Roy Jurgens on June 27th, 2019

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Royal Machines bandmates Dave Navarro (Jane’s Addiction) and his cohort Billy Morrison (Billy Idol, The Cult) are returning with their second annual “Above Ground” benefit Sept. 16 at the Fonda Theater. Continuing on their theme of recreating classic albums, this time they’ll tackle two of the most influential albums in modern rock history: David Bowie’s “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” and the Stooges’ self-titled debut album.

Special guests will be announced in the coming weeks, but if it’s anything like the last soiree, it should be a star-studded affair. Last year’s show saw Billy Idol, Courtney Love, Billy Duffy, Jesse Hughes, Steve Stevens, Macy Gray, Lili Haydn, Siobhan Fahey, Jerry Harrison, Corey Taylor, Josh Freese and then some perform the Velvet Underground’s 1967 album, “The Velvet Underground & Nico” and Adam and the Ants’ 1980 record, “Kings of the Wild Frontier” in their entirety.

The idea of organizing a benefit to raise awareness and funds for the treatment of mental health was something Navarro and Morrison decided to do the wake of the tragic losses of Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington. The profits from the concert will go to MusiCares, a charity affiliated with the Recording Academy. There will memorabilia auctions as well as art installations.

Tickets go on sale Friday, June 28 here.