Ringo Starr just released a new four-track EP titled Crooked Boy that was written and produced by acclaimed songwriter and producer Linda Perry. In the coming weeks, the former Beatles drummer will be launching a new tour with his All Starr Band, but Ringo says that fans who attend the shows shouldn’t expect to hear him perform any of his new tunes.
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Starr was interviewed recently by Nic Harcourt from the Los Angeles-area radio station 88.5 FM The SoCal Sound, and was asked if he planned to play songs from Crooked Boy.
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“No, I’m not playing the new music,” Starr said. He then quipped, “I’ll mention it. I thank the five of them for buying it, usually.”
The 83-year-old rock legend explained that the All Starr Band has been touring for about 36 years and he’s released a lot of new records during that time, and he noticed a lack of interest from audiences when he would say, “I’d like to do a track for my new EP.”
“[Fans would go] buy a T-shirt or something,” Starr noted. “And so, I don’t do it anymore.”
Starr Shares Story About an Ill-Fated Elton John Show
Ringo also shared another story illustrating why artists who have many famous songs might want to consider steering clear of performing their new material in concert.
“[Y]ears and years ago, Elton [John] was playing in a stadium in England, and I was with his mother,” Starr recalled. “[H]e was a bit prissy that day, and he came on and he said, ‘I’m only gonna do tracks from my new album.’ Well, not only did a lot of the audience left, his mom and I left, and we went to the pub, ’cause we were waiting for, you know, all his great songs.”
Ringo Starr’s New Music Video
Fans who are interested in Starr’s new music might want to check out the music video for “Gonna Need Someone”—one of the song’s from Crooked Boy—which debuted April 26 on Ringo’s YouTube channel. The clip for the upbeat pop-rock song features new footage of Starr and Strokes guitarist Nick Valensi, who plays on the track, as well as archival film of Ringo from different periods in his career.
Crooked Boy is available now as a digital download and via streaming services. The record will be released on CD and as a 12-inch black-vinyl EP on May 31.
About Ringo’s All Starr Band
The current All Starr Band lineup features Toto guitarist Steve Lukather, Edgar Winter, Men at Work’s Colin Hay, and Average White Band bassist Hamish Stuart. The concerts always includes a number of classic Beatles and solo Starr songs, as well as hits recorded by the other members of the group.
About Ringo and His All Starr Band’s 2024 Tour Plans
As previously reported, Starr and the All Starr Band kick off a 12-date spring tour leg on May 22 at The Venetian theater in Las Vegas. The trek runs through a June 9 concert in Austin, Texas. The Las Vegas gig is part of a six-show residency at The Venetian. The group also will be playing a couple of shows in California and June 5-6 stand in Mexico City during the outing.
Starr also recently announced a run of nine fall 2024 concerts. Those shows are mapped out from a September 12 performance in Omaha, Nebraska, through a September 25 concert at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
Tickets for the shows are available now via various outlets, including StubHub.
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