PopGoesTheNews.com >> Only weeks before his 70th birthday Ringo Starr is hitting the road – and he's doing it with a little help from his friends.
The former drummer for The Beatles (left photo) kicks off a 30-city tour on Thursday night with the first of two shows at the Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls, Ont. with his All Starr Band. A project he started in 1989, this year's ensemble of veteran musicians consists of (right photo, from l to r) Wally Palmar (The Romantics), Edgar Winter, Rick Derringer (The McCoys), Richard Page (Mr. Mister), Gary Wright and Gregg Bissonette.
The former drummer for The Beatles (left photo) kicks off a 30-city tour on Thursday night with the first of two shows at the Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls, Ont. with his All Starr Band. A project he started in 1989, this year's ensemble of veteran musicians consists of (right photo, from l to r) Wally Palmar (The Romantics), Edgar Winter, Rick Derringer (The McCoys), Richard Page (Mr. Mister), Gary Wright and Gregg Bissonette.
Starr and his band have been in Niagara Falls for two weeks rehearsing for the tour, which ends Aug. 7 at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.
"We have a lot of fun," says Starr. "For me, it's just the fact that whatever we play the audience loves us and they know that I love them. And that's what it's about."
The set list includes not only some Beatles classics and Starr's own songs but also familiar hits like Wright's "Dream Weaver," The Romantics' "Talking In Your Sleep," Mr. Mister's "Kyrie" and "Broken Wings."
"It's a great evening out," says Starr, who will celebrate his 70th birthday on July 7 with a show at New York City's Radio City Music Hall. He is also encouraging people around the world to say or Tweet "Peace and love" at 12 noon on that day.
>> Click HERE to watch a preview of the show.
It was 50 years ago that Starr first drummed with John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison but he wasn't made an official member of The Beatles until he replaced Pete Best in the summer of 1962. He wrote only a handful of songs for the group (most famously "Octopus's Garden" on the Abbey Road album) and sang lead on tracks like "Yellow Submarine" and "With a Little Help From My Friends."
After the break-up of The Beatles, Starr continued to write, record and perform music as well as act in a number of movies and TV shows. His latest solo album Y Not was released earlier this year.
Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band play the Avalon Theatre at Fallsview Casino Resort on Thursday at 8:30 pm and Friday at 9:00 pm. The only other Canadian dates on the tour are July 23 at Caesars Windsor and July 28 at the Jubilee Theatre in Calgary.
Photos by John R. Kennedy / PopGoesTheNews.com. Click on images to see full size.
>> Click HERE to watch a preview of the show.
It was 50 years ago that Starr first drummed with John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison but he wasn't made an official member of The Beatles until he replaced Pete Best in the summer of 1962. He wrote only a handful of songs for the group (most famously "Octopus's Garden" on the Abbey Road album) and sang lead on tracks like "Yellow Submarine" and "With a Little Help From My Friends."
After the break-up of The Beatles, Starr continued to write, record and perform music as well as act in a number of movies and TV shows. His latest solo album Y Not was released earlier this year.
Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band play the Avalon Theatre at Fallsview Casino Resort on Thursday at 8:30 pm and Friday at 9:00 pm. The only other Canadian dates on the tour are July 23 at Caesars Windsor and July 28 at the Jubilee Theatre in Calgary.
Photos by John R. Kennedy / PopGoesTheNews.com. Click on images to see full size.
