CONCERT REVIEW + PHOTOS: From ‘Teenage Lobotomy’ to ‘Blitzkrieg Bop,’ Marky Ramone Delivers Punk at Full Speed in Dallas

MARKY RAMONE
8/28/25 – Echo Lounge & Music Hall – Dallas, TX
©M’Lou Elkins / Skip2Photography.com

Dallas doesn’t exactly have a reputation for cool, breezy summer nights, and on August 28, the weather was as restless as the crowd. Storm clouds rolled in over the city, humidity hung heavy in the air, and flashes of lightning split the sky just as fans poured into The Echo Lounge & Music Hall for a night with punk royalty. The storm outside felt almost like a prelude, a fitting backdrop to the relentless, punk assault Marky Ramone was about to unleash.

The night opened with Ennio Morricone’s “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” theme, a dramatic curtain-raiser that had the crowd buzzing before the band tore into Bobby Freeman’s “Do You Wanna Dance?” From there, it was all killer, no filler. Classics like “Havana Affair,” “Teenage Lobotomy,” and “Commando” came in rapid succession, played at breakneck speed, each song clocking in at barely two minutes. The hits came so quickly that it was hard to catch your breath.

The crowd, a mix of old-school punks in weathered leather jackets and younger fans discovering the Ramones’ catalog for the first time, screamed along to anthems like “Beat on the Brat,” “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker,” and “We’re a Happy Family.” Marky’s band handled vocals with raw grit and infectious energy, doing justice to Joey’s originals while keeping the performance tight and authentic.

Midway through the set, the band slipped in covers that reflected both the Ramones’ DNA and their sense of humor: “Let’s Dance” (Chris Montez), “Surfin’ Bird” (The Trashmen), and even a surprise take on CCR’s “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” briefly slowed things down before launching back into the frenzy.

Highlights stacked up fast. Motörhead’s “R.A.M.O.N.E.S.” added surprise texture to the otherwise all-out punk assault, while “ Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” near the end felt tongue-in-cheek and oddly sweet.

Marky, steady and smiling behind the kit, looked almost unbothered by the intensity and was the anchor all night long. His drumming hasn’t lost an ounce of its punch…every fill, every snare crack hit like a gunshot. At 73, his drumming remains razor-sharp. He was the calm at the center of the storm, while his band, carrying the torch for Joey, Johnny, and Dee Dee, tore through the set with sweat-soaked conviction.

The encore, packed with “Chainsaw,” “Glad to See You Go,” “Listen to My Heart,” and “Do You Remember Rock ’n’ Roll Radio?” was the payoff the crowd had been begging for. And then, of course, came “Blitzkrieg Bop.” As hundreds of voices shouted “Hey! Ho! Let’s go!”, fists pumping and hair flying, the storm outside finally seemed to fade. Inside, the thunder belonged to Marky Ramone.

Walking out into the humid Dallas night, fans were drenched in sweat and grins. Marky doesn’t just revisit the past, he makes it present again. For a couple of hours, The Echo Lounge wasn’t just a venue. It was CBGB. It was Queens. It was punk rock at its most alive.

Check out the Marky Ramone concert photo gallery below:

View Gallery 15 images

Whether you’re a diehard who’s been there since ’76 or a kid hearing these songs live for the first time, Marky Ramone’s show is proof that some things never get old. Punk still lives, and Dallas got the storm it deserved.