LIVE REVIEW + PHOTOS: Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band in Boston, MA (09.30.26)
If you ever wanted to see a room full of people lose their minds over yacht rock, Beatles classics, saxophone solos, and a former Beatle flashing peace signs like it’s 1967 all over again, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band at MGM Music Hall at Fenway had you covered. The sold-out Boston show was a full-blown hit parade, with enough Toto, Men at Work, and Average White Band to make you wonder if somebody had accidentally booked a yacht rock festival. They could’ve called it Ringo and His Yachtley Allstars, and nobody would’ve questioned it. And right in the middle of it all was 86-year-old Ringo, grinning, sauntering around the stage, and looking like he wouldn’t rather be anywhere else.
The current All-Starr Band lineup is a ridiculous collection of hitmakers: Steve Lukather of Toto on guitar, Colin Hay of Men at Work on guitar and vocals, Hamish Stuart of Average White Band on bass and guitar, Warren Ham on saxophone and multiple other instruments, Buck Johnson on keyboards and Gregg Bissonette on drums, with Ringo himself handling vocals, drums and percussion. Ringo has always built the All Starr Band around musicians with serious hit records in their past, giving each member a chance to step out front and revisit the songs that made them famous. And this lineup certainly understood the assignment.
The stage backdrop and lighting were a constant parade of stars appearing and disappearing behind the band, which was about as appropriate as it gets for an All Starr Band show. Ringo, meanwhile, was the biggest star in the room and looked like he was having the time of his life.
At 86, Ringo was remarkably sprightly. He sauntered around the stage when he wasn’t behind the drum kit, flashing those familiar peace signs to the audience and generally looking like a guy who still can’t believe he gets to do this for a living. There was an unmistakable joy to watching him perform. He’d go from sitting behind the drums to standing front and center with a microphone, bringing out that unmistakable Beatles swagger before heading back to the kit. And then there were the songs.
The show opened with “Matchbox” before Ringo launched into “It Don’t Come Easy,” but things really started getting interesting when Steve Lukather stepped up for Toto’s “Rosanna.” Lukather clearly enjoys having an excuse to lean into those guitar solos, and watching one of rock’s great guitar players rip through songs he helped make famous was one of the night’s recurring pleasures.
Then came “Pick Up the Pieces,” with Hamish Stuart on bass and Warren Ham absolutely going to work on the saxophone. Man, that sax solo. This was one of those moments where the song suddenly stopped being background music from somebody’s dad’s stereo and became a live, breathing, funk-rock monster.
Colin Hay followed with Men at Work’s “Down Under,” and the guy can still sing his ass off. His voice has that instantly recognizable quality that makes the first few words of the song enough to transport you straight back to the early ’80s. He’d get another chance to shine later with “Overkill” and “Who Can It Be Now?” (certainly quite the earworm).
Then Ringo brought everyone back to the Beatles universe with “Boys,” “I’m the Greatest” and “Yellow Submarine.” I have to say, with “Yellow Submarine” there are very few songs that can turn thousands of people into a single choir quite that quickly. It wasn’t complicated. It didn’t need to be. Everybody knew it, everybody sang it, and for a few minutes the whole place was just one big shared Beatles moment.
“Octopus’s Garden” was another highlight. The song is obviously one of Ringo’s signature Beatles moments, but hearing it performed by this band gave it an extra dimension. The vocal harmonies from the rest of the group were fantastic, and the whole thing felt both completely familiar and freshly alive.
Then came “No No Song,” and Ringo once again proved that nobody does Ringo quite like Ringo. The whole thing is goofy, catchy and completely his, and watching him have so much fun with it (complete with the sniff sound effect) made it impossible not to grin.
Ringo followed that with “Choose Love,” before the yacht rock express pulled back into the station with “Overkill,” “Africa,” “Work to Do,” “I Wanna Be Your Man,” “Who Can It Be Now?” and “Hold the Line”, which was another Lukather showcase. He absolutely loves leaning into those solos, and there is something so great about watching a guy who has spent decades playing these songs still looking like he’s having a blast ripping through them.
Then came “Photograph,” and Ringo had one of the funniest moments of the night when he asked the audience, “Anyone have any requests?”
A beat later: “Too bad!” Fair enough.
The final stretch brought “Act Naturally” and then, fittingly, “With a Little Help From My Friends.” The song that has been part of Ringo’s story for nearly six decades remains the perfect way for him to close out a night like this. The band eventually worked its way into the “Give Peace a Chance” outro, with the crowd happily joining in.
That’s really what made this show work so well. Yes, there were legendary songs. Yes, there were incredible musicians onstage. Yes, there was a former Beatle standing in front of a packed Boston room. But Ringo didn’t perform like someone checking off the final chapter of a legendary career. He looked like someone who was genuinely enjoying himself.
At 86, Ringo Starr still has that ability to walk onto a stage, flash a peace sign, sit behind a drum kit and make an entire room feel like it’s part of the same celebration. And when you have Steve Lukather, Colin Hay, Hamish Stuart, Warren Ham, Buck Johnson and Gregg Bissonette surrounding you, you’ve got one hell of a band to help make it happen.
Peace and Love, Peace and Love.
Photos – Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band at MGM Music Hall in Boston, MA on September 30th:
