Here's a report from Patti Murawski on three of the early shows on the tour. And here are pictures in the slideshow from Patti, Genevieve Rafter-Keddy and Marie Lacey. (Thanks to everyone!)
Bethel Woods in Bethel, NY is a very nice facility as shed venues go; it is just up the hill from the site of the original Woodstock stage.
The show had the same set listed posted earlier, however, Ringo was not on stage during Frankenstein . Gone this year too are the solo spots in the middle of the show.
The backdrop this tour is a mural of sunflowers and tiger lilies with a huge inflatable white star with a circle of lights behind it in the center and half stars in lights on either end of the mural.
Ringo asked after the first song "How many people showed up two years ago?" A bunch of people responded, to which he said it hadn't been his fault (the show got cancelled at the last minute), that the equipment got hung up in customs coming from Canada.
There were some references to the Woodstock festival back in 69; Rick Derringer told the audience that Edgar wasn't the only one that was at Woodstock in this year's line up. He was too but he said he left when it started to rain.
Sound, in the pavilion anyway, was too distorted, especially on the bass end. There were a few points where it felt like my ears were going to bleed. Could hardly hear Edgars vocal at all on Free Ride. I wondered how it sounded out on the lawn. The crowd received them well.
Bethel Woods was only the third show of the tour and the band did not have the feel of a cohesive unit yet. I also felt that Ringo needed to include a few more of his solo songs outside of his Beatles and early 70s career rather than relying only on his standard fare. People want to hear those, and the two songs from Y Not were a welcome addition, but I felt he could have added one or two more songs other than Choose Love from his later career and it would not make the show that much longer given he has dispensed with an all star solo showcase at the halfway point.
Anyone who would consider going to Bethel Woods for a show should know it's a long walk from the general parking, a long walk from the gate to the pavilion, and an insanely long wait (90 minutes to 2 hours almost as long as the show!) to get out of the parking lot with the possibility of being directed to some unmarked country road rather than the main state route...thank goodness for GPS!
On Sunday Ringo played the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.
At 5:00 pm there was a public ceremony in the arena forecourt for the induction of Ringo into the Mohegan Sun walk of fame. It's a similar thing to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a star is put into the floor in the forecourt with the recipient's name. Ringo attended the ceremony which lasted about 10 minutes. He was in a good mood and made a brief speech while wife Barbara looked on from the sidelines.
As for the show, it as near perfect as it could get. The band was firing on all cylinders and the crowd was enthusiastic and fully engaged with the performers. Ringo seemed to have a lot of energy, was more relaxed, and he was funnier than the night before in Bethel. He mentioned from the stage how he's always had fantastic audiences at this particular venue, and how the area is just full of music lovers. More than one member of the band said similar things after their numbers.
More than halfway through the show, a group of people came into the front sections accompanied by an usher. I guess they must have thought the show was at 8:00 instead of 7:00. Ringo started to heckle them in a "thanks for showing up" vein and asked if he should start the show from the top just for their benefit!
One scary moment during the show. During "Love is Alive" Gary got his foot caught in the keyboard lead (his cutaway portable keyboard doesn't have a wireless connection) and he tripped and nearly fell, but managed to recover to his feet.
The sound was near perfect too, with none of the glitches with vocals not being heard, bass at a perfect level.
Wednesday night was Westbury, Long Island NY.
Westbury is always a curious venue to play. It is a theatre in the round, a throwback to the late fifties and sixties where the stage slowly revolves so that the muscians eventually face all members of the audience. There isn't a bad seat in the house with this set up, but the drawback is that sometimes you are looking at the performers' backs. You also don't get the set dressing and light show that you would in a traditional theatre. And the band is a tad crowded up there on the turntable stage.
Ringo always seems to be amused by the set up and made a few jokes in the hello goodbye vein, that is, I'm just getting to know you and then you're gone!
Each time the tour stops here there is someone who has a sign or shouts out that they saw Ringo at Shea Stadium with the Beatles, which is only 30 minutes away in Queens. This time was no exception. Ringo looked at this person and said something like, You were at Shea? You weren't at Shea, what are you, 29 years old? Oh, I remember, you were sitting in the sixth row which was miles away!
People were also yelling "Happy Birthday" to which he said thanks, and he was certain that all his presents were waiting for him in his dressing room.
Before "The Other Side of Liverpool" he mentioned "another Scouser is in the audience tonight, Billy J Kramer; don't know where you are Bill, but this is for you".
Westbury's acoustics are great and the crowd was really good, although Ringo seemed a tad disappointed people didn't get up on their feet more often as he said the next time he played here he would have all the seats taken out of the theatre!
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Comments
I saw Ringo at the Bank of America Pavillion in Boston the other night, and was pleasantly surprised at how good the show was. The only other time I saw Ringo and the All Stars was in New York at Radio City (15-20 years ago?), when he had Nils Lofgren, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmidt, and Todd Rundgren (among others) in the band.
Ringo opened with "It Don't Come Easy," and the vocal was amazingly strong, and on key. It sounded as good as the record!
As the night wore on, though, his vocals got a bit rough in spots.
For me, other than Ringo, the the night belonged to both Edgar Winter and RIck Derringer. Winter was a tour de force, playing keyboards (both stationary and the strap on), saxophone, and during "FRankenstein," drums, as well. Derringer got the crowd going with "Hang On Sloopy," and then did a hot, rocking version of "Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo." finishing it with a brilliant display of guitar pyrotechnics.
I thoug Ringo mailed in a couple of tunes, but overall, great!
I thought the entire show this year was great. Just the right pacing. I would like Ringo to do at least one or more tunes he hasn't done or hasn't done in a while to make it more interesting.
I have been a huge Beatles fan for many years. I saw Ringo in Boston at Bank of America Pavillion last week. I was a little disappointed, to be honest. I believe there were about 7 guys in his band and I think Ringo could do without a couple of them and play a couple more of his own songs instead (he defintiely has enough material). He did not even perform Octopus' Garden or You're 16, Beautiful and Mine. The songs that he did perform were great and that is what fans really want to see. Ringo even disappeared from the stage at some points during the show and did not come out for even one encore. If he had done two more of his own songs during an encore, I (and the person I attended with) would have been satisfied with the show. Some of the music the band members played was a little loud and heavy...Frankenstein, etc. I even noticed people getting up and leaving their seats every time a non-Ringo song was performed. Saw McCarteny last year at Fenway and would pay twice to see!
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