Ross "The Boss" Friedman will get a proper New York send-off. Members of his solo band ROSS THE BOSS, punk pioneers THE DICTATORS and THE SPINATRAS will play a tribute concert for the late guitarist on Saturday, January 9, 2027 at The Meadows in Brooklyn.
The show is billed as a one-time U.S. event, with special performances and guests promised. It is open to all ages; anyone under 16 needs to be accompanied by a legal guardian.
Friedman's son Jesse is calling on everyone who knew his father to turn up, saying that if you knew him, you knew his dad, and asking fans to bring friends and family along. ROSS THE BOSS vocalist Marc Lopes describes the night as a jam-packed event with guests, friends and family, and says it should also kick off a series of tributes to "the Bossman" around the world throughout 2027.
Friedman died in March 2026 at the age of 72, little more than a month after announcing he had been diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). We reported his passing at the time.
A Bronx native, Friedman stood at the crossroads of punk and metal. With THE DICTATORS he cut Go Girl Crazy! (1975), Manifest Destiny (1977) and Bloodbrothers (1978) — the debut landed a year before the RAMONES' first record. He then co-founded MANOWAR and played on the band's first six albums, from Battle Hymns (1982), Into Glory Ride (1983) and Hail To England (1984) through to Kings Of Metal (1988), after which he left.
Later came MANITOBA'S WILD KINGDOM with his DICTATORS bandmates, stints with THE HELLACOPTERS and THE SPINATRAS, the DICTATORS reunion, BRAIN SURGEONS with former BLUE ÖYSTER CULT drummer Albert Bouchard, and finally the metal projects DEATH DEALER and his own ROSS THE BOSS band.