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June 24, 2008
Ringo Starr at Mohegan Sun Arena
If there’s one thing you can count on when you see Ringo Starr, it is this: You will walk out of the show feeling much better than when you walked in.
I was feeling a little run down Sunday, but I had committed to covering Ringo and his All-Starr Band at the Mohegan Sun Arena, so off I went.
I’m glad I did.
It’s not so much that Ringo is a great singer or that this lineup of his All-Starrs consists of A-list performers, because neither of those statements are true. But catching the positive vibe put forth on stage by Ringo was invigorating, as was watching the band members, who obviously were enjoying being back on a main stage in an arena.
Joining Ringo on this tour are Billy Squier, Edgar Winter, Colin Hay of Men at Work, Hamish Stuart of Average White Band, Gary Wright and drummer Gregg Bissonette.
This was the second time I had seen a Ringo tour, but I don’t remember the first show lasting as long. Sunday night’s concert ran nearly 2½ hours, perhaps because some of the All-Starrs got the opportunity to do three songs instead of what I perceived to be the limit of two.
After Ringo opened the show with two classics and a recent number he seems to enjoy, “Memphis in Your Mind,” it was time for the All-Starrs to take over the spotlight.
Squier did a blistering “Lonely is the Night” and sounded pretty much as he did in his early-’80s heyday. He also nailed “The Sttroke” later in the concert. It made me wonder why we don’t see more of him on tour. You would think with his string of hits that he should be able to pack clubs and small theaters.
Next up was Winter, who recently played a club date at Daniel Street in Milford, with “Free Ride,” followed by Hay, who played the obligatory “Down Under” by Men at Work.
The first surprise of the night came when Gary Wright performed “Dream Weaver.” He sounded great and he also would provide me another surprise later in the show. I had always thought of him as a one-hit wonder, but when he did his second number, “Love is Alive,” I realized my mistake. So, is he a two-hit wonder or are there more songs by him that I’ve forgotten?
After Ringo returned for “Boys,” Stuart played the up-tempo “Pick Up the Pieces” by AWB, before Ringo sang the nostalgic title track to his latest record, Liverpool 8.
Unlike the last Ringo concert I attended, two members of the band did solo acoustic numbers, with varying degrees of success. Not to knock Stuart, but did we really need him doing a solo version of Leon Russell’s “A Song for You”? It was OK, but there are too many songs Ringo and the other musicians could have played in that slot that it seemed like a waste of time.
Notable Ringo tunes that were missing from the show included “Don’t Pass me By” and “Octopus’ Garden” from his Beatles days and his solo hits “The No-No Song” and “You’re Sixteen.”
Hay, who often performs in the solo format, charmed the crowd with his offering, the title track from his latest CD, Are You Looking at Me? He even managed to get the crowd to help on the chorus, not bad considering there probably weren’t too many in attendance who had ever heard the song before.
Winter supplied another highlight with his instrumental “Frankenstein,” which featured him on keyboards, sax and drums.
Ringo ended the show with the one-two punch of “Photograph” and “Oh My My” before doing something I wish more performers would consider. He didn’t go through the motions of an encore.
“We could go back there and stand in the dark, but you know we’re coming back and we know we’re coming back,” he told the crowd. “I refuse to do it anymore.”
He then led the band through what may be his signature song, “With a Little Help from My Friends,” and this time it rang a little truer. Former All-Starr Dr. John, who had given a free show at the Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den Sunday night, joined Starr and this group of All-Starrs for the non-encore encore.
The show ended with the musicians and the crowd singing the chorus of John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance.” A fitting end to an uplifting event.
The set list
It Don’t Come Easy/What Goes On/Memphis in Your Mind/Lonely is the Night (Billy Squier)/Free Ride (Edgar Winter)/Down Under (Colin Hay)/Dream Weaver (Gary Wright)/Boys/Pick Up the Pieces (Hamish Stuart)/Liverpool 8/Act Naturally/Yellow Submarine/A Song for You (HS)/Are You Looking at Me (CH)/Frankenstein (EW)/Never Without You/Choose Love/The Stroke (BS)/Work to Do (HS)/I Want to Be Your Man/Love is Alive (GW)/Who Can It Be Now? (CH)/Photograph/Oh My My/With a Little Help from My Friends
Posted by Sean on June 24, 2008 6:27 PM
