Greetings from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, where Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band held a news conference today, on the eve of a 31-date North American tour.
Starr, who turns 70 on Wednesday, July 7, is hitting the road with Ohio native Rick Derringer, as well as Edgar Winter, Gary Wright, Mr. Mister’s Richard Page, Wally Palmar of the Romantics and Gregg Bissonette.
I had a front-row seat at the Fallsview Casino Resort’s Avalon Theatre as Starr and friends performed abbreviated renditions of “With a Little Help from My Friends,” “What I Like About You,” “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” and other blasts from the past, as well as a snippet of “The Other Side of Liverpool,” a tune off Starr’s latest album, “Y Not.”
Better yet, I scored a one-on-one chat with Starr afterwards. Stay tuned for a full-blown story next month, as well as video from the interview.
In the meantime, to whet your appetite for Starr's concert Tuesday, July 20, at Nautica Pavilion in Cleveland, here's a clip of him at today's preview event, revisiting a Fab Four favorite.