In the fall of 2019, just a few months before we planned to visit our son in New York City, we were excited to take in some of the holiday offerings. Our itinerary included a cruise around the Statue of Liberty, a visit to the Empire State Building Observation Deck, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the 9/11 Memorial Museum, Dyker Heights, The Dakota, and Central Park, particularly Strawberry Fields on December 8th. We also planned to see the Rockefeller Center tree, go ice skating, and enjoy various restaurants in and around Manhattan, especially near NYU with our son Dan. This was all happening just before we learned about the seriousness of COVID-19.
Whew! What a memorable experience that led to a significant moment in history, one that continues to resonate socially today. That October, while we celebrated Halloween and the upcoming holiday season, we were fortunate enough to get tickets to see Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band at the Tower Theater. Unfortunately, that venue has since closed, but it was a favorite among rock bands for its nearly perfect acoustics.
Ringo brought along members from various groups, including Santana, Toto, Kansas, and local artist Todd Rundgren from Upper Darby, and they put on a phenomenal show. The setlist was as follows: Ringo kicked things off with “Matchbox,” followed by “It Don’t Come Easy,” “I Saw the Light” (sung by Todd), “Evil Ways” (performed by Gregg Rolie), “Rosanna” (by Steve Lukather), “Kyrie” (Richard Page), and “Bang the Drum All Day” (by Todd).
Ringo then performed “Boys,” “Don’t Pass Me By,” and “Yellow Submarine,” after which the band continued with “Black Magic Woman” and “Gypsy Woman” (Gregg Rolie), “You’re Sixteen,” “I’m the Greatest,” and “You Are Mine” (Richard Page), “Africa” (by Steve Lukather), “Oye Como Va” (Gregg Rolie), “I Wanna Be Your Man” (Ringo), “Love is the Answer” (Todd), “Broken Wings” (Richard Page), and “Hold the Line” (Steve Lukather).
The show concluded with Ringo’s hits: “Photograph,” “Act Naturally,” “With a Little Help from My Friends,” and “Give Peace a Chance.”
It was memorable in so many ways and even became more memorable as the Tower Theater closed permanently in 2022. As a footnote my wife and I only had the pleasure to see two of the Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr probably which will be hailed as the most influential and greatest Rock band of All-Time!
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