in The Big Apple.

The doors busted wide open shortly after 7pm giving the sold out crowd plenty of time to grab beers and secure a prime spot in front of the stage. And after an hour and a half of pumping ourselves up, the lights went out and the band took the stage to a thunderous applause. From that point on we experienced a relentless barrage of true blue punk rock music. With minimal opening banter toward the crowd, Ramone and Andrew W.K. drove the fans into an instant frenzy with a blistering three song kickoff of Ramones classics featuring “Rockaway Beach,” “Sheena is a Punk Rocker,” and “Teenage Lobotomy.” With little to no security present, the ravenous fans quickly took the cue and took turns jumping onstage to sing a few lines of each song with Andrew W.K. while trying to embrace him at the same time. And just before jumping back into the pit for some crowd surfing, both men and women alike showed their love for Marky by either blowing him a kiss or bowing before him on the altar that is rock n’ roll.

With most Ramones songs clocking in a right around two minutes it was easy for the band to rip through the lion’s share of the band’s catalog. The band blistered through the likes of “Beat On the Brat,” “I Believe In Miracles,” “Rock N’ Roll Radio,” and the hit, “I Wanna Be Sedated.” The rabid fans meanwhile was so vocal that at times, their singing in unison would actually drown out Andrew’s growl. Deep cuts like “Pet Cemetery,” “I Don’t Want To Walk Around With You,” and “Bonzo Goes To Bitburg” gave fans of every era of the band much to love and raise their fists too.

Marky Ramone’s expert drum work and Andrew W.K.’s serious pipes and devotion to the live concert experience are a perfect match. And the performance was an excellent tribute to The Ramones and one that would have made Joey, Johnny and Dee Dee Ramone proud. About an hour into the show, Andrew’s trademark grungy white t-shirt and jeans were completely soaked with sweat and torn up. The set list was a total rock monster. And once they busted into “I Just Wanna Have Something To Do,” which is my all time favorite Ramones song, it became an other-level experience altogether.

Listen, if you love the Ramones, Andrew W.K. or just believe in the power of rock music this is a show not to be missed. Luckily the ‘Blitzkrieg’ will return in October, this time to a much larger venue, to kick our asses once again.

- Jay Rubin