Ringo Starr brought his All Starr Band to the Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Friday, September 20, as they wind down their second North American tour leg of 2024.
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The concert was chock-full of fabulous performances and classic songs, particularly from Starr’s years with The Beatles and from his solo catalog. Of course, the show also featured multiple hits associated with the other main members of the All Starr Band.
The group’s lineup this year features Men at Work frontman Colin Hay, Average White Band guitarist/bassist Hamish Stuart, and Toto guitarist Steve Lukather. Lukather, who joined the All Starr Band in 2012, has had the longest-running tenure in Ringo’s star-packed touring collective. Rounding out the group are drummer Greg Bissonette, sax and flute player Warren Ham, and keyboardist Buck Johnson. Johnson, who’s previously toured with Aerosmith and the Hollywood Vampires, is filling in for Edgar Winter on the current trek.
Starr kicked off the show with a fun version of Carl Perkins’ 1957 rocking blues tune “Matchbox,” a song that The Beatles covered in 1964. Ringo then addressed the crowd, jokingly assuring them they’d all know at least one song that would be played that night.
Next up was a version of Starr’s first solo hit, “It Don’t Come Easy,” which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970.
The Other All Starrs Step to the Mic
Then it was time for the other All Starr Band members to showcase some of their major hits. Starr left the front of the stage to play drums alongside Bissonette.
Lukather sang lead on a rendition of Toto’s pop-rock smash “Rosanna,” with Ham helping out on the high vocal parts. Lukather ended the tune with a blistering guitar solo.
That was followed by a version of the Average White Band’s funky 1974 mostly instrumental chart-topper “Pick Up the Pieces.” Stuart handled the song’s grooving guitar parts as Lukather switched to bass.
Hay was in particular good voice belting out Men at Work’s signature hit “Down Under,” which topped the Hot 100 in 1983.
Back to Ringo
With Starr still behind his drum kit, he rocked out on a version of the 1960 Shirelles song “Boys,” which the Fab Four covered on their 1963 debut U.K. album, Please Please Me.
Ringo then returned to the front of the stage and sang “I’m the Greatest,” a song written by John Lennon that Starr recorded for his hit 1973 album Ringo.
Before the next tune, Starr asked Lukather what song they should do next. The guitarist jokingly teased the audience by playing the riffs to the Beatles tunes “Day Tripper” and “Please Please Me” before they actually kicked into “Yellow Submarine.”
Ringo then announced to the crowd that he’d be taking a break while the All Starr Band delivered a “magical musical moment.”
The All Starrs Take Over
Stuart began the interlude by leading the group in a version of the Average White Band’s 1975 hit “Cut the Cake.” The song transitioned into a jam mainly showcasing Lukather and Bissonette.
In short order, the band ran through a series of snippets of well-known rock songs, including Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” the surf-rock classic “Wipe Out,” Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll” and “The Immigrant Song,” Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4,” The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s “Manic Depression,” The Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk Women,” and The Beatles’ “Come Together” and “The End.”
Ringo Returns
Starr came back from his break, and led the band in a rousing version of his Beatles gem “Octopus’s Garden,” followed by his 1972 solo hit “Back Off Boogaloo.”
Ringo then got back behind his drum kit, as Hay and Lukather each led the All Starrs in renditions of another of their own group’s famous songs—Men at Work’s “Overkill” and Toto’s “Africa.”
Stuart got back on the mic for a version of The Isley Brothers’ “Work to Do,” which Average White Band scored a dance hit with in 1974.
Starr then sang the early Beatles song “I Wanna Be Your Man” while playing drums. For their final showcases of the night, Hay and Lukather kept the audience rocking with versions of the 1982 Men at Work chart-topper “Who Can It Be Now?” and Toto’s first hit, “Hold the Line.”
The Finale
As the show neared its end, Starr came back out to the front of the stage and performed his 1973 No. 1 hit “Photograph,” which he co-wrote with his Beatles bandmate George Harrison.
What better way to bring the concert to a close than with one of the great all-time sing-along tunes—The Beatles’ “With a Little Help from My Friends.” For good measure, the All Starrs played a bit of the Lennon anthem “Give Peace a Chance,” sending the audience home with happy and positive vibes.
Ringo and the All Starr Band’s Remaining 2024 Tour Plans
Ringo and his All Starr Band’s have three concerts left on their 2024 tour. They’re scheduled for September 22 in Niagara Falls, Canada; September 24 in Philadelphia; and September 25 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
Tickets for Ringo and the All Starr Band’s shows are available now via various outlets, including StubHub.
Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band Set List, Uncasville CT, Mohegan Sun Arena, 9/20/24:
- “Matchbox” (Carl Perkins cover)
- “It Don’t Come Easy” (Ringo Starr)
- “Rosanna” (Toto)
- “Pick Up the Pieces” (Average White Band)
- “Down Under” (Men at Work)
- “Boys” (The Shirelles cover)
- “I’m the Greatest” (Ringo Starr)
- “Yellow Submarine” (The Beatles)
- “Cut the Cake” (Average White Band)
- “Octopus’s Garden” (The Beatles)
- “Back Off Boogaloo” (Ringo Starr)
- “Overkill” (Men at Work)
- “Africa” (Toto)
- “Work to Do” (The Isley Brothers cover)
- “I Wanna Be Your Man” (The Beatles)
- “Who Can It Be Now?” (Men at Work)
- “Hold the Line” (Toto)
- “Photograph” (Ringo Starr)
- “With a Little Help from My Friends”/ “Give Peace a Chance” (The Beatles/John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band cover)
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