Here's why this tribute act will be a top draw at major music festival
You might be able see better Ramones tribute acts than The Return of Jackie and Judy.
But you definitely won’t see any others that features members of terrific alt-rock act Sleater-Kinney and the cast of the cult hit TV show “Portlandia.”
So, yeah, there’s most definitely a curiosity factor involved in why you might want to go check out The Return of Jackie and Judy during Day 2 of the Mosswood Meltdown Festival, which runs July 18-19 at Mosswood Park in Oakland.
The band — which takes its name from the Ramones’ fifth studio album, 1980’s Phil Spector-produced “End of the Century” — features vocalists-guitarists Corin Tucker (from Sleater-Kinney) and Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney and “Portlandia) as well as drummer Fred Armisen (“Portlandia”) and bassist Toko Yasuda (touring member of Sleater-Kinney, St. Vincent, etc.).
We caught The Return of Jackie and Judy on the big stage at the BottleRock Napa Valley festival back in May and enjoyed the troupe’s fun, energetic takes on the Ramones’ catalog of highly influential punk-rock classics from the ’70s and ’80s. The setlist included such legendary cuts as “Blitzkrieg Bop,” “Teenage Lobotomy,” “She’s the One,” “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker” and “Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment.”
Of course, The Return of Jackie and Judy is only one of many reasons to visit Mosswood Meltdown in 2026. The lineup also includes “The Godfather of Punk” himself — the one and only Iggy Pop — as well as riot grrl pioneers Bikini Kill, Philly punks The Dead Milkmen, Japanese punk act Otoboke Beaver, Motor City garage-rock outfit The Dirtbombs and so much more. The festivities actually get started with a pre-party show on July 17 headlined by Stockton indie-rock legends Pavement and also featuring bootgazers Wednesday and indie-rock act Vivian Girls.
For tickets and more information, visit mosswoodmeltdown.com.
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This story was originally published July 8, 2026 at 9:44 AM.