Lonely is the night at the Ringo show
Colin Hay and Billy Squier rolled through Tampa Bay last night, performing with Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band. Times pop music critic, Stuck in the 80s co-host and work-wife Sean Daly and I headed over to catch the show -- and to try to weasel some face-to-face time with Colin, Billy -- maybe even Ringo.
Our efforts: Denied! The band wasn't taking ANY visitors. None. (Though we did hang out with 60s pop-rocker Gary Puckett backstage. Gary's a great guy -- I got to shake his hand and tell him it was an honor, which it was. I saw him some 20 years ago at the same venue.) Still, we were crushed, but figured that a bunch of Men at Work and Squier tunes would soothe our angst.
Wrong again! Colin had three tunes -- "Down Under," "Are Ya Looking at Me," and "Who Can It Be Now." No "Overkill?" Not happy. But we were downright devastated that our man Squier got only TWO TUNES -- "Lonely Is the Night" (which really rocked) and a slightly disappointing version of "The Stroke." (I don't blame Billy. That's a tough song to do live.)
Sean wouldn't leave his seat at the end of the night. He kept staring at the stage in disbelief, hoping Squier would pop back out and crank out "Everybody Wants You." It was like disappointing a 5-year-old on Christmas morning. I wanted to buy him a pair of rollerskates on the drive home.
The good news is that Billy's voice and guitar work is as fresh today as it did in the early 80s. (His long hair is gone though. He's got a buzz cut that will remind you of a certain 80s blogger.) A few more songs would have nice though. Even one more.
This is Squier's second tour of duty with Ringo. Maybe it's time for Billy to head out on his own. Put together a tour with Squier and a couple other early 80s rockers, and you'd have a can't-miss show.
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In the future, I'd recommend you not "shake the head" of men in their 60's. It's not good for them.
And I can't believe that lackluster setlist. The All-Starr Band has always been famous for the number of big hits it crams into a show.
Why else would anyone go see Ringo?
Posted by: Jeff in Cuba | July 03, 2008 at 09:58 AM
Welcome to the reality of blogging from home on a laptop. It's typo city here.
Maybe the problem is TOO many all-stars. Everyone had to have at least two songs.
Posted by: Spears | July 03, 2008 at 10:07 AM
The irony is that if you had to pick one person to trim from the line-up...
...it would be Ringo!
Posted by: Jeff in Cuba | July 03, 2008 at 10:16 AM
No "Overkill" from Colin? I'd have demanded a refund.
Posted by: Bassnote | July 03, 2008 at 10:22 AM
I admit I probably would have reacted in the same manner as Sean: Sitting there waiting, "surely I'm getting more than this...wait for it."
You know, how if you wait for the credits to end with Ferris Bueller you get another dose. Patience is rewarded.
Truly a bummer for Colin not to do Overkill. I realize in this sort of jam-pack setting the performers do their 'best of' but Hays "Beautiful World" is one of my fave tunes from his MAN @ WORK solo cd.
Posted by: Marissa | July 03, 2008 at 10:25 AM
Did someone say Hays?
Yeah, Overkill's my favorite! Bummer.
Posted by: John Hays | July 03, 2008 at 10:27 AM
Gary Puckett -- cool. I saw him with (shhh...) the Monkees and Paul Revere & the Raiders back in '86 maybe.
Drag about, well, everything disappointing. Although good to know Billy's voice is still in good form -- that's not always the case with some of these guys.
Posted by: jane | July 03, 2008 at 10:40 AM
Overkill is a great song. I have always wanted to go see the Ringo All Star Band, but never have gone. This is a pretty good line up. So does Ringo pretty much do all his standard hits with some Beatles songs splashed in?
Posted by: Neil | July 03, 2008 at 10:55 AM
On my walk this morning, I cued up "Everybody Wants You" over and over again, just to get last night's heinous buzzkill out of my head. Oy. By the halfway point of that godforsaken show, I wanted to snap Ringo's "peace" fingers in half.
Oh, and Colin Hay is now No. 1 on my must-see concert list. That guy's voice is somehow even BETTER. No kidding.
Posted by: Sean Daly | July 03, 2008 at 12:18 PM
::jumps up and down::
I'm with you on that, Sean. His sound is uber cool.
Posted by: Marissa | July 03, 2008 at 12:22 PM
Wow, "Overkill" is only Hay's masterwerk! Is he trying to get us salivating for a tour, or does he just not know the power of that
song for American fans?
And it seems incomprehensible that Billy Squires did "Stroke Me"
over "Everybody Wants You"!
What must that conversation have been like? "No, Billy, not your most-played hit... You'll seem too much the show-off. Trust me.
Why not do 'Stroke Me'?" Snicker snicker
Posted by: Rick | July 03, 2008 at 01:23 PM
Just for Sean:
http://www.imeem.com/knivesace/music/nqCG1bRD/colin_hay_overkill/
Posted by: John Hays | July 03, 2008 at 02:31 PM
I think Ringo stopped being fun some time around 1966. He seems to be getting crankier and crankier. We had him and the All Starrs at the Sun Dome in 2001 and everybody in the band was very friendly and accessible except for him. Then when they were at the Mahaffey a couple of years ago, word was that he was already in his limo heading for the airport while the band was still playing. Now this. How sad.
By the way, the 2001 show was awesome. TYhe band featured Roger Hodgson, Ian Hunter, Sheila E., Howard Jones and Greg Lake. Plus unscheduled appearances by Rick Derringer, Liberty DeVitto and Brian Johnson.
Posted by: Clark | July 03, 2008 at 04:36 PM
i'd go to the show if billy squier toured again but with one small request. please billy, no dancing. it looked uncomfortable back in the day and would be even worse now.
Posted by: don in tulsa | July 03, 2008 at 07:24 PM
jane why the shh, for the monkees. they are great. i think it was the grass roots, gary puckett, and herman and the hermits with the monkees on the 1986 20th anniversary tour. but i have to say, i would love to see billy in concert. dont say no is an absolute classic record.
Posted by: CHAD | July 03, 2008 at 07:57 PM
This is the second year that Billy has been in the all-star band. This week the CD from last year's line up is being released with Billy performing Everybody Wants You and Rock Me Tonite.
http://www.amazon.com/Ringo-Starr-Band-Live-2006/dp/B0019R4TEG/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1215183284&sr=1-13
Posted by: 80sfan | July 04, 2008 at 10:59 AM
Ringo was a great drummer. I never bought the stuff that he couldn't drum. Lennon / McCartney weren't daft.
anyway, I need your stories about 80s UK New Romantics.
www.daveches.co.uk/80s/index
Posted by: geekpie | July 04, 2008 at 12:42 PM
Why no mention of Edgar Winter? Without Edgar and Billy, it would have been a no show. Sorry, Ringo, if you're going to tour, get with it. Sounded like a phone it in performance...but thanks, Billy and Edgar.
Posted by: Ken Weiss | July 05, 2008 at 08:20 AM
My Husband and I could have written your blog. I was yelling " Everybody Wants You" over and over-like he would have heard me from row Q, but whatever.I would heve been happier to see a double bill Men at Work & Billy Squier concert- no offense to Edgar Winter-a great musician just not my bag. Ringo loaded it down with his strange songs- his perogative, but what the heck?
Posted by: | July 05, 2008 at 10:41 AM
I've been wondering for the last few years why Billy Squier doesn't tour and do the festivals. If performers like David Lee Roth, Cheap Trick, Survivor, .38 Special, etc. do the Ribfests and Tastes of Pinellases, there's no reason why we can't see Mr. Squier out there.
Posted by: Tonka61 | July 05, 2008 at 05:46 PM