Concert #55 - Ringo Starr & his All-Starr Band at the Greek Theater (September 4, 1989)

It would have sufficed if they only had Ringo onstage for the entire evening. But this is America, so for the same price they threw in a few more musicians. And not just any musicians - the first incarnation of the All-Starr Band included Joe Walsh, Dr. John, Billy Preston, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Nils Lofgren, Clarence Clemons, Jim Keltner, Garth Hudson and Zak Starkey. What a line-up!

The show I attended happened to be the last one of the US portion of the tour. I had a good terrace seat, on the left side of the stage. Ringo did most of his solo hits, plus a few songs from the days when he was in a band. In between Ringo's stints, the band members had their turns to showcase some of their better material.

Nils Lofgren impressed me quite a bit, and so did Billy Preston. Joe Walsh was good, too. The entire concert was recorded and released on CD.

This clip was recorded at the very show that I attended: it's Levon Helm and the band doing "The Weight":

Ringo sang these songs:

"It Don't Come Easy"

"The No-No Song"

"Honey Don't"

"You're Sixteen"

"Photograph"

"It Don't Come Easy"

"Act Naturally"

"Yellow Submarine"
"With A Little Help From My Friends"

Songs done by various band members:

"Iko Iko" - Dr. John

"The Weight" - Levon Helm & Rick Danko

"Raining in My Heart"- Rick Danko

"Shine Silently" - Nils Lofgren

"Quarter To Three" - Clarence Clemons

"Will It Go Round In Circles" - Billy Preston

"Life In The Fast Lane" - Joe Walsh

"Rocky Mountain Way" - Joe Walsh

Concert #20 - Steve Winwood at the Universal Amphitheater (October 19, 1986)

Here's someone I'd been idolizing since his Spencer Davis Group days, when I was still in high school. After many years of keeping a relatively low profile, Steve came back in 1986 with a strong album aptly titled "Back In The High Life" that generated lots of air play.

His show was exceptionally good. Frequently switching between guitars and keyboards, Steve played most of the songs from his current album, among them "Higher Love", "Freedom Overspill" and the title track. There were also two unannounced guests: Dave Mason and Joe Walsh, who were both received very well by the crowd. From among his earlier solo stuff, Steve played "While You See A Chance" and "Valerie". He also played "The Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys" from his Traffic days, and ended the show with "Gimme Some Lovin'", the Spencer Davis Group gem. He may have even played "I'm A Man", but I'm not quite sure.

 

  I managed to miss the opening act, Level 42, not a major loss, although I did like their "Something About You" hit. Good video, too.

Dave Mason

Joe Walsh