Ringo Starr brought his 2006 All Starr Band to the State Theatre in Easton, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, July 18, 2006. Having been there three years before on another tour, Ringo enjoyed playing the venue so much that he wanted to specifically schedule a return visit to Easton.

     The Ninth all Starr band features Rod Argent on keyboards, Shelia E. on drums, Stuart Hamish on bass, Richard Marx on acoustic guitar, Billy Squire on guitar, and Edgar Winter as multi-instrumentalist. All but Hamish took turns on singing songs from their career catalogues.

     For his 2006 All Starr tour, Ringo dusted off "What Goes On", an unfamiliar 1965 Beatles composition credited as Lennon/McCartney/Starkey, originally released on Rubber Soul. "Never Without You" was a poignant song written for the late George Harrison that Ringo sang in memory of his dearly departed friend.

     Guitarist Billy Squire sang two of his hits "Everybody Wants You" and "Rock Me Tonight". Squire's rock'n roll thrust gave the performance an edge. The talented Edgar Winter performed three selections including "Free Ride" and the classic instrumental "Frankenstein".

     Drummer Sheila E. was back behind the drumheads for her third tour of duty as an All Starr. She sang her two staples, "A Love Bizarre" and "The Glamorous Life", inciting the crowd with her effervescent personality. Richard Marx contributed acoustic guitar on several numbers. He sang "Don't Mean Nothing" and "Should Have Known Better".

     Keyboardist Rod Argent rose to fame as a member of the British Invasion beat group, The Zombies. Argent sang the popular "She's not There", "Time Of The Season" and "Hold Your Head Up". Although Stuart Hamish only sang harmony vocals, his outstanding addition of bass guitar must be noted.

     Ringo plugged his 2005 studio album by singing the title track, "Choose Love", a decent pop rocker laid down by The Rounheads. "I Wanna Be Your Man" with Ringo seated at the drums was a highlight of the Easton setlist. "Memphis In Your Mind" was the second tune off Ringo's 2003 album, Ringo Rama.

     Easton's State Theatre holds a ticketed capacity crowd at 1,547 seats. The ornate venue exudes a rural hometown appeal, far away from the hustle and bustle of a big and busy city. Beatles fans were crowding the concession table, buying up all kinds of available merchandise.

     Richard Starkey, MBE. Ringo was touring as the drummer for Rory Storm and the Hurricanes when he received an invitation to join The Beatles in August 1962. The Liverpudlian, born in The Dingle, threw his lot in with John, Paul and George to become internationally renown as one of The Fabs.

Easton setlist: It Don't Come Easy * What Goes On * Honey Don't * Everybody Wants You - Billy * Free Ride - Edgar * A Love Bizarre - Shelia * Boys * Don't Mean Nothing - Richard * She's Not There - Rod * Never Without You * Yellow Submarine * Winter's Dream > Living To Die - Edgar * Time Of The Season - Rod * Frankenstein - Edgar * Photograph * Choose Love * Should Have Known Better - Richard * The Glamorous Life - Shelia * I Wanna Be Your Man * Rock Me Tonight - Billy * Hold Your Head Up - Rod * Act Naturally * Memphis In Your Mind * Encore: With A Little Help From My Friends

RockonTour   Issue #59
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The All Starr's shine on an intimate stage
Ringo Starr & Company return to Easton for another visit

by Timothy Tilghman