Ringo and the All Starr Band
Humphrey's by the Bay, San Diego
June 29th 2006

My wife Joy and I had been to the show on the Saturday before at Universal (Gibson) Amphitheatre in LA, which was superb. We arrived at Humphrey's mid-afternoon - the hotel is beautiful, log cabin style accommodation, nice rooms, nice view.

Our room was about four apartments behind the stage so later in the afternoon we were able to hear some of the soundcheck, not much as we had dinner reservations for 5.30pm.

If I remember rightly the concert ticket had a 7pm start on it - as we strolled into the venue (pretty small so no craziness and long lines) we saw how intimate the whole thing was going to be - there can't have been more than a few hundred seats set out in the open air. Some of the rooms actually overlooked the concert venue, I wonder if anyone videoed any of it from their room?

We were second row center stage, never been so close to Ringo before! The show actually started at about 7.15pm I think - I didn't write the set list down, this is as well as I can remember:

• Billy Shears Intro
• It Donšt Come Easy (one of the high points, fantastic sax solo by Edgar Winter)
• What Goes On
• Everybody Wants You
• Free Ride
• Love Bizarre
• Boys
• Donšt Mean Nothing
• Shešs Not There (another highlight, this song sounded fantastic)
• Never Without You
• Yellow Submarine
• Right here waiting (Richard Marx and Rod Argent) Richard said something about it being the "wedding song"
• Rambling On My Mind (Billy on guitar, Edgar on keyboards - great to hear
• Billy talking about John Mayall being one of his heroes)
• Frankenstein
• Photograph
• Choose Love
• Glamorous Life
• I Wanna Be Your Man
• Rock Me Tonight
• Act Naturally
• Hold Your Head Up (another fantastic performance)
• Memphis In Your Mind
• A Litttle Help from My Friends (Ringo was pointing at things in the audience and he actually pointed at my tour T-shirt which Joy got me at the Saturday show - I think I was the only one wearing one)

I am trying to remember what songs were played nearly two weeks after the event so I may be wrong on a couple of them and may have missed something.

The great thing about the show really was its intimacy, it was fantastic, and to be only a few feet away from Ringo was fantastic. At one point during the show Sheila was saying how much she loved Ringo almost to the point of embarrassment, but it was nice though. How can you not love the man?

During the show Ringo made a few comments to the people in boats out in the harbour who were there for the show, calling them "cheapskates" and generally poking fun at them.

I would recommend this venue to anyone - the package was expensive (about $400 for the show, accommodation and dinner per person) but it was well worth it, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Everything was superb, the hotel, the food and the show. One of the best times I've ever had at a concert and I've been to an awful lot over the years.