Ringo Starr made a return trip to the Palace Theatre in Albany for his Fall Tour closing show, and even though upon first glance, you might have gotten Weekend at Bernie’s vibes, Ringo has all the energy and spunk as a youthful Beatle, his energy keeping the crowd moving throughout the night.
Opening the night with Carl Perkins’ “Matchbox” which the Beatles covered in their early years, particularly in Hamburg, Germany, the Palace Theatre crowd was up and moving, especially for Ringo’s post-Beatles solo hit “It Don’t Come Easy.” And with an All Starr lineup that included Steve Lukather (guitar, Toto), Colin Hay (guitar, Men at Work), Warren Ham (sax/flute, Toto, Kansas), Hamish Stuart (Average White Band), Gregg Bissonette and Buck Johnson, some hits from each of their respective bands were due this evening.
Among the first up was Lukather taking the lead on Toto’s “Roseanna,” with a nice extended jam that went beyond a rehashing of the radio friendly edit, while Stuart took over on guitar to press ahead on “Pick up the Pieces.” Back to back early highlights were followed by “Land Down Under” from Men at Work and Hay singing lead, all the while Ringo was seated on the highest riser, keeping the beat alongside Bissonette.
For a trio of songs, Ringo stepped down to sing “Boys” by The Shirelles, then a Lennon tune “I’m the Greatest” and the easily anticipated “Yellow Submarine,” with some back and forth between Starr and Lukather, who jokingly attempted to play “Day Tripper” and “Please Please Me,” much to the crowd’s delight.
Ringo took a break during Average White Band’s “Cupcake,” which included an extensive drum medley by Bissonette that harped on some of the most iconic drum tracks in rock history – “We Will Rock You,” “Come Together,” “Wipeout,” “YYZ,” “Rock and Roll,” “25 or 6 to 4,” “Slow Ride,” “Low Rider,” Honky Tonk Woman” and “Immigrant Song”, to name a few. Ringo returned to bring the crowd to the “Octopus Garden,” one of Ringo’s most unique compositions.
The “No No Song” which goes back to the era of Cheech and Chong would follow, as well as Ringo’s newish “Choose Love.” They again began moving around the band for “Overkill” by Men at Work, “Africa” by Toto, “Work To Do” (an Isley Brothers cover), “I Wanna Be Your Man” (the rare Lennon-McCartney song first recorded by The Rolling Stones) and Men at Work’s “Who Can it Be Now?” which allowed saxophone to shine via Warren Ham.
Another Toto hit, “Hold the Line” got the crowd to Starr’s “Photograph” and Beatles cover of Johnny Russell, “Act Naturally.” To wrap the night, the expected “With a Little Help from my Friends” captured the night and personnel on stage fully, the crowd rising to their feet and soaking in the awe of the legends and one Beatle, one more time.
Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band – Palace Theatre, Albany, NY – Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Setlist: Matchbox, It Don’t Come Easy, Rosanna, Pick Up the Pieces, Down Under, Boys, I’m the Greatest, Yellow Submarine, Cut the Cake, Octopus’s Garden, No No Song, Choose Love, Overkill, Africa, Work to Do, I Wanna Be Your Man, Who Can It Be Now?, Hold the Line, Photograph, Act Naturally, With a Little Help From My Friends, Give Peace A Chance
