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ABOVE GROUND 4
Live from the Fonda Theatre
November 8th, 2025 Review by Amber Meyer
There was electric anticipation in the air as fans stood in line at the legendary Fonda Theatre in Hollywood for the Above Ground 4 benefit concert.
This pet project of Dave Navarro (Jane’s Addiction) and Billy Morrison (guitarist for Billy Idol) aims to raise awareness for mental illness and suicide prevention in support of MusiCares.
Billy Idol and bandmates, guitarist Steve Stevens and drummer Erik Eldenius, Elliot Easton (Cars), Corey Taylor (Slipnot), B-Real (Cypress Hill), Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme), and drummer extraordinaire Josh Freese were on hand to lend support, but there were some surprise guests that took the stage.
Obviously, with this many industry icons, there were plenty available from every imaginable musical genre.
The evening’s MC was benefit co-founder Billy Harrison, and he was definitely hyped and ready to put on a stellar show.
The Fonda was packed with fans buzzing with excitement, waiting to pay homage to the two legendary albums chosen this year: The New York Dolls’ 1973 self-titled debut album, and the Cars’ self-titled, 1978 debut album.
The ever-changing lineup of vocalists, guitar players, and drummers was unbelievable. Billy Idol’s band handled most tracks on the Dolls record, along with Matt McJunkins of A Perfect Circle on bass and Idol’s Paul Trudeau on keyboards.
It was a sight to be seen! Billy Morrison also hopped in to play guitar on every song except “Lonely Planet Boy” as he took on lead vocals. He did two albums back to back and encores – that’s a guitar hero in his element right there!
Surprise guests included rapper DMC, the legendary Rick Springfield, Gilby Clarke (Guns N’ Roses), Frankie Perez (solo artist who also fronts the Finnish heavy rock band, Apocalyptica), and Jesse Hughes (Eagles of Death Metal), Scott Shriner of Weezer, Donovan Leitch (Camp Freddy), Marc LaBelle (Dirty Honey), and Derek Day.
The lights went down and the curtain came up, it was time for the New York Dolls pre-punk, trash rock, glam rollercoaster! Exploding right into the “Personality Crisis,” a hands-down fan favorite, Jesse Hughes killed it on vocals.
“Looking for a Kiss” followed, featuring Corey Taylor on vocals, who can belt out a tune like nobody’s business.
“Vietnamese Baby” with Frankie Perez on vocals was so well done; he made the nonsense lyrics awesome! “Lonely Planet Boy” had Billy Morrison on the mic, then “Frankenstein” was Derek Day of the rising rock outfit, Classless Act. Day was absolutely stunning on vocals for this classic Dolls track.
The legendary Billy Idol took on “Trash,” another touchstone song for fans of the Dolls. Idol was epic on vocals, and he cites the New York Dolls as an influence for his pre-solo career band, Generation X.
Dirty Honey’s Marc LaBelle ripped into “Bad Girl” and the crowd went crazy! “Subway Train” had him continue to rock with Gilby Clarke pulling out a monumental guitar solo.
“Pills,” originally written by Bo Diddley, saw Frankie Perez rock the mic again, backed by Clarke on lead guitar and it was an awesome cover of another fan favorite. “Jet Boy” featured Corey Taylor and then they closed “Private World” with Jesse Hughes at the helm.
They did this record with a gritty style! Perhaps a little more rehearsed than a New York Dolls show would have been, but still loose enough to capture them in spirit.
After a short intermission and lineup changes, the players for the next album, “The Cars,” were at their stations. The venue went wild when they went straight into “Good Times Roll.” Nuno Bettencourt shone on this track. He stayed on for “My Best Friend’s Girl” and did fantastic. The crowd went insane when Billy Idol took the mic for “Just What I Needed.” Fans were loving every second, singing along and dancing as he belted the classic tune out.
“I’m in Touch with Your World” had Frankie Perez back up on lead vocals, followed by an incredible rendition of “Don’t Cha Stop” sung by Donovan Leitch. Surprise! Another singer appeared when Sully Erna of Godsmack hit the stage for “Bye Bye Love.” Fellow hard rock heavyweight Corey Taylor was back and took us through a fantastic version of “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight.”
“Moving in Stereo” was absolutely stunning with the Cars’ own Elliot Easton on guitar. That man can play! Fans went crazy, and it was very evident by how much energy and excitement the crowd exuded why this debut album is a seminal record!
The crowd went insane again when Rick Springfield took the vocals while Easton played guitar on “All Mixed Up.”
Of course, the crowd was singing, hollering, and all around loving the moment. With Springfield still onstage as they set up for the encores, Bettencourt started playing the chords to “Jessie’s Girl.” Springfield obliged the invitation, performing a snippet of the hit, which had fans screaming and cheering.
As the band regrouped, Springfield took lead vocals on The Kinks classic, “You Really Got Me.” And just when you thought it could not get better, Billy Idol jumps up and does “Rebel Yell.” The crowd chaos was at an all-time high by this point.
B-Real of hip hop giant, Cypress Hill performed their massive hit “Rock Superstar.” Next up was a cover of Run-DMC’s “Tricky,” performed brilliantly by NYC rapper DMC, with Donovan Leitch contributing on the vocals. Cheers were raucous and loud for this early rap hit. The night closed with a cover of Run-DMC and Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.”
What an incredible night! It was well worth the ticket price for an evening of amazing music and stellar musicians. To see so many amazing artists up on stage performing for a meaningful cause was an absolute delight!
FESTIVAL PHOTO GALLERY
by Shane Pase Photography
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SID 251108 | TRACI TURNER | EDITOR
