Surprisingly one of the best shows I saw all last summer was Ringo’s All-Stars!
Beatles die-hards are rejoicing at what is being dubbed in fan circles as “the tour that just won’t end” — with Ringo Starr announcing 20 new dates for October. Ringo — who’ll be inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 18th by Paul McCartney — has long been a proponent of switching up All Starr Band lineups after every tour — but has now been hitting the road with the same band going on four years running.
The group features returning All Starrs Todd Rundgren on guitar, Mr. Mister’s Richard Page on bass, drummer and Detroit native Gregg Bissonette, Santana and Journey co-founding keyboardist Gregg Rolie, and Toto‘s co-founding guitarist Steve Lukather. New to the band is saxophonist Warren Ham, who’s been keeping All Starr veteranMark Rivera‘s seat warm while he’s out on the road with Billy Joel.
- Ringo explained to us that as a boss — be it in the studio or as a bandleader — all he wants from any player is the best they’ve got: “If I ask you to come and play on it — I want you on it. I’m not there saying, ‘Don’t play that note — or don’t do this.’ Sometimes I have to say, ‘Well, that’s not really the way I was goin’,’ but I trust the musicians to do their best. That’s the same with the All Stars, and I have that speech every time I put a new band (together): ‘Look, I’ll do my best for all of you, I expect you to do the best for me and all the other members of the band.’ And sometimes in rehearsal, I’ve had members that aren’t willing to do their best and we’ve had to let them go.”
- Ringo’s latest album, Postcards From Paradise, will be released on March 31st.
- UPDATED: Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band tour dates (subject to change):
October 1 – San Francisco, CA – The Masonic
October 2 – Paso Robles, CA – Vina Robles Amphitheatre
October 3 – Sonoma, CA – Sonoma Music Festival Field Of Dreams Park
October 6 – Boise, ID – CenturyLink Arena Boise
October 8 – Victoria, BC – Save On Foods Memorial Centre
October 9 – Vancouver, BC – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
October 10 – Penticton, BC – South Okanagan Events Centre
October 12 – Edmonton, AB – Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
October 13 – Calgary, AB – Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
October 14 – Regina, SK – Brandt Centre
October 16 – Minneapolis, MN – The State Theatre
October 17 – Milwaukee, WI – Riverside Theatre
October 18 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre
October 20 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall
October 21 – Montreal, QC – St. Denis Theatre 1
October 23 – Boston, MA – Wang Theatre – Citi Performing Arts Center
October 24 – Mashantucket, CT – Fox Theater
October 25 – New Brunswick, NJ – State Theatre
October 27 – Pittsburgh, PA – Heinz Hall For The Performing Arts
October 28 – Baltimore, MD – Modell Performing Arts Center At The Lyric
October 30 – Upper Darby, PA – Tower Theatre
October 31 – Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre
SIDE NOTES
- Coming in September will be a trade printing of Ringo Starr‘s recent high-end book, Photographs. According to the press release: “Ringo Starr reveals never-before-seen photographs and mementos from his archives, sharing memories of his childhood, the Beatles and beyond. Ringo’s lens captures his Beatles bandmates in pensive and playful moments, portraying them from the point of view of an insider, friend and skilled photographer. In an original manuscript of over 15,000 words, join Ringo growing up amidst the excitement of the emerging Merseybeat scene, as he remembers his first car, drum-kits, girls and bands on his ‘road of happy drumming’. From Pwllheli to Delhi, obscurity to superstardom, his travels are recounted with honesty and hilarity.”
- Recently released on DVD is Ringo Starr And His All Starr Band 2012: Ringo At The Ryman. The disc features Ringo’s entire concert in Nashville on July 7th, 2012 celebrating his 72nd birthday. In addition to his All Starr Band, Ringo’s brother-in-law Joe Walsh made a special guest appearance to play “Rocky Mountain Way.”
- The other notables on hand for the show closing “With A Little Help From My Friends” were Walsh’s daughter Lucy, former All Starrs Richard Marx and Felix Cavaliere, pop rocker Brendan Benson, frequent Ringo collaborator Gary Burr, and country stars Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, and Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn.
Check out Ringo’s All-Stars:
