From the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in anticipation of the Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band fall sendoff, Starr, band members, and musical director Mark Rivera took a break from rehearsal to respond to virtual questions about Starr’s upcoming + STARR ART exhibitions at the Venetian Resort, in Las Vegas, recent book, Beats and Threads, which highlights his historic drums kits and fashions of over 70 years, and general reactions to the tour, which started on September 10th at the Chicago Theater, includes six nights at The Venetian in Vegas, and ends on September 27th.
As the musicians fielded questions from various media outlets, one thing that they made perfectly clear was that they were excited about working together. Keyboardist Buck Johnson (Aerosmith, Hollywood Vampires), who replaced keytar/keyboardist extraordinaire Edgar Winter last year, spoke highly about the All-Starr chemistry: “To be able to play with these legends and all their beautiful songs—it’s more than just the music, it’s spiritual.”
Steve Lukather, formerly with Toto, confided: “This has been the best thirteen years of my life.” Giving props to Starr, he added: “You started my musical life.” The virtuosic
guitarist first performed: “Hold the Line,” “Rosanna,” and “Africa” with the band in 2012.
Musical Director Mark Rivera summed up the zeitgeist: “It’s all about the great songs that Ringo put together.”
Saxophonist, harmonica player, and keyboardist Warren Hamm joined the band in 2014.
“It’s fun to play with all these guys. Every year, I’m as excited as when I first came in.”
Ironically, when the idea of putting the All-Starr Band together first came up, Starr wasn’t sure what to expect.
“I said yes,” he confided, but not without reservations. “What have I done? I’d never put together a band before,” Starr shrugged. But as history has shown, he had little to worry about. Since 1989, the act has gathered steam and enticed many generations.
“Nobody said no. It was so far out that I had to stop; there would have been twenty people onstage!”
Starr’s ambitious vision led to a series of landmark lineups. The current lineup — Steve Lukather, Colin Hay, Hamish Stuart, Warren Hamm, and Greg Bissonette — comprises long-standing members, with the exception of newest addition Buck Johnson. Still, all have formed airtight musical bonds with the former Beatle.
But what’s it been like for the musicians to perform, not just their own hits, but the work of their colleagues? What do they enjoy most about touring?
Stuart, an original member of the Average White Band became a full-fledged member in 2019. Although he is equally proficient as a guitarist and bassist, the All-Starr Band allows him to fulfill a dream: “I get to play bass most of the time which is my favorite thing to do.” He described his onstage role as “being in the engine room in-between two kits of drums.”
Bissonette, formerly of the Electric Light Orchestra (and the 2023 Modern Drummer awardee) came to fame working with David Lee Roth. He has been with the All-Starr Band since 2008, but initially performed with Starr on “double drums” in 2003 with Ringo and the Roundheads. Bissonnette emphasized one of the main reasons he enjoys the set lists: “We do the songs our way which is super fun to do.”
Hay first toured with the band as bassist in 2006 and 2008 and returned in 2019. Except for the Covid-19 cancellations that affected the music community-at-large, he’s been a valued member ever since.
The former Men at Work musician depicted his touring experience with great emotion: “You get to play with Ringo. That’s it right there. If the call comes, you say yes. It goes right back to your childhood; the dream of what you want to do and then you get to do it and then you get to keep doing it.”
Starr’s activities go beyond touring. He’s presenting his STARR ART exhibition at the Venetian Resort Las Vegas from September 5-October 15, with proceeds going to his Lotus Foundation Charity. When asked about his artistic approach, Starr responded humbly:
“It’s just something I love to do,” he explained, describing his preferred setting. “I’ve got one little room where I can throw paint around. A lot of it is ‘spin art.’ It’s so abstract, you can’t control it really. We started on 10 by 8s and now, we’re doing 8 by 10s.”
Because six shows this fall are devoted to Vegas, the musicians were asked about their early memories of performing in the musical epicenter. Hay explained that, when he first performed with Men at Work, people were eating and talking loudly–music seemed to be the last thing on their mind. “It seemed ridiculous,” he recalled.
But Hay agreed that the Vegas scene is far more musician friendly these days. For Hay, specifically, the logistics are ideal. “I like playing Vegas because it’s close to home.”
Saxophonist/musical director Mark Rivera added: “My first time was with Foreigner. The high rollers got the best seats.” But since then, he agreed that the current setting is much more accommodating to musicians and fans.
Starr was quick to recall: “The first time I played there in the 1960s, it was with ‘the lads.’ There were tables. They were eating. But now, it’s so great. It’s ‘music city.’”
The topic shifted to connecting with fans in Vegas. Does the band feel the energy from the audience? Regarding the physical setting, Bissonette stated: “the world comes to you.”
A series of questions were about Starr’s other projects–for example, his role as a repeat author. When discussing the recent Beats and Threads, Starr gave full shrift to co-author Gary Astridge:
“Gary put the book together. He’s a drum freak.” Starr also marveled at the research that Astridge and the team conducted, which imbued tracking down never-seen-before photos of Starr’s wardrobe throughout key musical eras: “I’ve still got some of those clothes. They found these old pictures of me in those outfits.”
He’s been back in the studio. Look Up, Starr’s first solo # 1 country music album released early this year was produced and co-written by T-Bone Burnett. But die-hard fans know that Starr is no stranger to this genre. In his early Beatles’ career, he performed iconic country covers, such as Buck Owens’ “Act Naturally.” The project let him circle back to his roots.
Starr elaborated: “I loved making that record. I love country music. T-Bone knows his stuff.” Starr mentioned that the album includes a few covers by his early inspiration, “Blue Suede Shoes” songwriter Carl Perkins.
He even clued us in on an exciting follow-up project that will also emphasize his love of Americana. “Next year, we’re coming out with another country album.”
How does the band balance the touring process with the pressures of the world-at-large? Starr seemed to take the question in stride: “We’re playing with each other. It doesn’t take our minds off the rest of the world, but we do our best.”
Rivera quietly added: “I call the stage my ‘emotional moat.” Hay, in support, said, “It’s a great way to handle whatever is going on in the world. It’s still, as Ringo would say, ‘peace and love’ is the way.” Lukather nodded: “I’m very grateful every day to be able to do this.”
When Starr was asked his opinion of “episode 9” in the new version of the Beatles’ Anthology project, he replied:
“I think, the new version is great,” and then hesitated. “I haven’t seen episode 9. It’s going to be a surprise to me.” Although Starr may need time to evaluate Anthology and so many other projects that command his attention, one thing seems set in stone: his admiration for his fellow musicians. “We got together, and it just worked. I love this band.”
“Luke” nodded: “This is the greatest job on planet Earth.
