NAMM 2024 / What Happened At Ronnie Montrose Remembered

February 5, 2024

Famous as a pioneer who carved a niche in the hard rock and Heavy Metal landscape, Ronnie Montrose has been sorely missed since his untimely death in 2012. NAMM 2024 hosted the memorial show Ronnie Montrose Remembered, where a plethora of musicians united in his memory.

NAMM 2024 – Ronnie Montrose Remembered

M3 Live Event Center, Anaheim – 26 January 2024

Words And Photography: Jody Wilk

Keith St. John and Sherri Lu were our hosts for this, the fourth Ronnie Montrose Remembered show. The setting was the elegant Grand Ballroom at The Grand Theater, a 1000-seat venue less than a mile from the Anaheim Event Center where NAMM 2024 was happening.

2024 saw former Montrose members as well as over 30 other artists from many of the ’70s and ’80s rock bands we all grew up with who were friends of Ronnie or influenced by his work. Doors opened around 6 pm with a line of people stretching out to the sidewalk.

The crowd was excited and filled with not only fans but also tons of musicians. VIP and super-VIP fans were ushered to their backstage area, where they could get their photos taken. They were able to stand side-stage during the performance in a large private area with snacks and drinks.

Ronnie Montrose Remembered Jam started at 7:30 pm with Keith St. John introducing the event and the performers for the first four songs. Throughout the night, a rotating cast of friends and former bandmates of Ronnie would tell stories of their experiences with him throughout different periods in his career.

This was a heartfelt night of music at which everyone’s emotions ran high in remembrance of Ronnie. They played a host of Montrose songs and songs that Ronnie recorded throughout his career.

There were many highlights, and my personal top moments were with songs like Free Ride, Meanstreak, Rock The Nation, Frankenstein, Rock Candy, and Bad Motor Scooter.

The 25-song set finished around 11 pm, leaving fans of Ronnie feeling happy that they got to be part of this epic remembrance of their friend.

This was a hard-hitting evening and a triumph, given the underlying sadness.

The National Association of Music Merchants, known as NAMM, hold the 2024 edition of their show from 25 January 2024 to 28 January 2024 in Anaheim, California.

This is a world-famous trade-only business show catering to domestic and international dealers and distributors restricted to owners, suppliers, journalists, employees, endorsed artists, and guests of NAMM member companies.

MetalTalk’s Jody Wilk, Shannon Wilk and Whitney Alyson Ribbins are reporting from Anaheim.

All Photography: Jody Wilk and Shannon Wilk unless otherwise stated.

All MetalTalk NAMM 2024 coverage can be found at www.metaltalk.net/tag/namm-2024.

Artists that performed at RMR:

Keith St. John
C.J. Hutchins
Rene Almarez
Joel Gillis
Katja Lochner
Robby Lochner
Ty Dennis
Sean McNabb
England
Tambo
A. King
Blas Elias
Brandt
Ricky Z.
August Zadra
Ari Kamin
McNay
Jeff Duncan
Martin Motnik
John Levin
Matt Starr
Dave Ellefson
Randy Jackson
Joel Hoekstra
Phil Demmel
Ken Mary
Roth
Riekermann
Bryne
Dave Amato
Mitch Perry
Mike Vanderhule
Les Warner
Lorraine Lewis
Randy Slide
Stacey David Blades