Flowers for Ringo

 6-29-11

From Liverpool to Livermore

 

June 27, 2006 - Ringo performs in Livermore, California  with the All Starr Band 

Anytime at All

 

May 31, 1991-  On this date, Ringo performs with Nil Lofgen at the Roxy Club in Los Angeles on the Beatles' song "Anytime at all."

Now from what I understand, Ringo played the drums and so this photo must be from the 1992 All Starr Band tour.   

Anyone ever see photo or video from this performance in 1991?

One of the great meetings with Ringo in 2019

Photo copyright to Olivia Anne Morris Fuchs (used with permission)

On September 3, 1964 a teenage Beatle fan named Olivia was able to quickly give Ringo Starr a hug while The Beatles in Indianapolis during their American Tour.


I love this story from this year because it is so out of character for Ringo and yet he made one fan very happy.   I think this is the best meet a Beatle for Real story of 2019  (or at least in the top 5)

Ringo Starr at the Ryman Auditorium on August 7, 2019, at the end of his show reads  my, sign "You hugged me in 1964 in Indy, Again, Please" which I had unfurled onto the seat backs in the 1st row in front of me. He looked, said he couldn't see it well so I held it up, and to my utter astonishment said, "Okay, then, c'mon." And, with that, he gave me another hug, and I stole a kiss. Can you blame me! Love you and many thanks, Ringo Starr 

Ringo and the All Starr Gouls

Remembering Dr. John

This past Thursday,  New Orleans musician, Dr. John passed away at the age of 77.   Dr. John and John Lennon "performed" together in 1973 and Dr. John was one of the original All Starr Band members in 1989.     Our thoughts go out to his family, friends and fans.

Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band - A Concert Review

This  photo was taken by Sara Schmidt  Do not use without permission

I saw Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band in concert on September 7, 2018, at the Fox Theater in St. Louis, Missouri.     This was the 5th time I had seen Ringo in concert, and this was by far the best one I had seen.    The entire band was full of energy, and they all sounded amazing.    There was a wonderful feeling of peace, love, and music everywhere and I believe the band fed off that and gave the audience a performance that won't soon be forgotten.


This year's All Starrs included Gregg Rolle (Santana),   Steve Luthaker (Toto),  Colin Hay (Men at Work),  and Graham Gouldman (10cc).    These rock stars were really well received as they performed their biggest hit songs.    The song, "Africa" is a BIG deal of a song right now, so it was no surprise that was a fan favorite.   "The land down under" was another one that audience enjoyed, especially when Colin Hay started to dance a little jig.    The unsung hero is Warren Ham, who plays every instrument you can think of perfectly.  From saxophone to flute to various keyboard and percussions instruments, Ham nailed it each time.          I enjoyed most of the All Starr's songs.  However, as I have always said, it is so difficult for me to pay attention to the other songs with Ringo playing drums on the same stage.  I find myself staring at Ringo playing the drums and losing track of the song.   

Photo was taken by Sara Schmidt.  Do not use without permission

The main reason for this concert was Ringo Starr, and he also did not disappoint.   Ringo was so full of energy.   His voice sounded really good and pretty strong.    He sang many of his expected hit songs:  Yellow Submarine, It don't come easy,  Boys and Photograph.    I was most pleased to hear him sing his song on the Rubber Soul album, "What Goes On."     Other highlights from Ringo include Don't Pass Me By and You're Sixteen.

The only thing I really found wrong about the show was that Ringo seemed to start on the wrong note on "I wanna be your man" and the first part was out of key.  However -- he seemed to pull it back on track once the other guys started singing with him.   

I know that Ringo's tour is still going on.  If you were on the fence on if you should go or not, I want to tell you that you really need to go.   If you haven't seen Ringo in a long time or never at all, then you especially need to go.    This is a must seen show and you don't want to miss out.

Klaus and Ringo in Hamburg

Ringo and Klaus were  seen at the Kaiserkeller in Hamburg
photo by Stefanie Hempel

Klaus joined in on singing "With a little help from my friends"

Nothing warms the heart as much as seeing one of the Beatles spending time with an old pal from the Beatles circle.   I love that when Ringo was in Hamburg, Germany yesterday and today, he hung out with Klaus Voormann!   

Ringo's all starr bed in

Ringo Forever!

Guess who just got tickets to see Ringo in concert in row H?    This Beatle fan right here!    The concert isn't until September, so I have a long time to wait.  But I am so excited to see Ringo again.  Anyone get tickets for the upcoming tour?

Ringo's have trouble finding new All Starr Band Members...

Ringo's Halloween Show in Japan 2016

Seeing Ringo on home turf -- Sara's concert review

 

There is just something special about seeing a Beatle in your town.   Something special about hearing him say the name of your town on the stage.    It just is a neat experience and was something I got to do this past Friday night when Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band came to St. Louis, Missouri and performed at the Fox Theater.   

The last time Ringo Starr came to St. Louis was in the summer of 2001.   He had played at the Fox Theatre that time as well and I did not go to that concert.   I had seen him the summer before, at Riverport Amphitheater from the 4th row.    I was in a tough place financially in 2001 and thought I could skip the concert that year and make it the next time he was in town.   I had no clue that it was take him 13 years to return to St. Louis!    

Before I knew that he was coming to St. Louis, I had already bought VIP  tickets for the show in Mississippi in July.   This concert was the same band and the exact same set list as the show I had seen in Mississippi.   My feelings towards the band members and the song list did not change at all.  So I will not get a whole lot into the songs this time.  But here was my experience.

My mom and I got down to the Fox Theater in St. Louis and walked past the City Diner, which is next to the Fox.  Who do we see?  None other than our Beatle friend, Lanea Staggs and her daughter and niece.   We squeezed past the crowd at the door and got into the booth with them and had a meal.  If you are in St. Louis, I would recommend this restaurant because it is a fun place.  It is decorated in 50's and 60's kitchen decor, with lava lamps on the tables.  They were playing Beatles music while we ate.   It was a fun way to get even more excited about seeing Ringo!

The Fox is a beautiful theater.   I have seen tons of Broadway plays there, but very few concerts.  There was a table of Ringo merchandise for sale and only one guy running the table.   It was packed!  There were tons of people with credit cards and they were having issues.   Word of wisdom:  if you go to a concert and plan on buying merchandise, always bring cash.  It is much easier for everyone.   There is a funny story about me throwing money at the guy and running up the stairs, trying not to push any old people with canes as I went to my seat.  

My mom decided to see if the Fox had free wifi, and she found Ringo's wifi listed!   This got us so excited!  We tried to guess his password without any luck.   Haha!

 

This time we did not sit on the floor, instead we sat in the Mezzanine, which was cheaper and we had a better view of Ringo playing the drums.   I have no problem with the location of the seats, but gosh the people around me were boring!    No one stood up the entire show.   No one!    I wanted to dance, but I couldn't because people were behind me.   Seriously!?!     But we did have an amazing shot of Ringo playing the drums (unlike in the 2nd row).

Ringo sings "Boys"  photo by Sara Schmidt

Ringo was so entertaining!   He kept laughing and joking around.  He seemed to really be in a good mood Friday night.   The thing I really like about Ringo's performance is that you can tell that he doing it because he wants to.  He is having fun.     He isn't trying to impress critics or anything like that, he is just playing because he loves to play.    I feel like that comes across in his concert and I appreciate it. 

By the time Ringo got to "Yellow Submarine" I started to feel a bit emotional.   Here was Ringo performing a song that was written by Lennon-McCartney and I am singing it along with him.   I just hit me that we don't know how much longer Ringo will be performing.   And while I hope it is for a long time to come, it won't last forever.   And I realized that there will be a time when I will cherish the moment of singing "Yellow Submarine" with Ringo in the town where I live.   I know it is silly,  but I think about that sort of thing....just how special it was for me to be there at that moment.

I about died when Todd asked if Beatle Bob was in the audience!  Beatle Bob!   He is at every single concert in St. Louis (and elsewhere because he was in Arkansas as well) and he dances this crazy dance for every. single. song.    And there they were talking about him on the stage!   

Todd and Ringo   Photo by Sara Schmidt

Ringo and the band talked several times about how they singed "the wall" backstage and how Ringo knew that he had played there before because he found his name on "the wall."    I have never been backstage at the Fox Theater, but my mom tells me that you can take a tour of the place and go backstage and see "the Wall."  It might be worth it to see what Ringo and the rest of the band wrote!  

I have to say again, like I did in about the Mississippi show, that Richard Page (from Mister Mister) is a great singer!   I can't believe how he sounds just like the guy I would hear on the radio in the 1980's.  His voice hasn't changed at all.   

Richard and Ringo.  Photo by Sara Schmidt

I really want to encourage everyone to see Ringo in concert.   I have read that Ringo's ticket sales have really gone up this summer.   That is great news!   I have heard that a lot of people, however, are skipping Ringo's concert because Ringo's show isn't as good as Paul's and because Ringo doesn't change his set list.    Paul and Ringo both put on great shows, but they are vastly different.   Ringo isn't Paul and Ringo's ticket prices show it.   But come on, guys, Ringo is so good!   You really need to see him and appreciate the greatest drummer in rock n roll.

Peace and Love!

Peace and Love Ringo!   Photo by Sara Schmidt

*All photos (except for the one of Richard and Ringo by the Wall) were taken by me, Sara Schmidt.  Please ASK ME before you post any of my photos on your facebook or blog.   I will say yes, but I just like to know it before I see my photo just out there.   Thanks for understanding!  

Ringo Starr and the All Starr Band -- Sara's VIP concert review

Hello Beatle fans!   I just returned from seeing Ringo and His All Starr Band in concert the other night and I know you all would like to hear about it.

I have seen Ringo in concert twice before.   The first time was in 1995 and the 2nd time was in 2000.   I was long overdue to see a Ringo show.  When Ringo's tour was announced early in 2014, I decided that I was going to pick a date and go.   I decided upon the concert in Tunica, Mississippi simply because I had driven through Tunica a few times in the past few years and I knew how to get there.   Tunica, Mississippi isn't near where I live.   It is about a 6 hour drive.   I bought two VIP tickets (one for myself and one for my Ringo loving mom).   The Ringo VIP tickets are much cheaper than the Paul tickets and you do not get much extra for them.   About a week before the concert I got a package with my Ringo swag from UPS.  Here is what you get:  Ringo t-shirt, Ringo poster, laminate with tour dates on it, and canvas Ringo bag.   

 

So we drive down to Tunica, Mississippi, which is a really big gambling town.   I was able to get a hotel room in the place where the concert was held, which was the Horseshoe casino and hotel.    I am not used to staying at a casino.  I have never been to Vegas.   I sort of felt out of place.

After checking in and finding our room, we find the box office because we have to pick up our VIP tickets.   The lady behind the ticket counter has a roll of blank tickets and she takes out her green sharpie marker and writes out our tickets.   I found this to be really strange.  

Our room was on the 2nd floor of the hotel.   We heard some music coming out of one of the executive rooms.   My mom jokingly asked a man leaving the room, "Is Ringo in there?"   The man said, "Yeah---he is doing his sound check right now."   We couldn't believe our luck!   So we stood outside of the room and listened to the soundcheck.   We didn't hear a lot of songs, but we did hear "Africa" and "Boys" and then a bunch of just random jamming.    It was really neat.

I have to confess that I did not care who was playing in the All Starr Band.   I came to see Ringo.   And while I like to think that I listen to a variety of music, the real truth is that I don't.    I guess I just spent most of my time listening to the Beatles or solo music.   So when I looked at the list of who was playing with the All Starr Band, I honestly didn't know who they were.     The band was made up of Steve Lukather, Gregg Rolie, Todd Rundgren, Richard Page, Warren Ham, and Gregg Bissonette.

Our seats were in the 2nd row as part of the VIP deal.   When we got there, a group of people were lined up and waiting to for the "meet and greet."    I do not know how they got that deal.   I tried to ask a few of the people in the line and they either ignored me or one person said, "we got our tickets way in advance."   When I told her that I had ordered my tickets the day they came out in March and had VIP and didn't see anything else listed, she chuckled at me.    So I know that in some select cities (New York, Chicago and L.A.) fans were meeting Ringo through the art show.    I had not heard of any other meet and greet opportunities.   And frankly I will never understand all of the secrecy that occurs in the Beatle community.   I saw the same type of behavior at the Paul concert.   If you got the "meet and greet" tickets because you know someone or whatever....why is that a secret?  

Ringo's show started promptly at 8:00pm.   I appreciate him starting on time.     He started right with "Matchbox."    It was so exciting to see Ringo in person!    He even pointed to me during this first song.    Ringo really seems at ease on stage.   And he REALLY interacts with the audience.    He is always waving and pointing and giving peace signs to his fans, even the ones in the back of the auditorium.   I love that!   I think it really makes for a special concert.  Ringo then sang two more songs (It don't come easy and Wings) before he moved to the drums and allowed the All Starrs to perform.

I loved being in the 2nd row, but on the other hand it was sort of a bad place because it was so close.  I had to look up to see everyone and my view of Ringo on the drums was terrible!   

This is what I got to see of Ringo on the drums

The All Starrs are a really good band.   They obviously have a great relationship with each other.   It is apparent that they aren't just individuals that are performing, but they have worked together to become a tight band.    Richard Page, who was the lead singer for Mister Mister has an amazing voice.  He sounds JUST like he did when I would listen to Hot 97 radio in the 1980's as a kid.   Todd Rundgren has great stage presence.   He is all over that stage, playing to the entire house.   And his song "Bang the drum all day" is just so much fun.   I am very familiar with that song, but I guess I just never knew who sang it.

Ringo sang and played "Boys" while on the drums and then moved to the keyboard and began "Don't Pass me by," which he finished out in front.   He sounded really good on this classic song from the White Album.   Then he sang everyone's favorite, "Yellow Submarine."    During this song, Ringo noticed my mom's t-shirt that said, "Ringo Rocks."   He motioned his finger over his chest and pointed and my mom and gave her a thumbs up!   He liked her shirt!  My mom was thrilled.   Her favorite Beatle for the past 50 years noticed her.  It really was a thrill. 

If I had to complain about anything it would be the long instrumentals that the band played.   I realize that most everyone in the crowd loved them, but I just don't get into long guitar riffs.   Those Santana songs are long and I think that is why I never could get into Santana.   I tend to like the typical pop song that is 3 minutes long.    I found myself sitting there while they went on and on wondering when Ringo was going to sing again.  

And Ringo did sing some more.   When he sang "Anthem" he noticed that I was making a peace sign.  I enjoy many of the songs on Ringo 2012 and I think it is one of his better albums of the past decade.   Then he went into "Honey Don't."

Ringo left the stage completely during the song "Oye Como Va."  But he returned to his drums for "I wanna be your man," which he dedicated to "All the ladies."

After a few more All Starr performances, Ringo finished the night with "Photograph." "Act Naturally," and "Help from my Friends."    He then left the stage and the band kept singing "Give Peace a Chance."   Ringo returned for a short period of time without his jacket on and sang a few choruses and then left again.   The band took a bow, and I sort of thought Ringo would have made one more appearance to bow with them, but he did not.  

Just a few more thoughts--I couldn't believe how many people were there with Beatles albums and autograph books seriously thinking that Ringo was going to sign for them.   Do these people not know Ringo?   If they want his autograph, he was selling them for $500 for the Loctus foundation.   That is the only way you can get his signature.   Like it or not---that is how it is.   There were also people walking around the front of the stage a lot.   One woman was trying to give one of the band members a beer and another guy was trying to shake Ringo's hand.   I just thought it was strange.  

If you haven't seen a Ringo concert in awhile, it is well worth going to.   He really gels with this band and they are extremely good.    I am going to see them again on October 3rd when they come to St. Louis.  


*All photos were taken by Sara or Coral Schmidt.  Please ask before you use the photos (I will say yes).