Ringo S., Sheila E., and company in L.A.

By Rip Rense

Ringo Starr---what a grand fellow.

At age sixty-one(!), there he is, pumping out that Mt. Rushmore backbeat, belting the "hey, heys" in "Boys" with gusto, twisting and dipping a little like he danced in "A Hard Day's Night," and topping things off with about fifty jumping jacks, just for good measure, during the fade-out of "With A Little Help From My Friends."

There is even a Ringo rarity---a drum solo!---on this latest tour of Ringo and the All-Starr Band, which stopped in L.A. Aug. 30 at the Universal Amphitheater.

It's still strange, seeing "one of them" perform---and so unpretentiously, enthusiastically, at that. But then, he was drummer/singer Ringo Starr (with Rory Storme and the Hurricanes) before he was "one of them," as John Lennon often pointed out, so file this under "full circle."

Ringo's All-Starr Bands have all been rewarding affairs---living museums of pop music of the last 40 years, presented with affection and surprising conviction. The Young Rascals, The Band, Cream, The Who, The Eagles. . .Dr. John, Peter Frampton, Billy Preston, Todd Rundgren, Burton Cummings---they've all been part of the traveling circus.

The amazing thing about this phenom is that old hits are never just cranked out---they're dispatched with verve. In some cases---the blistering version of Cream's "White Room" with Jack Bruce and Frampton from the last ASB comes to mind---they beg comparison to the originals. And when Ringo sings any of the songs by his "old band," as he puts it, there is, to shamelessly employ a trampled cliché, magic in the air.

There probably are very few artists around who would turn down a chance to tour with this good old Beatle, which is why the newest group is especially strange: an eclectic amalgam of semi-obscure '70s "prog rockers" (or "bong rockers," if you prefer) including Supertramp's Roger Hodgson and Emerson Lake & Palmer's Greg Lake, and later figures like Mott The Hoople's Ian Hunter, the '80s new-wavey wailer, Howard Jones, and the dazzling percussionist, Sheila E.

As has been the case with every All-Starr Band, it somehow not only falls together and works---it flies. These folks all play so merrily, so honestly, it wins you over. I've heard more than one veteran critic correctly observe that these have been some of the most satisfying rock 'n' roll shows in history, and I wouldn't argue. On the new tour, the genial air and, yes, love, among the musicians went a long way toward compensating for the second-tier, and even forgettable nature of much of the non-Ringo material. (Credit must go, in part, to the All-Starrs' man-of-all-instruments/arranger, Mark Rivera.)

But to get back to the old man. . .

Yes, he keeps things simple, drum-wise, leaving the bulk of fills to his co-drummer (the inexhaustible and ferocious Sheila, or as Ringo pronounces it, Sheiler E.) But simple is what Ringo always did best (excluding the strikingly decorative studio work on, say, "A Day in the Life," "Rain," and "Come Together"), so that's just fine. The man made simple into art. Oh, you might miss hearing more than one quarter note on the kick drum per measure, but what do you expect from sexagenerian knees? And there is a smattering of muscular, vintage Ringo fills here and there---chocked full of open air and behind-the-beat suspense. Mr. Starkey gets genuinely pumped up, too, when backing up the other All-Starrs' hits; you can picture him saying, "I'd like to play on that" while hearing these tunes in his favorite fashion---car radio. The concerts are his personal drum fantasy camp.

And yes, there was a Starr solo---his first-ever on an ASB tour---reportedly dragged out of Mr. Comp by the admiring Sheila, who at one point in the show draped her arms around him from behind, like a daughter home from college. The big solo came during a supercharged audience-participation Sheila number ("Bizarre Love?"), and it was a nifty "ta-ke-ta, ta-ke-ta" series of triplets on toms and cymbals. Seems Ringo reached deep in his old drum-bag o' tricks for this one; Beatle-eared listeners would have recognized this same work in the end of The Fabs' recording of "Long Tall Sally."

The Starr vocal chops are impressively limber and on-key, with off-the-cuff improvised phrasing here and there (he almost turned the "sky of blue" verse from "Yellow Submarine" into a revival meeting call-and-response) plus a good pass at the big high note at the end of "Little Help. . ." While he still gaily knocks the socks off of "Boys" and "I Wanna Be Your Man," singing from behind the inevitable Ludwigs, most of his vocalizing is done as a mike-wielding frontman. It should be mentioned that he looks very fit, with the short hair and short beard look of his "Sentimental Journey" album cover---and the usual spiffy stage outfit: this time, a slick black suit with big gold buttons down the legs. Stage patter was marked, as usual, by his campy-but-sincere shouting of "peace and love, peace and love," and the flashing of dual "V" peace signs.

It's true that the man still perplexingly refuses to vary his repertoire ("Octopus's Garden," "Don't Pass Me By," "Good Night" would be delightful), but the charm never fades from the old "standards," whether from his Fab years, or solo. To these ears, the two Lennon-penned songs towered above anything else, for all their whimsicality and novelty, both in terms of musical structure and words: "I'm the Greatest," and "With A Little Help From My Friends." (The old pounder introduced "Greatest" with "This was written by a very dear old friend of mine, God rest his soul.") The rest of his familiar lineup was dispatched with zest: "Photograph," "The No-No Song," "Don't Go Where The Road Don't Go," "Back Off Boogaloo," etc. Only "It Don't Come Easy" disappointed on this night: stiff, perfunctory, and tarnished by a low-energy guitar solo by Hogdson.

As for the other music. . .

Lake's "The Court of the Crimson King" (from his King Crimson days) emerged with elegant harmonies and full-bodied playing, even if the song is part of that myth-rock realm that never captured this writer's fancy. Lake remains a fine singer and virtuosic bass-player, though, and "King" plus his other entries---"Lucky Man," which is ripe for becoming a pub standard, and the rhythmically vexing "Karn Evil"---were compelling enough. Hodgson's "The Logical Song" and "Take the Long Way Home" brought the early '70s back like a kick in the head---yet their clever-word play and, yes, Beatles-esque melodies, hold up wonderfully. (Is this man still recording?)

Hunter's big spotlight came on the daffy "Cleveland Rocks" and the quasi-anthem, "All The Young Dudes," the appeal of which is perhaps best understood by all the young dudes who grew up with it. While easily the least memorable All-Starr repertoire of any band, things were engaging enough---except for Jones' work, which to these ears, is just undistinguishable from lots of other undistinguished '80s fare. Sheila E.'s two numbers were pleasant, energized, audience-participatory ditties which aroused especially assertive accompaniment from Ringo S. After a Sheila solo that contained more drum-hits than Ringo played all-night, Starr quipped, "now how do I follow that?"

Which brings up the salient point about the ASB's success: Ringo Starr singing a signature tune pretty much tops anything that comes before it.

What's next for the All-Starrs? Who knows? Ringo says that each is his "farewell tour," yet he just seems to be enjoying them too much to walk away. In a recent interview, he revealed that he's asked George and Paul to join in every single time he's gone on tour, but that they are always. . .busy. Funny: seems a good way for the three of them to go out together without being called Beatles. . .

Now that would be an All-Starr Band.

(9/2/01)
From nunki:

Since your page does not yet have a review of the August 30, Universal Amphitheater show, I thought I'd contribute a brief review.

I loved the show. Having a flashy performer like Sheila E. sharing the drum duties really brought out the best in Ringo as a drummer. He took the spotlight several times, and he even played the drums all on his own on one song ("Irene Wilde"), which I don't think he's done on any of the previous All Starr tours.

Drew Carey was a surprise guest on "Cleveland Rocks" (currently the theme song on his TV series) and got a big reaction. At one point, he turned to Ringo and did an "I'm not worthy" bow. He also returned for "With a Little Help From My Friends."

All of the All Starrs seemed to be well received, with every song greeted with a cheer of recognition, although Ringo and Sheila E. were clearly the audience favorites.

I believe the set list was the same as Concord, although the band did not leave the stage before the encores (perhaps because they were getting dangerously close to the venue's 11pm curfew due to a late start; the show ended at 10:55). One minor correction: The song you have listed as "Welcome Back, My Friends" is actually called "Karn Evil 9" or more precisely "Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression, Part 2."