I’m’ one of those people who believe that The Beatles are one of the greatest rock bands in history but I’ll be honest when the opportunity came up to cover Ringo Starr I wasn’t expecting much. I was expecting a few Beatles covers and a few unknown originals, at best…what I got was one of the best classic rock concerts I’ve ever been lucky enough to attend.

I guess I haven’t been paying attention over the years but Ringo Starr’s All Star band is made up of Edgar Winter from the Edgar Winter Band, Steve Lukather from Toto, Colin Hay from Men at Work and Hamish Stuart from the Average White Band and, of course, Ringo Starr from The Beatles.

For the next 90, or so, minutes the crowd at Kingston’s Leon’s Centre, which surprisingly wasn’t bursting at the seams, was treated to what I can only refer to as a magical mystery tour.

Edgar Winter performs with Ringo Starr And His All Star Band, Leons Centre, Kingston. Sept 27, 2022. Photo: Ron Pettitt

The night started out with a Ringo Starr original (“It Don’t Come Easy”) followed by the first Beatles song of the night (“What Goes On”) and that’s where the fun started. Edgar Winter took centre stage with his massive hit “Free Ride” and if that wasn’t enough that was immediately followed by Steve Lukather with Toto’s “Rosanna” then Hamish Stuart had his turn for Average White Guy’s “Picking Up the Pieces” and then we took a trip “Down Under” with Men at Work’s Colin Hay. I had to pinch myself because just a few feet in front of me were members of some of the biggest bands I grew up listening to. Bands that played a huge role in turning me into the music fan I am today.

It didn’t stop there, over the course of the evening we were treated to hits like “Yellow Submarine”, “Frankenstein”, “Cut the Cake”, “Octopus’s Garden”, “Africa”, “I Wanna Be Your Man”, “Johnny B. Good” (a tribute to Edgar’s brother Johnny Winter), “Who Can It Be Now”, “Hold The Line”, “Photograph” and the grand finale “With A Little Help from my Friends” with “Give Peace a Chance”.

Steve Lukather and Warren Ham performing with Ringo Starr And His All Star Band, Leons Centre, Kingston. Sept 27, 2022. Photo: Ron Pettitt

The entire night felt like a classic rock music festival squished into 90 minutes. Where else can you experience The Beatles, Edgar Winter, Toto, Men at Work and Average White Band ALL ON ONE STAGE?

My only complaint from the entire evening was that Leon’s Centre wasn’t even close to sold out, in fact I’d guess it was only about 1/3 full. I know we’ve just been through 2 years of a pandemic and I get that many are still being cautious but this was one of two surviving members of the greatest band ever to grace the earth joined by members of some of the greatest classic rock bands ever. We don’t get this kind of entertainment on a regular basis so when it comes around it’s important to support it because if we don’t…well the promoters will cross our area off their list for future shows.

The tour’s Canadian swing continues on Oct 4 at Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg and visits Saskatoon, Lethbridge, and Abbotsford before wrapping up in Penticton on October 9. For tickets and more information visit https://www.ringostarr.com/tour