Hey Now You're an All-Starr

Ringo’s All-Starr Band…is really an ALL STAR BAND. And here I thought it was just a pun on his name.

I rolled into the Greek theater last Thursday evening, ready for some Beatle classics like ‘Yellow Submarine’ and ‘With a Little Help From My Friends’, along with Ringo solo hits like ‘Back off Boogaloo’ and 'Photograph’. The audience was treated to that whole lot and then some! Ringo’s All-Starr Band consists of Colin Hay of Men at Work, Steve Lukather of Toto, Hamish Stuart of Average White Band and last but certainly not least, Edgar Winter, who totally stole the show in my humble opinion.

Ringo sprinted on stage. I’ve heard him say in interviews that this is due to his nerves. He wishes he could strut on stage calmly like Sinatra, but I enjoyed his happy run. It showed his enthusiasm and got the crowd hyped. He opened with ‘Matchbox’ which I couldn’t believe. Then after telling a story about how the last tour was canceled due to some COVID cases in the band, he cheekily said ‘It Don’t Come Easy’ and launched into the song. After, came ‘What Goes On’ and Ringo shared a funny story about how he wrote it with Paul and John. The billing was planned to go as follows: Lennon-McCartney-Starkey. Ringo suggested the other way around, with his name first. “Hey lads, I have an idea…” I wonder how that turned out.

Even though he didn’t play drums on every song, Ringo couldn’t help but make little drumming dance movements throughout the evening. It’s just in him! The first song he played on drums was Edgar Winter’s ‘Free Ride’. Let me take a moment to discuss Winter. He played keys, drums, AND sax…all on one song! And that was ‘Frankenstein’. In the midst of the song, the band switched to an insane drum and guitar riff off, taking us through musical history. We got the drum beats of ‘Rock and Roll’ by Led Zeppelin, ‘We Will Rock You’ by Queen and the intro to ‘Come Together’ to name just a few. Drummer Gregg Bissonette was on fire and proved to the crowd he can play anything and everything. Plus, Steve Lukather showed off his mad guitar skills in this number. Later on in the night, Winter brought the house down with ‘Johnny B. Goode’, a tribute to his late brother. I came for Ringo but stayed for Edgar.

Speaking of the all stars, I want to highlight the other gentlemen in the group. Steve Lukather dusted off the Toto hits. ‘Hold the Line’ had everyone on their feet, ‘Rosanna’ was full of tight harmonies and then came ‘Africa’. I did not have Ringo Starr playing drums on Toto’s ‘Africa’ on my 2023 bingo card, but here we are! Lukather is a force to be reckoned with, an incredible guitar player and honestly, a charismatic dude. I loved his joke about playing a 20 minute jazz odyssey (now was that a ‘This is Spinal Tap’ reference?)

Next, Colin Hay of Men at Work. What. A. Voice. Even the other band members were praising him mid-concert. It was just a love fest up there. They are all fans of one other and especially honored to perform with Ringo. I loved hearing ‘Who Can It Be Now?’ I felt like a suburban dad rocking out at a summer barbecue. Average White Band’s Hamish Stuart played some jazzy hits, however, it felt like one too many and I missed Ringo. Luckily, right as I missed him, Mr. Starkey came strutting back. I can appreciate that he gave everyone time to shine, but like I said, I came for Ringo! I loved hearing ‘I’m the Greatest’ and the story of how John Lennon gifted Ringo this tune during their solo years. There are so many great references to Liverpool and the Beatle days that made the crowd and myself very happy. I was seeing a Beatle in concert, afterall! I’ve seen Paul a number of times but this was my first Ringo experience. I could feel my tears welling up. My mom used to sing me ‘Good Night’ as a lullaby, and although not written by him, that’s a Ringo song.

Singing along to, ‘With a Little Help From My Friends’ really felt like singing with my friends: the crowd. The music and the Beatles uniting us as one. Finally, Ringo sweetly played off ‘Give Peace a Chance’ as the audience thinned out. A night I’ll never forget!