By Tom Frangione

LAS VEGAS, NV – July 2, 2023 – Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band – Steve Lukather, Colin Hay, Edgar Winter, Warren Ham, Hamish Stuart, Gregg Bissonette – are getting ready to get back on the road in September, see the full list below. One show in Las Vegas was witnessed by The Beatle Channel’s Tom Frangione. He files this report for Beatle Brunch:

With less than a week into their 2023 spring tour, Ringo and the All Starr Band seem to not have missed a beat, picking up where the 2022 Covid-truncated tours left off.

With no New York area shows slated for the current month-long tour, nor the follow up run of shows in the fall, it meant heading West, where the spring dates are taking place. With a 3-night run in Las Vegas, it seemed to be the right move, so flying pretty much across the country was in order.

Arriving on Thursday the 25th, the night off, I took in The Beatles Cirque-du-Soleil LOVE show, now entering its 18th year at the Mirage Hotel and Resort directly across the street from the Venetian. The show has undergone a bit of tweaking since I saw it last, P.C. (pre-Covid), with additional video, some more interstitial “link tracks”, and notably, the replacement of the “Strawberry Fields Forever” evolution, with the fully finished track being used throughout. We’re told that with the Mirage’s recent acquisition by the Hard Rock Hotel chain, the show was initially set to close at the end of 2023, but now looks to be safe through 2024.

See a video of Ringo Starr on Miami Beach in 1984, put together by Joe Johnson who was there!

The 1800 seat theater at the Venetian, originally built to hold their run of “Phantom of the Opera” (2006-2012) is truly a beautiful venue, with terrific sight-lines, “stadium style” seating as is usually found more predominantly in performing arts centers, excellent sound and easy in/out access –  a great choice for playing on the Strip. Kudos to Ringo and his production team for presenting their full 2-hour set list, and not the truncated 90-minute sets the casinos and hotels usually insist upon.

With the same band as the 2022 tour, and presenting an identical set list, this is really the first stab that the band has had at a full run of shows after the COVID-interruptus that plagued the 2022 spring and autumn tours. And the band were totally in a groove. For those who may have missed it, this line-up includes Ringo, Edgar Winter (keyboards, saxophone and percussion), Steve Lukather of Toto (guitar, bass), one-time Paul McCartney touring band member Hamish Stuart (he of Average White Band fame, on bass and guitar), Men at Work front man Colin Hay (guitar), Warren Ham (sax, percussion), and long time drummer Gregg Bissonette.

While the full set list appears below, here were some of the true highlights:

OCTOPUS’ GARDEN: first added to the set after being M.I.A. from the All Starr’s repertoire for over 30 years, this performance was noticeably tighter than it was on last year’s maiden voyage. Even Ringo seems to have lost track of the newness on this one, commenting that this was the first year the song was being done.

PICK UP THE PIECES: Musical Director Mark Rivera brilliantly arranged the double saxes of Winter and Ham, dubbing them “The Texas Horns” (given their roots in the Lone Star state). With Lukather switching to bass, Stuart handled most of the lead guitar here.

PHOTOGRAPH: a staple of the All Starr set list, it was notable for Ringo and the band really “bringing it down” for the second chorus, following the instrumental break, before returning to full throttle for the final verse.

Of course, there was FRANKENSTEIN, performed during the mid-show “Magical Musical Moments” interlude, spotlighting the All Starr Band sans Ringo. In addition to being a showcase for Winter’s multi-instrumental capabilities, it has become the place for Bissonette to get a spotlight, as he did in 2022, doing a run through of instantly recognizable drum intros, among them “Wipeout”, “We Will Rock You”, and “Honky Tonk Woman”. Naturally, several of Ringo’s patented drum patterns were in the mix, including “Come Together”, “Ticket To Ride” and his solo from “The End”. Adding some flourish, this year’s mini-clinic saw Lukather adding guitar flourishes after the patterns were enthusiastically received by the audience.

For the “Beatle teasers”, where Ringo jokingly asks Lukather to pick the next song to play, the guitarist offered up the intros to both “Norwegian Wood” and “Blackbird” … always a delight, and always lands you in the “Yellow Submarine”. And as an added surprise, Ringo and Bissonette launched into the opening vamp of “Who Can It Be Now” with Ringo’s signature “Get Back” groove on the snare drum, making for another “wow” moment.

And while Winter and Hay’s numbers were the ones that got most people on their feet (along with Ringo’s signature turns on “Yellow Submarine” and “With A Little Help From My Friends”), one of the great moments was the band’s run through of an oldie but newbie, “Johnny B. Goode”, which Winter included on his recent Grammy-winning tribute album to his brother, Johnny Winter. Obviously a total romp for ANY musician to tear through, Winter noted it’s importance to his brother, but moreover, I was struck by Ringo’s enthusiastic playing (and terrific fills), while recognizing the song was a staple in the Beatles own set list in their club days, and even on BBC Radio (you can hear the Beatles version on the album “Live at the BBC).

The band was clearly well-rehearsed, with the lead and backing vocals particularly brilliant throughout the show, and the crowd was enthusiastic throughout. I can’t wait to do it all again later tonight !

MERCH: surprisingly, and disappointingly, there was no tour program produced. Given the recent book chronicling the first 30 years of the All Starr Band, it would have made for a nice appendage. Elsewhere, options included a range of long and short sleeve shirts ($40-60), a hoodie ($70), a baseball cap ($35), a 4-piece pin set ($20), and a tour poster ($20). Also available were recent albums from Hay and Winter. That said, it would seem to have been worthwhile to offer the All Starr Band’s recent “Live at the Greek” double album/video set. Sure, it’s not the exact same band (with Winter replacing Gregg Rolie and with Ringo himself  making three set list swap-outs), but it’s a great compilation and no doubt could bring some much-deserved attention to the release.

And of course, Neal Glaser’s Celebrity Art was on hand, offering up signed drum heads and other artwork in support of Ringo’s Lotus Foundation charity.

Turning 83, Ringo shows no sign of slowing down and that DOES seem to come easy.

Thanks for remembering “PEACE AND LOVE” Friday 7/7 at noon wherever you were.

RINGO STARR AND HIS ALL STARR BAND – SET LIST – MAY 26, 2023

1. Matchbox
2. It Don’t Come Easy
3. What Goes On
4. Free Ride (Edgar)
5. Rosanna (Steve)
6. Pick Up The Pieces (Hamish)
7. Down Under (Colin)
8. Boys
9. I’m The Greatest
10. Yellow Submarine
11. Cut The Cake (Magical Musical Moment – Hamish)
12. Frankenstein (Magical Musical Moment – Edgar / Gregg)
13. Octopus’ Garden
14. Back Off Boogaloo
15. Overkill (Colin)
16. Africa (Steve)
17. Work To Do (Hamish)
18. I Wanna Be Your Man
19. Johnny B. Goode (Edgar)
20. Who Can It Be Now (Colin)
21. Hold The Line (Steve)
22. Photograph
23. Act Naturally
24. With A Little Help From My Friends
25. Give Peace A Chance (reprise)

HERE ARE RINGO’S ALL STARR BAND DATES FOR THIS FALL: 

“The joy for me about touring is playing live to an audience with the All Starr Band – so I’m always happy when we can add some more dates. See you in September”. Ringo.

Check local listings for on-sale dates. For more information please visit:

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