Ringo Starr helped by his friends

Nobody hates Ringo. At least they shouldn't. If you do, I don’t want to know you. 

Being the drummer behind three of the best singer-songwriters of all time, he can be forgiven for not being a songwriter himself. He ran onstage and kicked off a roaring rendition of Matchbox. It was hard to believe he had such energy at his age. 

I didn’t have to wait long for the one solo Ringo track I needed to hear – He stepped right into It Don’t Come Easy for his second song. Then he settled behind the drum kit (the second drum kit, as Greg Bissonette the All Starr’s main drummer showed powerhouse chops the whole night) and the show became less Ringo and more rock and roll revue. 

At age 82 (83 in July), Ringo’s voice seemed in fine form. He had a few mild stumbles but nothing that couldn’t be chalked up to the altitude. He seemed energetic and drummed on almost every song where he didn’t handle lead vocals. 

Ringo seemed in his element onstage. At one point, Ringo gave guitarist Steve Lukather the chance to pick the next song. He didn’t know the chords for the first choice, and when Lukather broke into the warm notes that open Beatles classic Norwegian Wood, Ringo chuckled and quickly said, “No, no, we’re not going to play that song.” 

But what could have been in that moment. Mild disappointment faded as Lukather’s third choice was Yellow Submarine, prompting a full-audience singalong. 

Then Ringo scooted offstage for a break. Ordinarily that might yield disappointment, but his stage show is all about passing the baton between band members. 

The conceit of The All Starr Band has always been solid. If Ringo doesn’t have to fill the night with his own songs, his bandmates can step up. As Ringo put it, “Everybody here is going to know a song or two.” 

Of the nearly two dozen songs, I knew all but a few. The 2023 iteration includes Steve Lukather (Toto guitarist-songwriter), keyboardist Edgar Winter, bassist Hamish Stuart (Average White Band), and guitarist Colin Hay, singer-songwriter of Australian group Men at Work. 

Dozens of famed musicians have participated in the live-only supergroup. Needless to say, that band brought a solid share of hits to complement Ringo. Winter was a little too over-the-top with the rock cliches – no one cares they you turned your keyboard into a keytar. I didn’t mind hearing Free Ride or Frankenstein, but those classic rock staples did take the show in a different direction, especially a take on Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode that leaned too heavily into staid white guy blues. 

Lukather’s presence meant Toto songs, including Rosanna, Africa, and Hold the Line. Not my thing, but they sounded fine. Stuart’s bass led on Average White Band standards Pick up the Pieces and Cut the Cake, plus a cover of the Isley Brothers’ Work to Do. They all sounded sharp for a short while.

Colin Hay’s songs were the biggest surprise, as trio of Men at Work hits (Down Under, Overkill, and Who Can it Be Now?) all acquitted themselves well among Beatles tunes. What I heard was enough to entice me to check out Hay solo or whatever iteration of Men at Work he takes on tour.  

Soon enough we came back to the Beatles. And that was key. Sprawling as the band’s scope could feel, the Beatles tunes never drifted too far away. Sure, Ringo played his collection of other solo hits – I’m The Greatest, written by John Lennon; Backoff Boogaloo; and Photograph. 

But what anchored the set were the 1-2 songs per album that Lennon, McCartney and Harrison ceded the mic to their steady drummer. Some were covers – Act Naturally, Matchbox and Boys. But the band roared through I Wanna Be Your Man.

 I delighted in hearing What Goes On and Octopus’ Garden. The nautical-themed Beatles songs always belong to Ringo. He never had the best voice, but he had the most relatable. I have never known what an Octopus’ Garden is, but it’s wonderful to imagine just based on his singing. 

Ringo warned of the show’s end as the band broke into a cry of “Billy Shears” and he began his Sgt. Pepper showcase, With a Little Help from my Friends. Better known for Joe Cocker’s powerhouse cover, Ringo’s version has a vulnerability that only he can convey. He sounded like those lyrics might actually be about him. 

After Ringo trotted off, the band jumped into a short reprise of John Lennon’s Give Peace a Chance, ensuring that a festive night held onto its optimism until the last note rang. 

Eighty-something Ringo Starr seemed poised to stay on tour and take whatever friends he needed to keep him out there.