Ringo Starr & All His Starr Band @ MGM Music Hall 9/30
Photos by Mina Jones
Review by Kainat Deo
Wednesday was an inconspicuous weekday for many Bostonians, likely made up of the typical traffic-jammed commute, a lazily thrown-together midweek dinner and emails scheduled to send before settling into stress-soaked covers. However, for others, a timeless mission of peace dictated their evening, led by former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr.
Sir Richard Starkey, known to the world as “Ringo,” took the stage at MGM Music Hall at Fenway, bringing together all different walks of life. Showgoers, packed body-to-body and brimming with excitement, reflected the sheer influence of the Beatles across age categories: those needing canes to stand swayed with the night’s music alongside high school and college students who jumped at the beat with painted signage and long hair bouncing. Throughout the evening, peace signs decorated the audience, channeling John Lennon and Ringo’s “peace and love” slogan, popularized during the 1960s anti-war movement.
At 86 years old, Ringo brought an impressively youthful energy to his performance, putting together a nearly two-hour setlist for the evening. The show kicked off with a loudly exclaimed “Are you ready?” leading into Ringo’s 1973 solo song “It Don’t Come Easy.”
Ringo, jumping between the drum set and microphone, sometimes both at the same time, throughout the evening, was accompanied by members of his All Starr Band: Steve Lukather of Toto on guitar, Colin Hay of Men at Work on guitar and vocals, Hamish Stuart of Average White Band on bass, Gregg Bissonette on drums, Buck Johnson of Aerosmith on keyboard and Warren Ham of Kansas on saxophone, bongos, harmonica and an assortment of other nonstandard instruments.
The night’s second song played was Toto’s Grammy-winning “Rosanna,” featuring a show-unique harmonica solo from Ham and a guitar solo from Lukather. Ringo’s selection of tracks spotlights the pioneering musical contributions of his band members, affording concertgoers a curated throwback experience. Although the tour is officially advertised with Ringo front and center, he assumed the classic role of a drummer when behind his kit, suave and unflappable.
Ringo assumed his position as drummer for Average White Band’s “Pick Up the Pieces” and Men at Work’s “Down Under,” with Colin Hay jokingly sharing, “If you would have said 20 years ago that I would be on tour with Ringo Starr… I would have said I can envision that!” The whole audience came together to chant the lyrics for the aforementioned Men at Work song, a timeless tune recognized by fans and nonfans alike.
“There’s this guy named John [Lennon]. One day we were sitting in the studio, and he goes, “Ringo, this one is for you,” Ringo said, grabbing the mic in preparation for one of the night’s standout tracks, “Yellow Submarine.” Hands soared through the venue; those there with partners turned inwards to dance with one another and Ringo jumped around the stage. As the energy dwindled, Ringo slunk behind the stage, telling showgoers it was time for his tea break. In the meantime, Stuart led the performance of “Cut the Cake,” giving the audience “a little slice of 1975.”
Reemerging, Ringo led the band in performing the sole self-written track from the Beatles’ iconic 1969 album “Abbey Road,” “Octopus’s Garden.” Throughout the Beatles’ discography, it is a known trend that Ringo either wrote or led the vocals on at least one track per album, an effort to showcase the typically unpretentious image. Waltzing back to his kit, the band performed Toto’s “Africa,” Average White Band’s “Work To Do” and the Beatles’ “I Wanna Be Your Man,” on which Ringo simultaneously played the drums and sang.
The evening was initially concluded with “With a Little Help from My Friends,” from the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” with chants from the audience reverberating throughout the venue.
“Peace and love everybody!” exclaimed Ringo as he scurried behind the curtains.
The All Starr band riffed amongst themselves for a few minutes before Ringo reemerged, delivering a powerful outro performance of “Give Peace A Chance” by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. In lieu of applause, peace signs erupted across the audience in remembrance of a mission transcendent of time.
Mark Kerekes, a showgoer from Minnesota, shared his perspective, likely echoed by most present that evening: “[Ringo] is a special person; we need people like that more than ever. [He is] truly a kind musician who brings people, including some of the finest musicians, together.”
