Ringo Starr is no stranger to stardom. The man born Richard Starkey—and later dubbed Sir Richard Starkey—has been one of the biggest names in music for more than 60 years now as the one who kept the beat for The Beatles.
For the last 35 years, Ringo has used that magnetism to staff his All-Starr Band. His supergroup has, at times, gone on tour with lineups featuring fellow legends like Peter Frampton, Levon Helm, Dr. John, Jack Bruce, Nils Lofgren, Greg Lake, and Sheila E, and has been known to welcome guest appearances by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Harry Nilsson, Bonnie Raitt, Steven Tyler, Stevie Nicks and, of course, Paul McCartney, among others.
Now in its 15th iteration, the All-Star Band on Sunday returned to one of its most familiar haunts—the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles—with one notable tweak to its lineup. A year after playing the picturesque venue near Griffith Park, Ringo wasn’t backed by Edgar Winter on keyboards, saxophone, and vocals. Instead, the keys to the, well, keys went to Buck Johnson, best known for his work with Aerosmith and Hollywood Vampires, the supergroup formed by Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, and Joe Perry in 2012.
Buck fit in just fine alongside returning All-Starrs Steve Lukather of Toto, Men At Work’s Colin Hay, Hamish Stuart from The Average White Band and Paul McCartney’s solo band, David Lee Roth drummer Gregg Bissonette, and Warren Ham from Bloodrock, Kansas and Toto.
Together, they ticked through a slew of classics—from Ringo’s catalog, their own, and elsewhere—while fostering a lighthearted, fun, and peaceful atmosphere.
They opened the second night of their 12-date fall tour as they usually do: with a cover of Carl Perkins’ “Matchbox”. Ringo then led the band into his repertoire with “It Don’t Come Easy” as he bounced around the stage. From there, Starr snuck up to his beloved catbird seat on the drums, next to Greg’s set, as his tourmates trotted out their own famous tracks.
Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band – “It Don’t Come Easy” – 9/8/24
an[Video: James Wynne]
Steve got that run rolling with an impassioned rendition of Toto’s “Rosanna”. He handed the baton to Hamish, who led the group through The Average White Band’s “Pick Up the Pieces”. Colin only increased the crowd’s enthusiasm when he took the microphone to round out that portion of the evening with Men At Work’s “Down Under”.
After spending a few songs banging away on drums in the back, Ringo leapt back into the spotlight for a bit of his signature silliness. The 84-year-old put on an age-defying performance of The Beatles’ arrangement of “Boys” by The Shirelles; honored his friend and former bandmate, the late John Lennon, with “I Am The Greatest”; and let Steve tease a couple of Beatles songs before landing joyously on “Yellow Submarine”.
Ringo ducked away for a brief break, during which Hamish took the reins on The Average White Band’s “Cut the Cake”. That selection included a series of drum teases by Greg, among them Rush’s “YYZ”, Queen’s “We Will Rock You”, The Beatles’ “Come Together”, Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song”, and Van Halen’s “Hot For Teacher”.
Upon his return, Ringo regaled the audience with the tale of how a Caribbean cruise came to inspire “Octopus’ Garden” before diving into the beloved Beatles song. The “Fab Four” got another musical mention shortly thereafter, when Steve slipped some riffs from “Helter Skelter” into “Back Off Boogaloo”.
From that point on, the All-Starr Band handled most of the setlist. Colin came up again for Men At Work’s “Overkill” and “Who Can It Be Now?”, Steve ripped his guitar through Toto’s “Africa” and “Hold The Line”, and Hamish handled The Isley Brothers’ “Work to Do” with aplomb.
Still, Ringo remained the star of the show until the very end. The largely older crowd channeled its collective youth to dance to The Beatles’ “I Wanna Be Your Man”. Everyone swooned and got sentimental, with peace signs aplenty, as Ringo and company closed out the main set to “Photograph”.
But they wouldn’t let attendees go without one last bit of nostalgia. After a short exit, Ringo and his All-Starrs came back out for an encore of “With a Little Help From My Friends”, with a surprising assist from another friend and All-Starr Band alum, The Eagles’ Joe Walsh. For good measure, they ended on a chorus from The Plastic Ono Band’s “Give Peace a Chance”.
Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band w/ Joe Walsh – “With a Little Help From My Friends” – 9/8/24
[Video: James Wynne]
And then, it was en route to the rest of America for Ringo Starr and His All-.Starr Band. After a stop in Colorado, they will take their act to Nebraska, Illinois, Ohio, D.C. and Massachusetts before wrapping up their tour in Niagara Falls, Philadelphia and at the iconic Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
Below, check out a gallery of photos from Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band’s Sunday evening show at L.A.’s Greek Theatre. For a list of Ringo’s upcoming 2024 fall tour dates, head here.
The post Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band Bring Their 15th Edition To L.A.’s Greek Theatre [Photos/Videos] appeared first on L4LM.
