Ringo's new tour (formerly Ringo planning new tour): Update (3/18/99) A review of the Eureka show from Debbie Barcelles (thanks, Debbie!):
Ringo and his All Starr Band at the Eureka Municipal Auditorium in Eureka, CA on March 4, 1999"A full-fledged party and Classic Rock Musicfest rocked the Eureka Municipal Auditorium on March 4th hosted by Mr. Ringo Starr and his outstanding All Starr Band. I had to stop from pinching myself as if lost in a dream when Ringo walked (actually ran) out onto the stage waving his signature peace signs in the air with his fingers with the spotlight illuminating his presence there before our very eyes.
He began singing the first verse to "It Don't Come Easy" and it was true-Ringo Starr was here in the small city of Eureka, California where visits from big-named talent are far and few between. This was a milestone for this city and all who were there knew it, responding to Ringo with unbridled enthusiasm and energy that was simply electrifying. This was the first time I had seen Ringo and his All Starr Band. He was just as I expected him to be (having been a huge Beatles fan for over 30 years now), charming, easy-going, so down to earth, and remarkably witty! Even aiming jokes at himself like when he quipped that it must be the "altitude" that was getting to the band and making them wacky. Then stopping to think where he was and quickly covering up his flub with, "Oh, wait, aren't we at sea level (which Eureka is), don't mind me, I'm just making this up as I go along." Then while singing "Boys", he kept breaking out in laughter towards the end, apparently very amused by some off notes he sang. Once the song finished he commented with that British accent, "I guess I have a frog stuck in me throat." He has such a lighthearted manner and for someone with such legendary status, he doesn't appear to have a pretentious bone in his body. I was very taken by this. "Yellow Submarine" was the great crowd pleaser with the stage lights turned up brightly on the entire audience as a sing-along ensued. Everyone sang joyfully, clapping along to the familiar rhythm and you could hear the sound of collective voices fill the entire auditorium. It was one of those surreal moments in time that will leave an indelible memory forever in my mind. I consciously stopped to take a look around me, realizing here we were, thousands of people in this room singing along to this classic Beatles' tune with none other than one of the Beatles himself. How often do moments so grand take place! "The set list flowed perfectly with many highlights to remember. Todd Rundgren was delightful and entertaining, both in appearance and in his guitar work. He was barefoot in his dark blue pareo ("skirt") donning dark glasses and two-tone hair. He blew the crowd away to extremes during what I believe was the rocking highlight of the show when the very talented Simon Kirke performed "All Right Now". A smoking rendition where Todd reached new heights in his guitar playing, literally. He climbed up the towering loudspeakers at the far end of the stage to the very top (like 12 ft. or more in height). Being the tall and lanky guy he already is, he was at eye-level with the people in the balcony who rushed to get near him. Todd continued to wail away on guitar as the people close to him reached out and were actually touching him. He stayed there awhile, milking it for all it was worth as everyone yelled and cheered him on. Great moment and one we'll be talking about for a long time. The next day the local radio deejay was talking with Timmy Capello on the air about Todd's spectacle up on those speakers. Timmy said he was doing the religious symbol of "crossing himself" as if praying Todd wouldn't lose his balance and fall, breaking his neck. "Jack Bruce also provided some show-stopping moments with his performance of "Sunshine of Your Love" and "White Room". His bass playing was like none I've ever seen before and he has to be one of the finest players of all time. He was very animated and prowled the stage playing his bass with a mean streak and in-your-face conviction. The crowd was beyond itself at this point with one standing ovation after another. After every song it seemed. "Gary Brooker gave the show its most poignant moment when he performed the ethereally beautiful and mesmerizing "Whiter Shade of Pale". Suddenly the crowd became silent and still, reflecting on the melancholic keyboard sounds and Gary's evocative vocals. "Then there was Timmy Capello who was excellent playing the various percussion instruments and so hot on the sax. He sat down on the edge of the stage at one point, playing a blistering sax solo that made everyone take notice of this multi-talented newest addition to the All Starr line-up. Not to mention, the strong visual appeal he has that every woman noticed before he even played a note as Timmy is one very buff and strikingly handsome guy. Ringo's joke about looking just like Timmy, too, when he takes his shirt off got big laughs. "Ringo delighted the crowd endlessly with both Beatles and his own songs such as "Photograph", "The No-No Song", "I Wanna Be Your Man", and "Love Me Do". I'm another one who loves his "La De Da" tune and would have loved to had heard him perform it as it's one of my very favorites of his. Another one I missed was "Don't Pass Me By". "I was in the 13th row, which later proved to be a lucky number for me when I managed to make my way up to the very front of the stage for Ringo's two encore songs. This was very exciting! Everyone was up on their feet by now as Ringo sang "You're Sixteen". As the song was nearing the end, the opportune moment arrived and I went for it. I saw Ringo approaching my side of the stage and I went up to the edge and reached out to him, getting his attention. He walked over to me, leaned down and smiled, then reached out with his hand grasping mine for a moment. It felt like a dream and I will never forget it! I was filled with the giddy sensation of having actually touched a Beatle!! This was one special moment. One guy had on a t-shirt with a large photo of Ringo on the front. He handed Ringo a pen and he signed the back of the shirt for him. Ringo ended the show with "A Little Help From My Friends" (along with some very exuberant jumping jacks!) but no one was ready to see him and the band go. It could have gone on another hour or more. Those two hours went by like a flash, but I know all these good memories will live on. Truly a night I'll always remember-thanks to Ringo and the help of his friends."
Update (3/9/99) A report on the March 7 Berkeley show from Hey Jude (thanks, Jude!!):
"Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band put on a great show March 7, 1999 at the Berkeley Community Theatre in Berkeley, California. First of all, here is the set list for the night's show:
1. It Don't Come Easy 2. Act Naturally 3. Whiskey Train (Gary Brooker) 4. Shooting Star (Simon Kirke) 5. Sunshine Of Your Love (Jack Bruce) 6. I Saw The Light (Todd Rundgren) 7. Boys 8. Love Me Do 9. Yellow Submarine 10. A Salty Dog (Brooker) 11. Hammer In My Heart (Rundgren) 12. I'm The Greatest 13. No No Song 14. Back Off Boogaloo 15. I Feel Free (Bruce) 16. All Right Now (Kirke) 17. I Wanna Be Your Man 18. Bang the Drum (Rundgren) 19. White Room (Bruce) 20. A Whiter Shade Of Pale (Brooker) 21. Photograph ENCORE: 22. You're Sixteen 23. With A Little Help From My Friends"Some general notes about the show: Ringo performed more of his own songs than during the last tour. The set list has been the same throughout the tour with the exception of "You're Sixteen", which was left off the first few shows, "A Salty Dog", which has been alternated throughout the tour with "Conquistador", and Jack Bruce has occasionally added in "Theme from an Imaginary Western." The order of the opening round of songs seems to have been altered from earlier in the tour so that Simon Kirke's first song comes before Jack Bruce and Todd Rundgren's. Ringo hasn't dropped any of his songs from the last tour. He has, in fact, added two more songs "Love Me Do" and "Back off Boogaloo." I would have liked to hear "La De Da", which was performed during the 1998 European tour. "The band was in great spirits. Ringo conversed with the crowd from time to time. Some fans were cheering Ringo on during an otherwise silent moment in the crowd, at which point Ringo said "Let me show you what that sounds like from up here." Ringo proceeded to step away from the microphone and make some unitelligible noises. One notable thing was the absence of Ringo's "What's my name?" line, which I had figured he never missed saying. Todd Rundgren was pretty wild, as would be expected. He broke a string and cut his finger during one song. He also conversed with a few fans, including one group of fans that seemed to want to give Todd some instructions regarding the volume level of his guitar. Before playing "Bang on the Drum", he explained to any local 49ers fans that he has nothing to do with the Green Bay Packers playing the song when they score, although he doesn't mind getting the royalty checks every time! Gary Brooker, Jack Bruce, Timmy Cappello, and Simon Kirke were also in very good moods themselves. Kirke, Cappello, and Rundgren all through drum sticks out into the crowd at some point during the night, and Ringo threw his towel into the crowd, causing an expected small-scale riot. "The performances themselves were top-notch. I would say that Peter Frampton is the best guitarist of any of the ASB's, and that he is a smoother and more polished player than Rundgren. Rundgren obviously has had some difficulty throughout the tour playing some of the more difficult guitar solos on the Cream songs and Ringo songs. I would say that Rundgren started out slow on the solos for some of the songs, but once he got himself going, he was playing great. While Frampton followed Clapton's original solos on the Cream songs more closely, Rundgren chose to be more improvisational. What I like about the band is that none of them seem so uptight that a few mistakes would bother them. During one of the songs it seemed like one band member played a wrong note and it dominoed and by the end of the song every band member had messed-up at one point or another, but they all just laughed it off. Don't mistake this for poor musicanship, though. All of these guys are top-notch musicians on their own. "For those that are into the musical gear side of things, here are some notes regarding that: Ringo played what appeared to be the same kit he played on the '97 tour and at some of his '97 and '99 TV appearances, although I can't be sure. It was definitely a Ludwig kit, though! Simon Kirke played what appeared to the same DW kit that he did on the last tour. Timmy Cappello had a more elaborate set up than Mark Rivera did on the last tour, with several keyboards, percussion instruments, and synth drums and percussions. Cappello also played the saxaphone during several songs, and also played the Hammond organ on "Whiter Shade of Pale." Gary Brooker brought the same Hammond B-3 organ, but he played a Korg electric piano instead of the Yamaha Clavinova from the '97 tour. Jack Bruce played three basses as oppossed to two on the last tour. He played the fretless Warwick bass and Gibson EB-1 bass from the last tour, as well as another red Warwick bass with frets. Todd Rundgren had a wide assortment of guitars, including several Fender Stratocasters, an Ovation acoustic guitar, a Takamine acoustic guitar, and two Gibson SG's. He played two SG's with the same psychedelic paint job. One of them appeared to be the original older model (once owned by Clapton and since re-painted), and one appeared to be an newer exact replica. Bruce played through either three or four Hartke bass amps, and Rundgren played through two Mesa Boogie amps. "Overall, I would say that the 1997 tour band and show was better. I would still rank this tour as #2, with the 1989, 1992, and 1995 falling somewhere behind. I probably enjoyed this 1999 show more than the 1997 show because my seats were very close to the stage, much more so than at the 1997 show! For anyone who is still pondering whether to see this tour, I would definitely go to a show. Ringo performs more songs than ever, and the entire band plays great. If you liked the 1997 band the most, this will be just as enjoyable. If you liked any of the other tours, this will be even better."
"I was one of the lucky people who got to see Ringo last night at the Park West in Chicago. What a show!!!! The fact that the venue was small made everyone feel like they were getting a private show. Ringo was in top form and so was the band. He put on a cowboy hat and sang "Act Naturally," and didn't mind giving away drumsticks to people who asked for them."Ringo and Todd were at one point doing impersonations of Elvis, and Ringo even did a silly Groucho Marx walk across the stage. All in all, the show was a success and he seemed very happy when he left the stage. Those of us that were there will have great memories. Thanks Ringo!" Thanks,
Annette White
Update (3/5/99) A review of the Park West Chicago show from Debbie Glienke (thank you very much, Debbie!!):
"Ringo played the Park West in Chicago on Sunday, Feb. 28. The Park West could best be described as a large nightclub. It has an intimate feel and an excellent sound system. It's probably my favorite venue in town. We could not believe that Ringo would actually be appearing at such an intimate venue but we were sure glad that he did! The stage is very low and the seating and tables (nightclub style) went all the way up to the stage. We were able to get right up in the front and we sat on the left just in front of Gary Brooker. To give some perspective on how low the stage actually is, when I stood up I was nearly eye to eye with Gary."The crowd was enthusiastic and that band is pretty tight to start with, so the entire show was full of energy. Todd Rundgren was crazy as ever, barefoot and decked out in some sort of pink, tie-dyed skirt. He does play some odd solos during some songs, but I enjoyed his presence in this band more than I did Peter Frampton's. Jack Bruce was amazing, as usual.
"Lots of fans came up to the stage trying to hand gifts, flowers and notes to Ringo when he came down from the drums. He teased nearly everybody who made the attempt, reading most of the notes aloud and commenting on the items he was handed. But he seemed to be in a good mood and was in fine form throughout the show."No surprises in the set list, though it was nice to hear "Back Off Boogaloo." A bunch of us shouted "La Di Da" at Ringo and he did hear us but just sort of shrugged. Can't say we didn't try!
I can't say offhand how many times I've seen Ringo live over the years, but it's been at least one or two shows per tour, with excellent seats at several shows. But the energy and intimacy of this show topped them all."
"Talk about a GREAT show.....I was kinda upset that Smokin' Joe (Walsh) was not on guitar, but Todd took care of the licks and the humor (no dress for the mid-west) . If this band was together in the 60's, we would STILL be talking about them. Great sound, nice lighting and a wonderful rapport with the crowd. What a nice way to bring on the spring concert festivities. Nobody on that stage has lost one bit of talent over the years...... incredible. "White Room" and "Sunshine" were astounding with Todd and Jack kicking serious ass. All of Ringo's songs sounded better than they ever did. Mr. Brooker's voice STILL gives me chills. Throw in Simon's pure rock and.............GEEEEZ. I WANT MORE."
I was at the Beacon show on 2-16. The song that a previous person on this page couldn't remember the title of was .."Theme from an Imaginary Western." Jack Bruce performed this solo on keyboards. He wrote this song, and sang lead on it.
I've just seen Ringo the 12th, 13th and 14th at Atlantic City and the 16th and 17th at the Beacon in NYC and would like to offer the following: At the Beacon shows, during the solo spots, Jack Bruce performed "Theme From and Imaginary Western." On Sunday the 14th, Gary Brooker played "Conquistador" instead of "Salty Dog." "You're Sixteen" was added during the encores at the Beacon, just before "With a Little Help From My Friends" bringing the total of songs Ringo sang from 11 up to 12. This is worth pointing out as this is the most songs Ringo has sang at an All-Starr Band concert to date. I'll let you know if the set list varies during the Connecticut or Westbury, NY shows.
Update (2/18/99) At his press conference Wednesday, Ringo expanded on his statement in the AOL chat that there will be a boxed set of live All-Starr Band concerts. says the set, to be released in May, will feature concerts from the tour's first four year -- 1989, 1992, 1995, and 1997-98 and will be released on Eagle Rock Records. The summer tour will also feature Foreigner. You can read more at http://www1.rocktropolis.com/allstar/database/news/9902/16/story7.asp . (Thanks to Dave Persails.)
Plus, here's a review of the Beacon Theater, N.Y., show from James Winston (thanks, James!):
"I went to Ringo's show at the Beacon Theater in New York last night, and Ringo and the latest group of All Starrs gave a terrific performance to a sold-out house. Ringo opened with "It Don't Come Easy," and sang "Boys," "I Wanna Be Your Man," "Yellow Submarine," among others during the show. He introduced "Love Me Do" as being from the "Vertical Man" album, but didn't play any of the other tracks from that or "Time Takes Time," which I thought was a shame. But Ringo was full of energy and looked great. He was in good voice too, sounded terrific.Todd Rundgren, Gary Brooker and Simon Kirke all were good, but the show stealer was Jack Bruce. He sang Cream classics "Sunshine of Your Love," "I Feel Free," and "White Room," and a solo number called (I think) "Shadows in Your Eyes." His playing and singing was fantastic and the audience roared after all of his numbers.
Ringo closed the show with "Photograph," and an encore of "You're Sixteen" and "With a Little Help From My Friends." All in all, a great show, and a good, tight band.
James Winston
"I was fortunate enough to be at Ringto's opening concert on Friday night and I can tell you it was fantastic! I noticed someone beat me to the punch in reporting on the show so I'll do my best to remember the set list. Ringo's songs were not surprising. They included "It Don't Come Easy," "Photograph," "Yellow Submarine," "With a Little Help From My Friends," "The No No Song," "I'm The Greatest," "Boys," "Love Me Do" (the only surprise), "I Wanna Be Your Man" and "Back Off Boogaloo." Gary, Todd and Jack each contributed 3 songs and Simon sang 2. It was a great show. I do want to correct something that the other report stated. I was lucky enough to be in row 3 but was off to the side. I was not comped by the casino and I doubt if those around me were as they were all in their 20s and 30's (I'm in my 40's). Also, security was too tight for my liking. I was forbidden from taking pictures during the entire first half of the show although there were plenty of flashes going off the entire time. Later in the show, the over zealous security guy near me got busy doing something else so I was able to take pictures, thank goodness, but not before Ringo changed his outfit.Sincerely,
Walt Fisch
Steve,We were lucky enough to see Ringo last night at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. Couldn't believe it was the first show -- band was strong and tight -- Ringo was more energetic than we've seen him in years. Opened with "It Don't Come Easy." Played the usual stuff. Introduced "I'm the Greatest" as "written by a dear old friend, God rest his soul. . ." Nothing from the new album except the remade "Love Me Do." Todd Rundgren (the musical genius he is) easily covered all the guitar parts, that would have been shared with Joe Walsh. Brooker ("Whiter Shade of Pale" - about which Ringo commented, "I was on a few albums in the 60's, but that song still gives me goosebumps and means alot to me."), Kirke ("Shooting Star"), Todd ("I Saw the Light"), Bruce ("White Room") each did their own greatest hits with strength and enthusiasm. All in all, not really a weak point in the show. The venue (Mark Etess Arena, at the Taj) holds about 5,500, and looked to be about 80% full. One good thing is that the casino high roller "comp seats" were reserved in the side sections - true fans were in the front rows. Security did an excellent job of managing the crowd - which was excited, but by and large, middle-aged (then again, the band is middle-aged too!) Really good dual drumming by Kirke and Ringo. Ringo's on-stage chatter seemed genuinely unrehearsed. He said a few times, "We're making this up on the spot!" Don't miss the tour.
John & Monica in NJ
Update (2/4/99) Just added: March 7, Berkeley Community Theater, Berkeley, CA. Tickets on sale at 10 a.m. Feb. 7 at local outlets.
Update (1/30/99) Yet another: Feb. 26, 8 p.m., Star Plaza, Merrillville Ind. Tickets are $35 and go
on sale at 10 a.m. Jan. 30. (Thanks to John Metzger.) Also, David Moore tells us that top ticket prices for the March 1 Palace show are $32.50. We've corrected the prices here and in the Calendar.
Update (1/29/99) Another addition: March 1: Palace of Auburn Hills, Michigan. Tickets are $32.50, $22.50 and $10. plus a $4 service charge if not bought directly at the Palace. (Thanks to David Moore.)
Also we received this info from Matt Hurwitz of GDS (thanks, Matt!):
"Just to let you know, Joe Walsh has dropped out of the 10th Anniversary All-Starr Tour, opening in a few weeks. No explanation as of yet."Matt Hurwitz
Good Day Sunshine
Update (12/29/98) We've made some changes in the schedule below based on the http://www.ringotour.com website. Other changes are likely. As soon as we get the official word, we'll revise the schedule. (Thanks to Ken Lund.)
Update (12/27/98) We've heard unofficially that tickets are on sale for the Silver Legacy shows (thanks, Walter Wilde), a second show has been added for the Westbury Music Fair on Feb. 24 since the first one sold out (thanks, John Davies) and that the March 14 concert in Boise, Idaho has been postponed (thanks, Mike). We're trying to get an updated schedule and we'll post it when we do. If you hear of any other schedule changes, please let us know and we'll pass them on.
Update (12/11/98) The press release for Ringo's tour, sent to us by Matt Hurwitz of Good Day Sunshine (thanks, Matt!):
RINGO STARR CELEBRATES THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS ALL- STARR BAND WITH TOURRINGO STARR AND HIS 5TH ALL STARR BAND TO TOUR US AND AFRICA
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Ringo and His All Starr Band, Ringo Starr will launch his 5th All Starr Band Tour February 12 in Atlantic City at the Taj Mahal Casino. Produced by David Fishof, the tour will also include a week of dates in South Africa in March. This marks the first time Ringo, or any Beatle, has ever played South Africa. Ringo was also the first Beatle to tour Russia, which he did this summer, in addition to 10 other countries.
The 10th anniversary All-Starr line-up will include: Joe Walsh (from the 1st and 2nd All-Starrs), Todd Rundgren (from the 2nd bond); and Gary Brooker, Jack Bruce and Simon Kirke from the 4th All-Starr Band.
Fans can expect to hear Ringo's classics, such as "Photograph" and "Back Off Boogaloo" and "With A Little Help From My Friends." 'The set will also include some of Ringo's latest music from the recently released "Vertical Man." The All-Starrs will also play their greatest hits, including the legendary "Life's Been Good To Me So Far," "Rocky Mountain Way," "Bang on the Drum," "White Room," "Sunshine of Your Love," "Whiter Shade of Pale" and "All Right Now."
The tour comes on the heels of Ringo's most recent release, "VH I Story Tellers." 1998 also saw Ringo release his 12th album, "Vertical Man" (Mercury Records), complete a European tour; and a VH-1 taping of "Story Tellers" (from which the album was created.
RINGO 5TH ALL-STARR BAND TOUR SCHEDULE DATE CITY VENUE Feb. 12/13/14 Atlantic City, N.J. Taj Mahal Casino Feb. 16 (sold out)/17 New York City, N.Y. Beacon Theater Feb. 19/20 Uncasville, Ct. Mohegan Sun Casino Feb. 21 (sold out) Long Island Westbury Music Fair Feb. 22 Columbus, Ohio Schottenstein Center Feb. 24 Long Island Westbury Music Fair(thanks, Mitch!) Feb. 26 Merrillville Ind. Star Plaza Feb. 28 Chicago, Ill. Park West March 1 Auburn Hills, Mich. Palace of Auburn Hills March 5-6 Clear Lake, CA. Joe Mazzola Classic Concert Showroom
Konocti Harbor Inn Resort and SpaMarch 7: Berkeley, Ca. Berkeley Community Theater March 11 Boise, Idaho Bank of America Center March 12 Ogden, Utah Dee Event Center March 13 Las Vegas, Nev. The Joint March 14-15 San Diego, CA. 4th and B March 18 Los Angeles, CA. Universal Amphitheater March 19/20 Reno, Nev. Silver Legacy Casino March 21: Lake Tahoe, Nev. Harrah's Casino March 25 Memphis/Robinsonville, Tenn. Horseshoe Casino March 26 Jacksonville, Fla. Florence Theater March 27: Ft. Lauderdale, FL WMXJ Radio Show, Lockhart Stadium March 28: Orlando, FL Hard Rock Cafe Note: Dates for some early shows have already gone on sale, others will shortly. More dates will also be announced soon.
Ringo will kick off a winter mini-tour (which he first talked about with our own Allan Kozinn in the interview published in Beatlefan #113) on Feb. 12-14 in Atlantic City. He'll do "three or four" more East Coast cities then South Africa. Then they hope to hit a few cities on the U.S. West Coast. Full itinerary not nailed down yet; neither is the band.
Bill
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