A few years ago, I finally pulled the trigger on going to see Ringo Starr & his All-Starr Band in concert. I can argue that I have been a Beatles fan since birth. My mother tells the story of giving one year old me the bottle while she watched The Beatles explode on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964. The greatness of these four lads from Liverpool has never been a question in my house.
It’s A Beatle!
It wasn’t until 1990 that I actually saw a Beatle in person. Paul McCartney was on his “Flowers in the Dirt” tour and had a stop at the Berkeley Memorial Stadium. It was a big show (50,000 or so) but intimate at the same time. We sat, at least, 100 yards from the stage but when Paul sang the opening lyrics to “Can’t Buy Me Love” the goosebumps ran up my arms. At that moment , I realized the importance and significance of the event in my musical life. The surprise of Paul belting out the lyrical open to the song, knocked me off my feet.
Seeing McCartney turned into a regular occurrence for me. I never, NEVER took this for granted. I was seeing a Beatle. I had thousands of hours of listening to the Beatles and now I have seen and heard one of the men who created the magic! The same goes for witnessing Ringo Starr perform. I was lucky to be there! But not just that: these men understand the power they possess over their fans and they respect it by delivering an AWESOME concert experience!
Ringo Has Great Friends
The beauty of the Ringo show is in its billing – “Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band” . Not only do you get a Beatle, but each other member in the band is a “starr” on his own. The All Starrs each come from a group that is already in the public conscience. Each member is highlighted during the concert as they sing or perform the songs that made them famous. It’s like going to a variety show. When one goes to a concert, they usually know what they are going to hear. With Ringo’s ever changing All Starr band, the concert goer hears many other famous pop songs alongside Ringo’s catalog of Beatle songs and his solo stuff.
It’s a nice treat and a sign that Ringo is a genius. Let’s be honest, Ringo has a strong but miniscule Beatle catalog. And he has a pretty good post-Beatle catalog. But even with that, there’s probably not enough there to fill up a 2 hour show. The 2023 setlist had a few different Ringo songs compared to the last time I saw him and it was nice to see him change it up a little. The whole show was a fun romp as the band interspersed Ringo/Beatle classics with the All Starr songs.
The Variety Show
The “All Starr” portions of the show featured hit songs from each member of the band. It was spectacular to hear Colin Hay belt out Men At Work songs “Down Under” and “Who Can It Be Now?”. Steve Lukather, the crazy-talented guitarist from Toto, was on hand and seemed to be leading the band, among his contributions were “Africa” and “Roseanna”. The musicians in this band have to be versatile to play all the different styles represented by this all star group. Never was this more apparent than when the band got funky with Hamish Stuart during the Average White Band’s toe tapper “Pick Up The Pieces”. Warren Ham killed it on the sax!
Warren Ham was the utility knife in the band. Between his background AND lead vocals, he provided the appropriate mood on many songs that night. Warren is an American vocalist, saxophonist and flutist who has played with many including Toto and Kansas.
Frankenstein
This leaves Edgar Winter. Edgar Winter was the keyboard player resulting in a very subdued yet solid performance. It was when he stepped out in front that the man exploded with energy! His trademark long white hair flowing as he stalked around the stage with his keyboard strapped to his shoulders playing the earth-shaking “Frankenstein”.
Gregg Bissonette was the drummer. A unique situation where he is often playing alongside Ringo for any number of songs. Gregg holds down all the drum duties when Ringo steps out in front of the drum kit to sing. He is a jazz/rock drummer who played in the David Lee Roth band and others
Ringo Starr is 81 yrs old right now. Who knows how long he will continue to play concerts. He looks like he could go on for years before hanging it all up. Until that time, I can only highly recommend that you go see the All Starrs and their drummer Ringo!
Steve Lukather, Colin Hay, Edgar Winter, Warren Ham, Hamish Stuart, Gregg Bissonette
