Expectations are always high of any of the two remaining Beatles, and on Saturday night the Greek Theatre was filled to the brim with fans yearning for a trip down memory lane, lead by rock’s most famous drummer, Ringo Starr. While none of the Greek patrons wet themselves (probably), the essence of frenzy was still in the air as the former Beatle took to the stage showing off his trademark double peace signs.
Since the late 1980s, Starr has been performing with an occasionally revolving group of all star musicians. This time, Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band lineup featured guitarist-singer Todd Rundgren, Toto guitarist-singer Steve Lukather, Santana keyboardist-singer Gregg Rolie, bassist Richard Page, saxophonist-percussionist Warren Ham and drummer Gregg Bissonette. They opened the night with a cover of Carl Perkins’ “Matchbox” and then Ringo’s own “It Don’t Come Easy. As a solo artist, Ringo has recorded 18 albums, but he still seems like someone who may not necessarily live for the spotlight. For most of the show, the spotlight was handed over to his all-stars who performed a selection of their own hits and, with a number of extra-long jams, showed off the band’s full abilities. While this was entertaining, the audience would have preferred more Ringo.
Starr alternated between frontman and accompanied-drummer who held a steady beat while Bissonette added more percussive finesse and fills. While Starr isn’t always lauded as the world’s ‘best’ drummer, he is still the most well-known and seeing him smiling behind his instrument was particularly memorable. He wasn’t full of nostalgic anecdotes ,but he held attention with what few nods he did give to the Fab Four. “Got to tell you, when I first joined the Beatles I wrote a lot of songs. None of them were recorded … till I wrote this one,” Ringo joked, and the band moved swiftly into “Don’t Pass Me By.” With the audience on a Beatles high, Starr did not waste any energy or wit. “I’m sure you’re gonna join in with this because you know the words. If you don’t know the words to this you’re in the wrong venue and you’re waiting for Led Zeppelin.” The band jokingly played the first few bars of “Stairway to Heaven” as Ringo pointed into the audience saying, “Robert Plant! Hey Robert, what are you doing here? Got a free ticket I see …” and then they cut the joke and shifted into theater-wide sing-along of “Yellow Submarine.”
“I gotta tell you that we’ve come to this moment in our show and for me, this is the most magical musical moment in the show and it can only be lead by the incredible Gregg Rolie,” he declared. The band launched into a cover of “Black Magic Woman.” The most notable part of this performance was not its extreme length but the fact that Ringo left the stage for its entirety. For Starr, the most magical musical moment in the show did not include him — a sentiment backed by no one in that venue. When returned, he had switched out of his blazer and into a silver-starred jacket, adding to the plethora of stars projected all over the brightly lit stage. Some of the more remarkable tracks of the night were Toto’s “Africa” and “I’m the Greatest,” written for Starr by John Lennon. Starr augmented Lennon’s lyrics from “Now I’m only 32, and all I want to do, is boogaloo,” to “Now I’m way past 32 …” Watching the band perform alongside Starr while showing off their musical prowess with indulgent moments of solo, it was clear that they delighted in playing with one another. The Beatles “I Want To Be Your Man” and Starr’s “Photograph” were big hits as the evening wound down.
The 24-song, encore-less set ended with Ringo jumping up and down during “With a Little Help From My Friends” — his energy making it incredibly difficult to believe he is just a few days shy of his 76th birthday. The theater-wide chant-along to Plastic Ono Band cover “Give Peace A Chance” solidified Ringo’s unwavering peace and love attitude that permeated the air as fans shuffled out of the venue.
Photos and Review by me for BUZZBANDS.LA
