It has been 20 years since the fathers of punk rock – The Ramones played their last show at the Palace in Hollywood, Calif. On August 6th, 1996, after more than 2,000 shows, unfortunately it all had to come to an end. Sometimes, it can be hard to imagine that such magic can no longer be witnessed on stage. The Ramones are long gone, however their legacy still lives and their career is still celebrated by millions of fans all around the world.
The Ramones laid the foundation of punk rock music and became the main influence of numerous rock bands throughout the years. They never made it that big in terms of sales, however when it comes to rock ‘n’ roll, you cannot deny the huge part they played in its development – you can learn everything about rock ‘n’ roll from The Ramones!
“I can tell you that it’s coming to an end. All good things come to an end one day. I got very mixed feelings about the whole thing, because on one hand, there’s nothing better than the Ramones. But on the other hand, there’s a lot of resistance, a lot of crap, a lot of frustration and a lot of politics, ” said singer Joey Ramone to Billboard back in 1995.
What happened after that? Well, the band was simply destroyed from the inside. Joey and Johnny couldn’t patch things up after Johnny marrying Joey’s girlfriend – Linda. Unfortunately, in the years to follow both of them died of cancer. Bassist Dee Dee Ramone died of a heroine overdose in 2002 and the original drummer – Tommy, also died of cancer in 2014.
Nevertheless, let’s witness the magic and celebrate Ramones‘ legacy by watching their last gig! Sometimes it’s very difficult to imagine that we no longer have the chance to see them perform once again…
“If this is the last show the Ramones do, then it’s an insult to the intelligence of the world and a shame for rock and roll,” said Lemmy of Motorhead at the night of Ramones’ final show.
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