"We were all on this ship in the sixties, our generation, a ship going to discover the New World. And the Beatles were in the crow's nest of that ship."
— John Lennon
BANGOR, Maine — We were wonderstruck at the sight of a 75-year-old former Beatle parading around the stage like a young Olympian.
A smorgasbord of ageless rock and rollers, whose timeless music brought the audience to their feet all evening, looked on as Ringo Starr shouted peace and love followed by a piece sign to the cheers of a grateful crowd last Wednesday night at the Cross Insurance Center.
Ringo introduced his All-Starr Band, which featured: Steven Lee Lukather, singer, songwriter and guitarist whose know for his work with Toto; Greg Alan Rolie, a keyboardist and organist who was also a lead singer for the bands Santana and Journey; singer and songwriter Todd Rundgren; Richard Page, lead singer bassist for Mr. Mister; saxophonist Warren Ham and drummer Gregg Bissonette.
Several of the musicians played their own music, with many of Ringo’s favorites like “Photograph” and “Yellow Submarine” interspersed throughout the evening.
These guys have aged like the rest of us, but their precious voices have not withered over time. They sounded like they were in the prime of their lives. Time has been kind to all of them and their music. Ringo’s voice never wavered and his quirky sense of humor made us all smile.
Listening to three Santana songs with Rolie working his magic with his voice and nimble fingers on the keyboard was a delight for this Santana fan. I thought Carlos was somewhere in the building providing backup on each of the three songs.
Rungren’s rendition of “Bang on the Drum” made us all feel like banging on a drum all day. Page’s voice is still stunning and Lukather is still one helluva guitarist.
Ringo bid the audience adieu with his heart-rending rendition with “A Little Help from My Friends.” Of course, we all could have listened to all his friends play for another hour.
What a son of a gun!
I haven’t been to a rock concert since Crosby Stills, Nash and Young played at the old Boston Garden in 1977. I knew Ringo was still touring with a variety of talented artists over the years but never considered attending the band’s performances until my son sold me on the idea several months ago.
My son, Anthony, had an ulterior motive to persuade me to shell out $240 for the three tickets for a show in Bangor.
For years, I reminded my son that The Beatles performed three miles from my home in Revere, Mass., on Aug. 18, 1966. The mop-tops played at a racetrack called Suffolk Downs, which is located in East Boston, which right next door to Revere.
I was six years old when my cousin Suzy informed me that the Beatles were coming to Boston on a hot summer day.
I was terrified and raced for home to tell my mother that huge beetles were heading this way and it was time to get the hell out of Dodge or be eaten by giant bugs. She was puzzled but smiled at her frightened son. She explained that the Beatles were musicians who were part of the British Invasion of talented rock singers.
What the hell did I know that the four Lads from Liverpool were a worldwide sensation and made young girls scream and cry with every note they sang.
My father, who wasn’t a rock-and-roll fan, thought the Beatles could spark the end of civilization as we knew it. A few years later, I couldn't get enough of the Fab Four.
Anthony’s angle was that I now had an opportunity to see a Beatle perform and settle a score with history. Hey, if a guy from Ireland can fly a couple of thousand miles to see Ringo and his All-Starrs, making the 90-minute drive to Bangor was an easy sell.
Hanging out with my son and wife, Terri, who danced and sang the night away, and catching up Ringo 60 years later was worth the price of admission.
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