Ringo Starr Live
Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band
Rosemont Theatre, Rosemont
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Chances are if Ringo Starr wasn’t a Beatle, he wouldn’t have come as far as he has today. Sure he has a flavorful personality, drums a consistent beat, and crafts relatively catchy tunes, but when compared to the outpourings of other former bandmates, his material pales. And when it comes to touring, a guy like Paul McCartney can sell out at least two shows at the mammoth United Center every tour, while Starr is stuck to the much smaller but still sold out Rosemont Theatre for a single night. It should also be noted he’s not the only name on the bill that helps sell tickets, but rather an All-Starr Band consisting of notables from yesteryear (and usually a couple of has-beens).
This year’s tour was the ninth of its kind and by far the most appealing, given the caliber of backing musicians: ex-Prince vixen Sheila E. on drums; The Zombies’ Rod Argent on keyboards; ex-Average White Band/McCartney touring player Hamish Stuart on bass; and multi-instrumentalist Edgar Winter. Also in the ranks were the somewhat sappy balladeer Richard Marx on guitar and occasionally keys (but we’ll take it easy on him since he’s from Chicago) and shred-heavy guitarist Billy Squier (who most noticeably fell in the “long past his prime” category). Yet it was Starr himself who opened the show to the gleeful cries of “It Don’t Come Easy” and “What Goes On,” two sunny songs met with his cheerful smile and frequent flashing of the peace sign, making giddy fans feel like they were in the British invasion all over again.
But as is the tradition in the All-Starr Band, Starr soon took a back seat to the drum station, allowing the likes of Winter to deliver his motorcycle staple “Free Ride” and the sultry Sheila to crank out “A Love Bizarre” with a much more powerful percussion display than even her boss. Argent was perhaps the most applauded as he stepped to the microphone to deliver The Zombies’ “She’s Not There,” though he disappointingly ignored “Tell Her No” and “Time Of The Season” in favor of his solo single, “Hold Your Head Up.” Starr returned to center stage to revisit the fab four with “Yellow Submarine,” which in the caricature sense was charming and colorful, but upon closer examination, couldn’t hold a candle to the more mature side of The Beatles’ catalogue.
The momentum took further halting courtesy of Marx’s “Right Here Waiting,” during which he artificially coaxed (begged) the crowd to join him, followed by Squier’s somewhat self-indulgent take on the Robert Johnson original, “Ramblin’ On My Mind,” with Winter on keys. Thankfully his collaborator helped get the groove back to optimal with its follow-up, “Frankenstein,” featuring Winter’s fast finger work on the keytar, then sax and percussion kit. Drum beats were also central to Sheila E.’s “The Glamorous Life,” which pulsated with so much attitude it would make the Purple One proud and give Starr a real run for his money in terms of keeping up with the backbeat.
Following that resplendent rendition, the Average White Band’s “Pick Up The Pieces” would’ve been perfect, but Stuart served as merely a backing musician and was unfortunately never featured on a selection. Instead it was back to Starr for a finale including “Act Naturally” (first made famous by Buck Owens) and “Memphis In My Mind.” He breezed through each using his legendary status to full advantage (especially considering the instrument adjustments to accommodate his aging range in various instances) but come the closer, “With a Little Help From My Friends,” it was impossible not to sing-a-long.
Forgive my Beatles’ blasphemy, but aside from this standard, the concert provided consistent evidence Starr hasn’t endured to the degree of McCartney, John Lennon, or George Harrison, and relies on a ton of help from his friends. Even so, attendees can say they saw one half of the surviving Beatles, which at this stage of the long and winding road, is still a whole lot better than nothing at all.
— Andy Argyrakis
Category: Live Reviews, Weekly
Just saw the show in Clearwater, FL. Great show! It was more than just seeing half of the existing Beatles…the band had fun. They laughed, kidded, joked, brought on a birthday cake for Ringo (Barbara wheeled it on!) And Ringo even did a few jumping jacks. It was a Jimmy Buffet concert without the hats! A great time was had by all…and it proved that the best Ringo rockers were just as powerful as anything John, Paul, or George put out as solo artists. And Ringo had more hit singles than anyone but Paul.
Stan K has it right!
The “All Stars” are fun.
Andy you’re a little stoggy regarding Ringo. Ringo knows, the audience knows, everyone knows he isn’t Lennon or McCartney but you.
We saw the All Stars at the Beacon in NYC a few years back and it was a very entertaining show. You get to see a little nostalgia and sing along with familiar tunes from the band mates. Simple, good entertainment. I’ll buy a DVD if I want to see Sir Paul (Sir? What a crock!). It’s a mortgage payment to see a Macca show. Ringo’s a money grubbing slut too, just on a cheaper level.
If the tickets were too pricey, we all understand. If you don’t like Ringo, why go? If you didn’t have anything better to do, can afford it and are in on the “Ringo joke” why not?
Peace and love!
Hi,
I first saw Ringo in ‘ 89 at the Jones Beach show with Joe Walsh, Dr. John, Billy Preston, et al. That was a great, fun show: Watching Joe crank up some of his old James Gang hits was a blast !!!!!!!! I’m seeing Ringo again at Westbury, and from what I hear, the mix this time is just as talented.
I agree with some of the other comments,,,, Ringo is to music kind of like what Bob Hope was to comedy,,,,, predictable, but you had a great time; and to see Ron Argent and Edgar Winter is fun too. And ticket price of $ 75 total is not that much more than taking the family to the movies lately . Enjoy the show,,,,,,,,,,, Bob
Andy,
Dear you wasted paper comparing apples & oranges, comparing Starr to Lennon/McCartney. You must be under age 40 with very high expectations, as any & every Beatle fan knows the stats. This is a nostaligic flashback & I’m sure Ringo wants his audience to experience as just that. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Don’t be cruel, man, he’s Ringo!
Dude, chill out! He’s Ringo! I saw his show and loved it. Lots of great nostalgia, not only from Ringo but from all the greats (and even if they may be “past their prime”, they were all once greats at least and are still fantastic musicians). Just good, plain, fun. Ringo never took himself too seriously, but he had (has) a great sense of humor. I never was a huge Beatles fan. Paul was too “sweet”, John too caustic for my taste. Ringo I like the most and even he admited on stage that Shiela ran rings around him on drum licks. So what – Ringo was never about flash, he was about playing the perfect solid beat to anchor the Beatles tunes. B.B. King plays one note to Yngwie Malmsteen’s 100 but B.B. is still much more fun to listen to.
Come on, he’s Ringo – he’s a living legend and he deserves some respect.