Steve Beauchampé reports on the former Beatle’s first Birmingham performance in almost 46 years.

Ringo Starr

First devised in 1989, the All Starr band concept involves Ringo Starr bringing together a group of musicians to perform a mixture of his best-loved work, both as a Beatle and a solo artist (and there’s a lot more of that than you might at first realise), while also allowing each player to showcase some of their own hits. The personnel change more or less each tour (the current line up is the band’s 11th incarnation), a process that permits Ringo to work with a wide variety of his favourite players and to freshen up the show with new songs. For this rare foray into Europe (the band last toured here in 1998 although the US gets a tour every few years), the personnel are the same as that seen in America last summer.

It’s arguable that the current line up lacks the stellar names of previous tours (Joe Walsh, Dr. John, Billy Preston, Nils Lofgren, Todd Rundgren) but there’s no doubt that the class of 2010/11 is an accomplished group of career musicians having a great time, enjoying each others company and playing music that they love. No reason, then, to change things.

So tonight we have: Rick Derringer (lead guitar, formerly with the McCoys); Edgar Winter (keyboards, saxophone and brother of Johnny); Richard Page (bass, Mr, Mister); Wally Palmer (rhythm guitar, the Romantics); Gary Wright (keyboards, Spooky Tooth); Gregg Bissonette (drums). The Starr man himself alternates between the rôle of lead singer, stage front (hence the need for Bissonette) and drummer.

There’s a big silver star at the centrepiece of an otherwise modest stage set and at 8pm precisely the lights dim and on walk the All Starrs, soon striking up the opening chords to It Don’t Come Easy. And then on bounds Ringo, greets us with a smile, a wave and a bow, takes the microphone and adds vocals to this 1972 hit. Honey Don’t (a Carl Perkins song featured on Beatles For Sale) follows, Ringo as relaxed a front man as he is in his more traditional capacity of drummer. After all, he’s been singing for around fifty years and leading bands since the early 1970s, so it’s a task he’s very comfortable with.

Choose Love, the title track from his 2007 album, sees Ringo singing from behind his drum kit. We know it’s his, as it’s got a large star on it (you certainly can’t argue that the name change from Richard Starkey hasn’t worked out rather well!).

Then it’s round the All Starrs for the first time this evening, each player performing a song they helped make famous. Highlights are Rick Derringer’s Hang on Sloopy (a worldwide, career defining smash hit from 1965 and a great singalong number) and Edgar Winter’s Free Ride. Winter really is full on, with his long white tresses, beard and moustache, he’s hollering and stomping us through this real rock classic. At one point he ‘wears’ a keyboard on a strap rather like an usherette would a tray of ice creams (he invented this keyboard variation to enable him to move around on stage), although he never actually plays it during this number. It’s just for show and I half expect him to come round selling choc ices and Kia-Ora from this contraption during the intermission. But as there isn’t an intermission, he never gets the chance.

Ringo’s back on lead (and back behind his drum kit) for I Wanna Be Your Man. It’s a moment to savour. Blimey – here’s one of the Beatles performing a Beatles song just as he once did to audiences of screaming fans!

After contributions from Gary Wright and Richard Page (Dream Weaver and Kyrie respectively, although neither song really grabbed me) Ringo offers up a homage to his home city with The Other Side of Liverpool from last year’s Y Not album.

Yellow Submarine may not be Lennon and McCartney’s most critically acclaimed work (it’s Paul’s song really), but it’s one of their most memorable and you really can’t imagine anyone other than Ringo singing it. He can’t not do it and the audience enthusiastically sings along, arms waving aloft. I’m reminded of Paul’s comment of how he’s proud that the Beatles songs gave (and still give) so many people so much happiness.

Edgar’s back for a rendition of his hit instrumental Frankenstein and this time he plays that strap-on keyboard into the ground, so to speak. Ringo sits this one out allowing Bissonette to display his not inconsiderable percussive skills (and a set of drumsticks with blue LED-style lights on their tips). It’s raucous and very rock and roll and Mr. Winter really does know how to “mak show!” as they used to say in early 1960s Hamburg.

Ringo’s Peace Dream allows him to go to town with his trademark ‘Peace and Love’ hand gesture. Much better is the 1972 hit Back Off Boogaloo, possibly his heaviest and most bluesy chart success. Rick Derringer’s second solo offering is Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo. A dreadful rock muso’s song title but worth the trouble for Derringer’s truly amazing, awesome, fabulous, two-minute+ guitar solo. Reminiscent of Brian May’s stupendous guitar break in Brighton Rock it’s undoubtedly one of the evening’s highlights.

Ringo returns to perform Boys…”a song I used to do with that other band I was in before this one,.. Rory Storm and the Hurricanes!” A couple more from the All Starrs and we’re into George Harrison’s Photograph, a major hit for Ringo in 1973. Remaining stage front, Act Naturally (A Buck Owens song recorded for the Help! album) leads us into With A Little Help From My Friends. The All Starrs make a great job of the Lennon/McCartney/Harrison backing vocals. Yes, Ringo’s voice has it’s limitations; yes, Joe Cocker’s version is a belter, but this is Ringo’s song, and as with all of his most popular work, we’ve grown up knowing it as his song, with his vocals.

So consider this; Ringo Starr will be 71 years old on July 7th; John and George are no longer with us, so if we want to hear performances of songs from the most critically acclaimed body of work in popular music by the people who made it, we’ve only got Paul and Ringo left…and who knows for how long. So best enjoy them while we still can.

And yet, after a set lasting 1hr 50 minutes, finishing with a rendition of John Lennon’s Give Peace A Chance (lots more Peace and Love signs from Ringo), the show’s over…and he still didn’t do Octopus’s Garden; Your Sixteen; Oh, My My; I’m The Greatest; Don’t Pass Me By; What Goes On; Goodnight Vienna…

Leave ‘em wanting more…that’s Starr quality.