Ringo Starr and the All-Starrs Prove That "Lauderdale Rocks"

Hi there, I love the site. I noticed the Lauderdale show has not been talked about the last three years. I have seen him down here the last three years in a row, and I must say this one was by far the best. The Broward Center for the Performing Arts was a splendid facility for music. The acoustics were excellent, and so was the performance. I sat up in the nosebleed section, yet you could see everybody really well this way.

All of the members of the band rocked, especially Ringo, Roger Hodgson and Sheila E. The set list was pretty much the same, only they gave Shelia E. a "solo spot." She played excellently. Contrary to previous stops on this tour, Ringo recognized her as a girl beforehand and corrected his mistake.

There were plenty of great moments. First, during "Yellow Submarine," someone from the audience handed him a submarine toy, to which Ringo responded, "This guy really knows the song!" Also, a woman from the audience lifted up a huge cloth, which she then handed to him. Ringo showed it to the audience. It read "Marry Me Ringo." He took the cloth and wrapped it around his waist. He said, "This is why I go on tour. Just for the outfits." During Sheila E.'s solo spot, she brought up a little girl to play on her drums. Very cute! Lucky girl.

When Ian Hunter played "Cleveland Rocks." He stopped the song to let the audience members sing. He first chanted "Lauderdale Rocks!", then "Florida Rocks!", then "Dolphins Rock!", and finally "Marlins....Ehhhh", while waving his hand in a "so-so" gesture. This got a great reception from the fans in the crowd. Another great highlight was Roger Hodgson's "Logical Song." Man, he can still hit the high notes!

Howard Jones was great on keyboards. He fell over the speaker at the front of the stage and rolled over on his back while singing "Woah, woah woAAAAHH!!" He was Ok, though. Ringo replied to this afterward. "Ah, he's an acrobat, folks!"

The security there was really cool. They were pretty lenient about who they let near the stage, because the fans stayed on the floor near the stage and didn't get on it...until some idiot got on the stage (He was quickly chased off. There always has to be someone who spoils the show for the rest of us.)

At the end, Ringo said, "Usually, this is the point of the show where we go offstage and then you scream, and then we come back on. So instead, we're just gonna stay here. I thought that was pretty cool. I especially liked how at the end, just like the last two years, Ringo left the stage after "WALHFMF", giving the other members of the band their chance to receive their accolades from the crowd. That just goes to show you how much of a class act Ringo is. Yet another reason he's so cool! :)

Ringo was in the best form of all three shows. (He was feeling under the weather last year, and cancelled the next couple shows.) His drumming was excellent. Mark Rivera played great sax and other woodwind instruments. He is always cool to see. This was by far the best of the three shows we saw. If you think this band is not as good as his past bands, you will be proved wrong, for they did an excellent job this year. I hope to attend for a fourth straight year, if he comes back down next year. It is always a great show.

Peace and love, Peace and love!!
Conor Hoban in Boynton Beach, FL