Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Venue: Cvetličarna / Ljubljana / Slovenia
Concert date: 20.10.2010
Attendance: 550
Ticket price: €25.00 (advance) / €28.00 (day of show)
Want a bit of the spirit of the dead The Ramones? At least a partial incarnation? A little nip? For just two modest hours of your day? Nothing easier. A stroll through the streets of Ljubljana can serve up plenty from this year’s abundance of dead bands being brought back to life. Either bands that make a living “ripping off” the originals visit us regularly, or, quite often, former members of big rock bands that had a major influence on the rock map put together their own lineups, play the repertoire of the big bands they were part of, and try to get as close to the real thing as they can. Some rake in insanely extreme money with these moves (David Gilmour, Roger Waters), others earn just enough to live decently, or do it entirely on the side, more as an occasional gig than anything else. One such outfit is Blitzkrieg, the backing band of legendary The Ramones drummer Marky Ramone.
The legendary Ramone, with his quartet, whose most prominent figure besides Marky is former Misfits singer Michale Graves on vocals, thus delivered the bulk of the unforgettable works of the classic The Ramones catalog in the Slovenian capital on this venerable day.
And the warm-up? Belgrade’s Partibrejkers! A great pairing, then. But in the minutes before nine in the evening, the Cvetličarna hall was surprisingly empty. Where the hell are the people? Apparently I haven’t been to Cvetličarna in a long time myself (the last time was in February 2009 at the double bill Iced Eart/Saxon). Looks like we Slovenes have disciplined ourselves very nicely. Following the Austrian-German recipe for concert-going. Only in the minutes after 9 p.m. did the hall slowly start to fill up, and by 9:35, when the great Serbian rock n’ roll “ragamuffins” stormed the stage, you could enjoy yourself in the company of some 350 heads. A great result, hinting that another unforgettable concert night was ahead of us.
The garage “motherfuckers” shook out one proven rock n’ roll banger after another. The Cane (Zoran Kostić) – Anton (Nebojša Antonijević) duo, of classic Yugo-nostalgic origin, keeps the band’s legacy authentic. The band has racked up almost 30 years of career, and even after hugely successful releases like the 2002 album “Gramzivost i pohlepa” and the current “Sloboda ili ništa” from 2007, its popularity is by no means waning (quite the opposite). People were visibly squirming, loving the incarnation of dirty rock n’ roll toughness that Partibrejkers embody. A fantastic batch of classics, delivered in an uninterrupted roulette of 50 minutes of roar, showed off a nicely balanced setlist and a true cross-section of their discography. Charisma, authenticity and the eternal rock n’ roll allure of authentic garage grime! You couldn’t ask for more.
Cvetličarna was getting tighter and tighter. The numbers must have grown to roughly 500 heads. It was getting hot, even sultry, as a new night of unstoppable anticipation surged with adrenaline. It wasn’t hard to notice big shifts in the front lines, right below the stage, where some of the biggest The Ramones fans were fighting hard to claim the best starting positions for soaking up the energy of the great punk rockers, and then jealously guarding them.
Blitzkrieg, with a lineup of Marky Ramone (drums), Michale Graves (vocals), the “youngster” Alex Kane (guitar) and Clare B (bass), left nobody in the hall indifferent. Rockaway Bitch! The crowd starts to go wild. Right in the center below the stage, of course, in the first few rows. Singing along to all the most famous choruses of the beloved, though sadly deceased, band nicely masked certain quirks that you’d otherwise have wanted to experience with Blitzkrieg on stage, but don’t. Those aren’t obligatory, though. So, the sheer appearance. Michale Graves brought to Blitzkrieg the stage image of American bands with a touch of horror gothic glam polish, familiar from his former comrades Misfits and all the way to acts like New York Dolls. So, a mile away from the figure of the ultimate Joey Ramone. Both in stage movement (the towering Joey mostly stood still, but right within the audience’s reach) and in stage communication. Michale, a real “shorty” compared to Joey, is a true unbridled stage runner and all-round gymnast. And yet the singer compensated for it nicely with a vocal timbre and approach that satisfactorily captured the stamp of the inimitable Joey. Well, it’s not nice to be so strict. Blitzkrieg are not The Ramones. They just play their songs. That’s all. If you wanted a taste of The Ramones’ stage presence, your eye had to look a little deeper on the stage. Behind the drums poked out the head of Marky, who is of course the cut-out (still living) distillation of the punk rock giants. The boys sweated up the stage thoroughly. The girls were swooning up front. The allure of this positive punk rock bunch, at times almost unfairly squeezed under the punk label, smells first and foremost of nothing but a well-advertised rock n’ roll party, with a charisma rarely found in the “punk” world for spreading positive vibes, joy, relaxedness and sheer lust for fun. And that keeps the The Ramones legacy forever young, evergreen and then some. Appealing to different generations. In the hall it wasn’t hard to spot the age mix. From Marky’s peers to youngsters just starting to get acquainted with the rock legacy.
For a full two hours we enjoyed a string of classics (see setlist), excellent execution and the trademark opening count-in: “One, Two, Three, Four!” The bridge of communication between the heated crowd and the unleashed band worked at full tilt and the energy flux was exceptional. From this it’s not hard to conclude that it was an excellent concert experience! And that’s exactly what you come for. Energy. When a band feels the crowd carrying it on its hands, it gives its concert maximum. Despite the somewhat unfair and perhaps overly strict comparison with The Ramones, Marky Ramone & Blitzkrieg convinced Ljubljana this evening with their playing that they’re the best approximation of the punk rock legends in the world.
photos: Martin Prezelj
Setlist
PARTIBREJKERS: 1. Večeras 2. Noć 3. Ako si 4. Zemljotres 5. Lobotomija 6. Čutanje 7. Žurim 8. Kamenje 9. Biraj 10. Put na jug 11. Zbog čekanja 12. Noćas u gradu 13. Ono što pokušavam 14. Sjajnija budućnost 15. Rođen loš 16. Kreni prema meni 17. Hipnotisana gomila 18. Hoču da znam 19. Ulični hodač 20. Mesečeva kči 21. Kako je teško 22. Srce kuca tu je 23. Razmetljivko 24. Gramzivost MARKY RAMONE’S BLITZKRIEG: 1. Rockaway Beach 2. Teenage Lobotomy 3. Psychotherapy 4. Do You Wanna Dance? 5. I Don’t Care 6. Sheena Is A Punk Rocker 7. Havana Affair 8. Commando 9. Beat On The Brat 10. 53rd & 3rd 11. Rock N’ Roll Radio 12. Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue 13. Shock Treatment 14. Rock N’ Roll High School 15. She’s The One 16. Judy Is A Punk 17. Poison Heart 18. I Believe In Miracles 19. The KKK Took My Baby 20. Pet Sametery 21. Chinese Rock 22. I Wanna Be Sedated 23. I Don’t Wanna Walk 24. Pinhead —encore I— 25. Something To Do 26. Cretin Hop 27. Ramones —encore II.— 28. Have You Ever See The Rain 29. When We Were Angels 30. What A Wonderful World 31. Blitkrieg Bop
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