The Strokes Join Ramones Tribute Gig
The Strokes are among the bands confirmed for the forthcoming ‘Be Well: Ramones Beat On Cancer’ fundraiser. The gig will pay tribute to the late Johnny and Joey Ramone.
The concert will be held on what would have been the recently departed Johnny's 56th birthday on October 8 at New York club Spirit and already the line-up includes Sonic Youth, Blondie, Andrew WK, Sean Lennon and The Strokes. All proceeds from the concert will go towards the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Research Center and the Lymphoma Research Foundation.
"It was Johnny's idea,” explained the creative director Arturo Vega, “And we were aware that Johnny was in risk of dying. I just wanted to make sure he wanted us to continue in the event of his death. I asked him over and over if he wanted to continue planning, and he said he didn't want to let down the fans and the people involved."
Johnny lost his battle with prostate cancer last week (September 15) while frontman Joey died after a lengthy battle with lymphoma in 2001.
The concert will also feature an exhibition of band memorabilia, personal items and photographs. Original Ramones drummer Tommy Erdelyi, the only surviving member of the band's first line-up, is also set to make an appearance.
"It's sad, because they had been planning on doing this since May. It wasn't something that we just put together," Strokes manager Ryan Gentles added "It came from Johnny and Arturo. They had it planned for so long, and he just passed away the other day, so it's really sad. There was a chance he was going to be there."
Tickets for the event are available from Ticketmaster.
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