2) GO TO INDEX OF CJ SHOW REPORTS.
COPYRIGHT: SANDRO MARIUZ AND JARI-PEKKA LAITIO-RAMONE.
CJ Ramone has played with different line-up formats in 2011-2013. In advance CJ Ramone confirmed to me (Jari-Pekka) personally line-up being following in Italy in July 2013:
CJ Ramone: singer-bassist.
Jonny "Two Bags" Wickersham: guitar.
David Hidalgo Jr.: drums.
Jonny and David are best known as a members of Social Distortion.
These shows:
July 12, 2013: Oltrasuoni Festival, DRO (TN), Italy. Also The Manges played in a same night.
July 13, 2013: La Spezia, Spazio Boss, Italy.
July 14, 2013: Troublefest Festival, Parco Villa Tittoni, Desio, Monza And Brianza, Italy.
CJ Ramone had released a bit earlier in summer 2013, new album Reconquista.
This story and review below is written by Sandro Mariuz who is a guitarist of really great Italian Ramones tribute band named Wardogs - Ramones Tribute Band. Marky Ramone has given to Wardogs the status of Official Italian Ramones Tribute Band. Now in July 2013, Sandro had spoke with CJ Ramone in advance of same status. He met CJ for the first time now in Italy (July, 2013).
Wardogs released their Ramones' tribute/ cover album titled Raw & Dirty Days in a big party in their hometown Treviso in September 2012. Album has by Wardogs 20 covers of Ramones songs or songs that also Ramones covered and a song that Joey covered What A Wonderful World.
REVIEW AND STORY BY SANDRO MARIUZ:
I was at Oltrasuoni Festival in Trento (CJ's first date of three in Italy) and at Troublefest Festival in Desio (third and last date). I wrote to CJ Ramone some days before to have the opportunity to meet him. I was in Trento before the soundcheck. There I met first with The Manges and Marco Zuanelli of the Italian Ramones Fan Club with the project of his (Marco's) new book: Ramones Sniffin' Poster. It is going to be collection of more than 300 original poster of Ramones shows.
I met with Florian Hayler from Ramones Museum Berlin too.
Place in Trento was very beautiful because it's surrounded by high mountains. Oltrasuoni Festival was a free entry festival with record sellers and some other stuff.
CJ Ramone, and Jonny "Two Bags" Wickersham and David Hidalgo Jr. from Social Distortion performed a very long sound check, it was 1,5 hours. I didn't check but I think they played then same set than at the show. When soundcheck got finished, I met with CJ. Fantastic! CJ remembered that I sent him our album Raw & Dirty Days and other stuff, it was very cool to hear him say: "Guys you are doin' a great work!"
CJ signed my guitar, some posters, our album and our official photo. CJ was very kind and friendly: this means to be punk!
The Manges opened for CJ and played for an hour. There was high energy, a lot of people that jumped all the show with a lot of stage diving: CJ liked it a lot! Below you can find the set list. Note that they ended the show with Motorhead song R.A.M.O.N.E.S. It was very explosive, such as Ramones song Commando.
CJ Ramone, David Hidalgo Jr. and Jonny "Two Bags" Wickersham performed songs from Ramones albums, from CJ Ramone's new solo album Reconquista and two songs from Social Distortion's last album.
About the show I want to tell four more things:1) To see a CJ concert is always magic, he's a RAMONE and this thing is really special.
2) CJ is really energetic, and very professional.
3) David is really cool: perfect drumming and really powerful.
4) Jonny "Two Bags" made a lot of mistake during the show, but .... after the show I discovered that before the show he had a panic attack, so he was in great difficulty.
Show at Troublefest Festival in Desio was better. Stage and sound were bigger, but people weren't so hot like in Trento. People in Trento were really crazy!
The set list was a little bit different for a different choice of Ramones songs. Jonny's performance was better than in Trento. Anyway in this case CJ, Jonny and David were very kind with all and this is enough to forgive errors.
I met Maurizio "Nodus" Nodari, Marco Zuanelli and Florian Hayler again. I heard that La Spezia's gig was good enough, here and there was a poster display and CJ was there to see it. Here Marco showed him the poster of CJ Ramone's first Ramones gig, he was very surprised.
Set list (written of set list paper): July 12, 2013: Oltrasuoni Festival, DRO (TN), Italy.
Of the some reason there was not listen Social Distortion songs, as Sandro mentioned they played two of them.
1) Judy Is A Punk
2) Blitzkrieg Bop
3) Cretin Hop
4) What We Gonna Do Now? (from CJ's Reconquista album).
5) Beat On The Brat
6) Listen To My Heart
7) She's The One
8) Ghost Ring (from Reconquista)
9) Psycho Therapy
10) You're The Only One (from Reconquista)
11) Strength To Endure
12) Rockaway Beach
13) I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
14) Glad To See You Go
15) Aloha Oe (from Reconquista)
16) Teenage Lobotomy
17) 53rd And 3rd
18) Commando
19) Pinhead
20) Three Angels (from Reconquista)
21) R.A.M.O.N.E.S.