Ringo Starr Rocks On: 85 and Thriving With All Starr Band Tour and New Creative Ventures

At 85, former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr kicked off his latest U.S. tour with the All Starr Band. The first show lit up The Chicago Theatre on September 10. Ringo credits his passion for music and performing to his mother's recognition of his happiness when playing drums. 

Before hitting the road, Starr met with the press at Milwaukee's Riverside Theater. "We have to tour to get the pleasure of playing to people. I love playing live," he told Milwaukee Magazine. "It's not like we don't have hard times, but playing gives us a different mood all the time,” Starr said. “I love to play, and I know this band loves to play. … It doesn't take our minds off the rest of the world, it just centers the musical part of our brain in our hearts, and we do the best we can.” Starr said. 

His current lineup brings together Steve Lukather of Toto, Hamish Stuart of Average White Band, Colin Hay of Men at Work, plus Warren Ham, Buck Johnson, and Gregg Bissonette. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame picked Ringo Starr for his work with The Beatles. Each night brings a mix of music, including Starr's hits, "It Don't Come Easy" and "Photograph," Beatles classics "Yellow Submarine" and "With a Little Help from My Friends," plus band favorites like Toto's "Africa" and Men at Work's "Who Can It Be Now?" were part of the concert.

Offstage, Starr stays in motion. This year saw him team up with T Bone Burnett for a country album, step onto the Grand Ole Opry stage, and write Beats and Threads.

Las Vegas's Venetian Resort hosts the main stretch of fall shows, and five other cities get visits. On September 13 at 8 p.m., the Miller High Life Theatre in Milwaukee hosted a concert. You can find all of the fall shows on his official website.