Cheap Trick, Blondie, and the Cramps are among the groups confirmed to appear at a tribute concert for late Ramones frontman Joey Ramone. Set for May 19 at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom, the bill will also include the Misfits, the Independents, Bellvue (featuring ex-D Generation member Jesse Malin), Stop (featuring Joey's brother Mickey Leigh), and Leigh in tandem with Ramones producer Daniel Rey.

Event organizers tell Billboard.com that members of various bands may turn up on their own, and that two as-yet-unconfirmed MCs will host the proceedings. Also in the works are videotaped tributes and several short speeches by artists who were influenced by the Ramones. Organizers have created a Web site for fans to post messages and obtain information about the event, which is now sold out.

May 19 would have been the 50th birthday for Ramone (real name: Jeffry Hyman). The punk legend died April 15 in New York after a long battle with cancer. As previously reported, the Ramones' first four albums will be reissued as expanded editions on June 19 by Rhino.

I know that a lot of people will say that a lot of these bands aren't "punk," but so what? Cheap Trick is one of the best rock and roll bands that has ever existed, Blondie used to be a punk band before their little "disco" phase, and the Cramps know how to rock, too, so deal with it.