Starr keeps trekkin' energetically
Randy Lewis, Los Angeles Times
on
Jul 3, 2016
Published in
Entertainment News
LOS ANGELES -- Ringo Starr couldn't have looked cooler, calmer or more
collected.
Two hours before he stepped in front of more than 6,000 fans at the Greek
Theatre,
the ex-Beatle, less than a week shy of his 76th birthday, welcomed a visitor
into
his dressing room Saturday as he relaxed in a chair, dressed monochromatically
in
a sleek black jacket, slim black jeans, matching T-shirt and tennis shoes.
"The tour is great," he said of his latest All-Starr Band, which wrapped a
21-show
2016 U.S. tour concert with the sold-out homecoming show at the Greek.
The lineup featured guitarist, singer and songwriter Todd Rundgren, Toto
guitarist-singer
Steve Luka-ther, Santana keyboardist-singer Gregg Rolie, bassist Richard Page,
saxophonist-percussionist
Warren Ham and drummer Gregg Bissonette.
"You and I and a lot of people know this band -- we've been together now for
four
years," Starr said.
"We get on well, the songs are still good, we enjoy playing and people are still
coming out. We're supportive of each other -- that's what it's all about -- and
when
we're not working, we can still hang out. It's great."
He didn't mention that his latest All-Starr Band lineup has been together now
half
as long as that other group that made him famous half a century ago.
Onstage later, Lukather quipped, "We're going to outlast the Beatles," drawing a
smile from the band leader.
Because it was the last stop on the tour, there was no shortage of expressions
of
mutual admiration among the band members, a virtual love fest from and
surrounding
the man who has made his own mantra of the phrase "Peace and love."
He noted backstage that come Thursday he will once again use his birthday to
promote
that message in an annual ritual.
Starr will hold court outside the Capitol Records tower in Hollywood. "Other
musicians
will play songs of mine," he said, "and we'll be trying to encourage everyone,
wherever
they are at noon (Thursday), to say 'Peace and love.'"
.. After the celebrity auction he and his wife, actress Barbara Bach, conducted
last
winter with hundreds of items they culled from their personal and professional
lives,
Starr said they've downsized considerably, sold the home they owned in Monte
Carlo
and now live primarily in Los Angeles.
That made Saturday's two-hour performance essentially a homecoming show, during
which
he sang lead on a dozen numbers, including his signature Beatles songs "With a
Little
Help From My Friends," "Yellow Submarine," "Boys," "Don't Pass Me By" and "I
Wanna
Be Your Man."
His reading of "Act Naturally" brought the song full circle, given that it was
originally
a hit for Bakersfield country star Buck Owens, who recorded it at Capitol in
Hollywood.
As usual, the All-Starr Band concept turns over generous spotlight time to
Starr's
collaborators.
That allows Lukather to resurrect Toto hits "Rosanna," "Africa" and "Hold the
Line."
Rundgren, meanwhile, let loose on his Beatles-esque "I Saw the Light" as well as
the rhythmically insistent "Bang the Drum All Day." Page stepped forward on Mr.
Mister's
"Broken Wings" and "Kyrie," and Rolie unleashed the Latin rhythms of Santana's
"Black
Magic Woman," "Evil Ways" and "Oye Como Va."
The group delivers a high familiarity quotient but didn't always take full
advantage
of the skills of rock's most celebrated drummer. It would be illuminating, for
instance,
to hear what Starr would bring to his band mates' hits with his distinctively
unfussy,
rock-solid rhythmic accompaniment rather than meticulously re-creating the
original
drum parts by having fellow drummer Bissonette add so many complex flourishes
and
fills.
Starr's characteristic energetic spark and certainly his wit showed no signs of
diminishing
through the years. He spryly bounded on and off stage and near the end of the
show
engaged in a flight of jumping jacks near the conclusion of "With a Little Help
From
My Friends."
The one overt acknowledgement of the passage of time came with a quick lyric
change
in his performance of "I'm the Greatest," which, he told the crowd, "was written
for me ... long ago, by John Lennon." Where Lennon wrote "Now I'm only 32, and
all
I want to do is boogaloo," Starr wryly sang, "Now I'm way past 32 ... ."
Although Saturday's performance brought his latest concert run to an end, Starr
said
backstage, "I'm more than halfway through a new album," using a studio at his
L.A.
home and tapping musician pals whenever they drop by to visit. His songwriting
partners
include Lukather, Glen Ballard, Dave Stewart and Van Dyke Parks.
Starr soon will head to Las Vegas for a 10th-anniversary celebration of the
Cirque
du Soleil show "Love," which has been outfitted with new technological elements
and
some revamped numbers. The retooled version has been running since February, but
Starr said he will see it for the first time July 14, when he's slated to be
alongside
Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison.
"I want to be surprised too," he said. "They do a great job."
(c)2016 Los Angeles Times
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