Hi Steve,

Since I haven’t seen a review of the Phoenix show at the Dodge Theater, I thought I would send this along. First, I will mention the one thing that sets this show apart from all the others and that’s the special guest that joined the band to sing along on “With A Little Help from My Friends”. Ringo introduced the guest by saying something along the lines of “I’d like to bring out someone to sing on the next song. A local boy made good – ALICE COOPER!”. Alice Cooper (who has a great restaurant/bar about four blocks away from the theater BTW) came out and did the! “I’m not worthy” bowing ala Wayne’s World to Ringo. He then stood by the John Waite’s microphone and patted his right thigh and sang along during the call-and-response parts and the chorus. The crowd was really thrilled. I’ve ran into Alice twice since I’ve lived in the Phoenix area, and he’s really a nice guy.

The rest of the show was equally enjoyable with the same set list as other show reviews I’ve seen here. I brought my fiancé along for her first All Starr show. I told her she would probably enjoy it, but she really didn’t know what to expect. Well, she was blown away. Especially since, at 28, she grew up during the 80’s when most of the All Starr’s songs were hits.

Once again, Ringo was fabulous. His voice keeps sounding even better over the years. This time around the real treat was to get to hear him not only sing “Don’t Pass Me By”, but play piano on it as well. It was entertaining watching him constantly looking down at his hands to make sure he was hitting the right keys. Now, I just need to hear him do “Octopus’s Garden” and “Only You”. One thing that was kind of disappointing was when Ringo introduced “Memphis on My Mind” as being from his latest album. A good number of people cheered, but it seemed Ringo ! thought the response was underwhelming and laughingly said something sarcastic like “thanks for your enthusiasm”. This is really too bad, because it’s a great album. I hope he doesn’t think less of it or that no one out there has enjoyed it just because it hasn’t sold as many copies as say Justin Timberlake’s last album. I think it’s his best record since “Ringo”.

Again, as mentioned in other reviews, one of the highlights was Sheila E. She gives 100% and seemed very sincere when she mentioned how much she appreciated and enjoyed being on tour with Ringo. She called Ringo one of the greatest drummers in history. To which I let out a shout of “Yeah!”.

Paul Carrack’s voice sounded amazing on all of his songs. To hear a voice like that actually come out of a person is almost unbelievable. One of the great things about the All Starr shows is being able to see and hear live the singers of great songs you’ve been hearing on the radio and record for years. In the past, I’ve gotten a kick out of hearing Burton Cummings, Gary Brooker, and Mark Farner. This time it was Colin Hay. He sounded just like he did on those records that were made twenty years ago. As for his guitar playing, I think he did a competent job. He’s obviously no Peter Frampton, but this tour isn’t really a “jamming” kind of a show. It’s more about the songs and the singers.

I thought “Here Comes the Sun” with everyone (except Ringo) singing in harmony with just two acoustic guitars and shaker for accompaniment was just beautiful. It was a very nice and moving tribute to George. This arrangement really highlighted what a truly wonderful song it is.

Lastly, I wanted to mention that John Waite sounded great on everything he did, and I also want to give some special recognition to Mark Rivera. As they used to call Phil Hartman when he was on SNL, Mark’s the “glue” of the All Starr band. His versatility makes these shows what they are.

I always tell people that the All Starr shows are some of the best shows you’re ever going to see (I’m mean, come on, where else can you see Peter Frampton jamming with Jack Bruce on “Sunshine of Your Love”). This show was no exception.

Sincerely,
Mike Babb Mesa, AZ

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software