MEXICO CITY (AP) — The third time is the charm and after a performance canceled due to the pandemic and another due to suffering from COVID-19, Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band finally performed in a concert in Mexico City.
Starr’s first attempt was in 2020 when his shows scheduled for October of that year were canceled due to restrictions imposed during the pandemic. Starr sought to return to the country in 2022, but on that occasion he had to cancel his tour dates after becoming infected with COVID-19.
Finally, he kept his promise and appeared at the National Auditorium in the Mexican capital. Her previous visit had been in 2015, when she gave three concerts in the auditorium. For this occasion she had two dates scheduled.
Starr, 83, explained at the beginning of his recital that everyone in his band is a star, hence his name. Their current lineup consists of Steve Lukather of Toto, Colin Hay of Men at Work, Hamish Stuart of Average White Band, Buck Johnson (replacing Edgar Winter), Warren Ham and Gregg Bissonette, who synchronized with Starr to play two drums. in multiple songs. In many others, Starr left his beloved percussion instrument to sing up front alongside the guitarists.
“Good evening Mexico City, are you ready to have fun, are you ready to listen to good music? That’s what we do here,” Starr said, clad in a star-studded jacket, at the beginning of the concert. “Each and every one of you is going to know at least one song,” he added humorously.
People shouted “I love you” and Ringo answered “and I love you,” but there were so many shouts that he took it as humorous. “Yes, they already told me 94 times,” he said, acting serious.
The group made the most of their repertoire by performing songs such as “Rosanna”, “Hold The Line” and “Africa” by Toto, the band in which Lukather is the guitarist; as well as “Who Can It Be Now” and “Down Under” by Hay, vocalist of Men at Work.
But of course the public was enthusiastic about the songs of The Beatles, the group with which Starr became known, which included “With A Little Help From My Friends”, “Yellow Submarine”, “I Wanna Be Your Man” and the classic sung by Ringo “Octopus’s Garden.”
Starr also added other songs from his solo career such as “Photograph”, “It Don’t Come Easy” and “I’m the Greatest”, which he presented as a song composed by his friend John. “He thought it would be better if he sang it.” me because I’m not afraid to say ‘I’m the greatest’,” he said before performing it.
There were also topics from other groups.
“A song I’ve played for a long time and I played this song before I was even in that band you know me for,” Starr said before singing “Boys,” a song originally performed by the all-female band The Shirelles in 1960.
The concert ended with Lennon and Yoko Ono’s anti-war song “Give Peace a Chance.”
Hours before, “It Don’t Come Easy” was one of the songs with which Starr did his sound check, for which he apologized for a brief delay due to city traffic and that he had a slight electrical failure. Despite the small setbacks, a couple of songs, also including “Matchbox”, were enough for the veteran band to declare themselves pleased with the sound in less than half an hour.
All Starr Band celebrates 35 years since its formation. It has remained active and has included members and guests such as Roger Hodgson, Sheila E, Steven Tyler and Paul McCartney.
A two-time member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Starr has been awarded nine Grammys, an Academy Award and an honorary doctorate in music from Berklee College of Music. He has published eight books, has been a photographer for artists such as Foo Fighters, and has held multiple exhibitions of his work as a visual artist.
Turning 84 on July 7, Starr often uses his birthday celebration to promote love and peace in the world. From now on he is celebrating his EP “Crooked Boy”, released in April of this year, which adds to his 20 solo studio albums and four other EPs.
