by Erica Banas
Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band will have a slightly different look when it tours Europe next summer.
The current edition of the group has been together since 2012 but will be losing Todd Rundgren and Mr. Mister bassist Richard Page. They'll be replaced by Men At Work's Colin Hay, who was an All-Starr during 2003 and 2008, and 10cc bassist Graham Gouldman in his first stint with the group.
The 20-date tour kicks off June 5 in Paris, with returning All-Starrs Steve Lukather of Toto, Greg Rolie of Journey and Santana, drummer Gregg Bisonette and saxophonist Warren Ham.
Starr previously told us about his affection for the All-Star lineup as it was, explaining that,
"I feel like we are a band, y'know? And so we know each other. We have a lot of fun. We play well. The songs are great and the audience love it, but sitting on the plane, sitting on the bus, sitting in the van, it's all OK. It takes time to get that. Every time I, we end a tour, whatever leg it is, I say 'OK, that's it' and then (promoter) Dave Hart'll say, 'Well, what about October?' and I say to the band 'You want to go out in October?' and we all say yes."
Rundgren, meanwhile, told us that he loves playing with Starr but acknowledged some minor pitfalls to the concept:
"It's a great gig. The only downside is I've been playing pretty much the same set for going on five years now...It would be great if things got mixed up a little bit...but the whole point of the All-Starrs is you gotta play the hits. It's not that he has anything musically against your lesser-known material or the material that might be more better known by your fans but not the public at large, but that's been the concept since he started the bands -- you play the hits. It's not likely I will be off the hook from 'Bang On The Drum All Day.'"
Starr's full European tour itinerary includes:
June
5 - Paris, France - L’Olympia
8 - Grolloo, Netherlands - Holland Blues Festival
9 - Flensberg, Germany - Flens Arena
10 - Hamburg, Germany - StadPark
13 - Helsinki, Finland - Kaisaniemi Park
15 - Horsens, Denmark -Lunden
16 - Berlin, Germany - Tempodrom
17 - Zwickau, Germany - Stadhalle
19 - Prague, Czech Republic - Congress Hall
20 - Vienna, Austria - Stadhalle
23-24 - Tel Aviv, Israel - Menorah Arena
26 - Barcelona, Spain - St. Jordi Club
28 - Madrid, Spain - WiZink Center
29 - La Caruna, Spain - Coliseum
July
1 - Bilbao, Spain - Bizkia Arena
4 - Luxembourg, Belgium - Rockhal
6 - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Sporting Complex
8 - Lucca, Italy - Piazza Napoleone
9 - Marostica, Italy - Piazza Degli Scacchi
11 - Rome, Italy - Autorium Cavea
The original article can be found here: http://wror.com/2017/11/30/ringo-starr-lineup-changes/
