Peace and love have been the Ringo Starr way for seven decades. But on Wednesday night, the message was heightened against the backdrop of unprecedented moments in American history. As the Beatle and his All-Starr Band kicked off a brief tour in Chicago, they brought with them a reminder of music’s power to unite and heal.
Inside the Chicago Theatre, peace signs flooded the historic venue, whether printed on an assortment of merch or emblazoned on the hallucinatory Sgt. Pepper-style backdrop. Throughout the night, Starr threw out the two-finger sign like candy at a parade, and the sold-out crowd repeated the gesture in kind. While there was no “Come Together” moment in the set list, for two hours, the audience did just that.
Before the show began, fans across the generational spectrum traded tallies of how many times they had seen Starr live or expressed how excited they were to mark the first time. Parents brought kids, effectively passing down a slice of the classic rock soundtrack that got them through hard times. Even theater ushers were seen dancing in the aisles, feeling the same rush of endorphins.
“I say this every time we play, but every one of you in this building will know one song, I promise you,” Starr said to kick things off, after a standing ovation welcomed him to the stage. From “Yellow Submarine” to “It Don’t Come Easy,” predicted singalongs filled the theater. Yet, the gilded Beatles and Starr’s solo material was just a fraction of what the night had to offer. The All-Starrs also hail from rock royalty, and they helped fill the set with unmistakable hits from their own catalogs.
Guitarist Steve Lukather gifted Toto covers, from “Rosanna” to “Africa” and “Hold the Line.” Fellow guitarist Colin Hay brought his Men At Work best, like “Down Under” and “Who Can It Be Now?” with his pristine vocals sounding like carbon copies of the decades-old recordings. Bassist Hamish Stuart revived Average White Band staples, including “Pick Up the Pieces” and “Cut the Cake,” with help on the saxophone crescendos from utility man Warren Ham. The multi-instrumentalist became the unsuspecting tour de force of the night, effortlessly volleying from sax to oboe to flute to percussion and vocals.
Rounding out the troupe was keyboardist Buck Johnson (from Aerosmith and The Doobie Brothers) and drummer Gregg Bissonette (a go-to of David Lee Roth and many of the musicians in the All-Starr lineup). Together, the seven musicians brought a natural chemistry and harmoniously blended a unified wall of sound on the night’s global songbook.
Starr started the supergroup project in 1989, and although it has had more than a dozen rotating casts over the years, the purpose has remained the same: working with friends, celebrating beloved music and perhaps trying to dim the blinding spotlight thrust on him during the height of Beatlemania by surrounding himself with more greats.
Of course, eyes were glued to Starr anyway. Along with Paul McCartney (also headed to Chicago for solo dates in November), seeing the two remaining soldiers of the most iconic music act of all time still feels unreal. During the night, Starr humbly played into it, trading posts at the mic on spotless versions of “Honey Don’t” and “Octopus’s Garden” or sitting behind the drum kit for his colleagues’ big numbers with the same sprightly touch seen in vintage Beatles performances. At one point, Starr departed to the dressing room to get some tea. “This is what it’s come to,” he joked. Yet, even at 85, he shows no signs of slowing down. In January, Starr released his first country album in 50 years, “Look Up,” with producer T Bone Burnett. (The two are already working on the sequel.)
That album — a reverent take on a genre Starr has always loved — brought him back to the top of the charts and led to his career debut at the Grand Ole Opry. On a grander level, it also taps into the eternal optimism he has always been keen to spread. On this night, a sanguine performance of the “Look Up” title track whet the appetite for the last course, ending on the upswing of “With A Little Help From My Friends” into “Give Peace a Chance.” As the final song carried the crowd out into the vestibule, Starr’s peace and love creed suddenly felt less of a lofty ideal and more of a parting directive as we all went back out into the world.
RINGO STARR & HIS ALL-STARR BAND SET LIST
Honey Don’t (Carl Perkins cover)
It Don’t Come Easy (Ringo Starr song)
Rosanna (Toto cover with Steve Lukather)
Pick Up the Pieces (Average White Band cover with Hamish Stuart)
Down Under (Men at Work cover with Colin Hay)
Boys (The Shirelles cover)
I’m the Greatest (John Lennon cover)
Yellow Submarine (The Beatles cover)
Cut the Cake (Average White Band cover with Hamish Stuart)
Octopus’s Garden (The Beatles cover)
Look Up (Ringo Starr song)
No No Song (Hoyt Axton cover)
Overkill (Men at Work cover with Colin Hay)
Africa (Toto cover) (with Steve Lukather)
Work To Do (The Isley Brothers cover with Hamish Stuart)
I Wanna Be Your Man (The Beatles cover)
Who Can It Be Now? (Men at Work cover with Colin Hay)
Hold the Line (Toto cover with Steve Lukather)
Photograph (Ringo Starr song)
Act Naturally (Johnny Russell cover)
With a Little Help From My Friends (The Beatles cover with “Give Peace a Chance” outro by Plastic Ono Band)
