Ringo Starr Spreads Peace and Love at Ovens

It’s not every day that a Beatle performs in the Queen City. Actually, it’s not even every decade. It’s been 15 years since Paul McCartney performed in Charlotte. The last time Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band performed here was 1992.

Starr and Co. made their long-awaited return on Wednesday at Ovens Auditorium. Accompanying Starr in His All Starr Band were Colin Hay (Men at Work), Steve Lukather (Toto), Hamish Stuart (Average White Band), Gregg Bissonette (David Lee Roth, Joe Satriani), Warren Ham (Toto, Kansas) and Buck Johnson (Aerosmith).

As is the tradition with Ringo’s concerts, the band played an array of hits by a variety of artists. It wasn’t just a setlist filled with Beatles and Ringo Starr songs, though there were plenty of those.

Men at Work hits, “Down Under,” “Who Can It Be Now?” and “Overkill,” were mixed in among Toto hits, “Rosanna,” “Africa” and “Hold the Line,” as well as the Average White Band’s “Pick up the Pieces” and “Cut the Cake.”

As might be expected, some of the biggest singalongs and applause came for The Beatles and Starr songs. Ringo made his way back and forth between singing at the front of the stage and sitting behind a set of Ludwig drums (a Monroe-based company, it’s worth noting).

Starr sang a few of his own songs: “Photograph” and the recently released “Look Up” as well as a number of Beatles songs that he sang lead on, including “Honey Don’t,” “Octopus’s Garden,” “I Wanna Be Your Man,” “Yellow Submarine” and set closer “With a Little Help From My Friends.”

He also gave credit to his late bandmate and songwriter John Lennon for giving him the song “I’m the Greatest” before performing it.

Overall, the night played like a jukebox hit list of favorite tunes by a handful of beloved bands. The seasoned musicians also took the spotlight as Ringo briefly left the stage for a spell, leaving the rest of the band to play a medley of hits including snippets of songs by Led Zeppelin, Queen, Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone, Rush and others.

He might be on the verge of his 85th birthday (July 7), but Ringo’s vocals sounded strong and he rarely stopped dancing at the front of the stage. He could also often be seen smiling behind the drums while keeping the beat as Bissonette provided more moments of flash.

For nearly two hours on Wednesday night, Charlotte got to witness a rock legend do what he does best: sing, play drums, continuously flash peace signs above his head and celebrate music that changed the face of rock ‘n’ roll.

As Ringo told the crowd at the start of the night, “There is no way you will leave the show without knowing at least one song.” And he performed them well … with a little help from his friends.

Starr & Co. will continue on its tour through the summer, wrapping up with a long run at The Venetian in Las Vegas in late-September.

Setlist
Honey Don’t
It Don’t Come Easy
Rosanna
Pick Up the Pieces
Down Under
Boys
I’m the Greatest
Yellow Submarine
Cut the Cake
Octopus’s Garden
Look Up
No No Song
Overkill
Africa
Work To Do
I Wanna Be Your Man
Who Can It Be Now?
Hold the Line
Photograph
Act Naturally
With a Little Help From My Friends

Be sure to check out Queen City Nerve’s Soundwave, Charlotte’s most comprehensive live music listing, so you don’t miss out on any shows or concerts coming up. And hell, if you’re looking for something else to do, you can check out our events page as well, which runs the gamut of things to do in Charlotte. You don’t ever have to be bored again. You can check out more of Jeff’s pics and live reviews here.