Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Smart Financial Centre, Sugar Land – 2 November 2017

Thursday 2 November 2017 | Live performance | Smart Financial Centre, Sugar Land, Texas, USA | By Beatles Fabdom

Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band performed at Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land, Texas, on 2 November 2017. It was the 11th show of a 21-date American tour that began with eight performances at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas.

The band had reached Texas through El Paso and Austin. Sugar Land was the third Texas stop, followed the next evening by Irving and then a concert at WinStar World Casino in Oklahoma. The tour continued east through Florida, Georgia and Virginia before finishing in Newark, New Jersey, on 16 November.

From the Las Vegas residency to Texas

The autumn tour opened on 13 October with the first of eight shows at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. The Las Vegas engagement continued through 28 October before the group began its travelling itinerary.

Our accounts of 24 October, 27 October and 28 October 2017 cover performances during that opening engagement.

Ringo’s March tour announcement described the route from Las Vegas through Texas and Oklahoma, then east to Florida, Georgia and Virginia before the northeastern dates. Additional concerts brought the final itinerary to 21 performances, including Irving on 3 November and Clearwater on 10 November.

“The dream is still unfolding,” Ringo said in the official announcement. “I love to play, and I love to play with this band.”

The 2017 All-Starr Band

The touring group comprised Ringo, Steve Lukather, Todd Rundgren, Gregg Rolie, Richard Page, Warren Ham and Gregg Bissonette. Ringo’s official announcement named those six All-Starrs alongside him. Warren Ham supplied the wind instruments and additional percussion; Mark Rivera, pictured in earlier publicity for the broader All-Starr era, was not part of this touring line-up.

The same seven-piece touring line-up had performed at Tokyo’s Orchard Hall exactly a year earlier, on 2 November 2016. Its shared-vocal format remained central to the show: Ringo’s songs alternated with the other singers’ own recordings and the hits of their former or continuing bands.

Setlist

1. Matchbox
2. It Don’t Come Easy
3. What Goes On
4. I Saw The Light — Todd Rundgren
5. Evil Ways — Gregg Rolie
6. Rosanna — Steve Lukather
7. Kyrie — Richard Page
8. Bang The Drum All Day — Todd Rundgren
9. Boys
10. Don’t Pass Me By
11. Yellow Submarine
12. Black Magic Woman — Gregg Rolie
13. Gypsy Queen — Gregg Rolie
14. You’re Sixteen
15. Back Off Boogaloo
16. You Are Mine — Richard Page
17. Africa — Steve Lukather
18. Oye Cómo Va — Gregg Rolie
19. I Wanna Be Your Man
20. Love Is The Answer — Todd Rundgren
21. Broken Wings — Richard Page
22. Hold The Line — Steve Lukather
23. Photograph
24. Act Naturally
25. With A Little Help From My Friends
26. Give Peace A Chance

Ringo’s Beatles and solo catalogue

“Matchbox” began the programme with the Carl Perkins song Ringo had sung with the Beatles. “It Don’t Come Easy” followed, before the Rubber Soul song “What Goes On”.

Later selections included “Boys”, “Don’t Pass Me By” and “Yellow Submarine”. These drew on different parts of his Beatles career: an early rock-and-roll vocal, his own White Album composition, and the Revolver song that became the title of the animated film.

“You’re Sixteen”, “Back Off Boogaloo” and “Photograph” represented his solo successes of the 1970s. “Act Naturally” returned to another Beatles-era cover before “With A Little Help From My Friends” and “Give Peace A Chance” closed the concert.

Read more about the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine session on 26 May 1966 for the recording history behind one of the evening’s best-known songs.

Give More Love: the album behind the touring year

Ringo’s nineteenth solo album, Give More Love, had been released on 15 September 2017. Recorded at his home studio in Los Angeles, it included contributions from Paul McCartney and several musicians connected with the All-Starr circle.

McCartney appeared on “We’re On The Road Again” and “Show Me The Way”. Steve Lukather, Richard Page and Gregg Bissonette also contributed to the album, connecting the studio project with the musicians on the autumn tour.

The release included new versions of “Back Off Boogaloo”, “Don’t Pass Me By” and “Photograph” among its bonus tracks. All three song titles also appeared in the Sugar Land concert programme. The album’s release provides context for the touring year, but its title song is not added to the setlist above.

Contemporary reviews of the Sugar Land concert

Houston Press described an approximately two-hour show built around the All-Starrs sharing the spotlight. Its review noted that Ringo, then 77, still moved energetically onstage and continued to enjoy his turns behind the drums. The reviewer characterised the familiar All-Starr format as satisfying rather than a radical change from earlier tours.

Jim Bille’s review for HoustonMusicReview.com also emphasised the shared lead roles, highlighting Lukather, Page, Rolie and Rundgren alongside Ringo. Bille called it a particularly strong “feel good” show and praised the new venue and its staff.

Those assessments reflect the two reviewers’ responses to this performance. Both identified the exchange between Ringo’s catalogue and the other musicians’ songs as a defining feature of the evening.

Ringo Starr merchandise

The Ringo Starr Colour Peace T-shirt features a blue-green portrait of Ringo making a peace sign on black fabric.

Complete 2017 All-Starr Band tour itinerary

The tour comprised eight Las Vegas performances and thirteen further American dates. It began on 13 October and ended on 16 November 2017.

The Norfolk venue is listed under its 2017 name, Ted Constant Convocation Center, rather than the later Chartway Arena name.

Smart Financial Centre in its opening year

Smart Financial Centre officially opened on 14 January 2017, making Ringo’s November appearance part of the venue’s first year. The City of Sugar Land’s economic-development record identifies it as the city’s indoor performance venue and gives its address as 18111 Lexington Boulevard.

The venue is in Sugar Land, southwest of Houston, rather than central Houston. The full venue name is Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land; contemporary reviews sometimes use the American spelling “Center”.

Venue location map

Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land, 18111 Lexington Boulevard, Sugar Land, Texas 77479, USA.

Open Smart Financial Centre in Google Maps · City of Sugar Land venue information.

Yellow Submarine merchandise

The Yellow Submarine Heads In Circles sweatshirt connects with the Beatles song included in Ringo’s concert programme.

Frequently asked questions

When did Ringo Starr play Smart Financial Centre?

Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band performed at Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land on 2 November 2017.

Which show was this in the 2017 tour?

It was the 11th performance in the 21-date autumn US itinerary.

Who was in the All-Starr Band?

Steve Lukather, Todd Rundgren, Gregg Rolie, Richard Page, Warren Ham and Gregg Bissonette accompanied Ringo.

What was Ringo’s latest album at the time?

Give More Love, his nineteenth solo album, had been released on 15 September 2017.

Where is Smart Financial Centre?

It is at 18111 Lexington Boulevard, Sugar Land, Texas 77479, southwest of Houston.

Where did the 2017 tour finish?

The final concert was at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark on 16 November 2017.

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