Get the red carpet ready: A member of rock ’n’ roll royalty is coming to Victoria for the first time.
Beatles drummer Ringo Starr is set to make his Victoria debut on Oct. 8 at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. The famous timekeeper will be joined at the concert by a stellar cast of bandmates in his All-Starr Band, including solo artist Todd Rundgren, Toto guitarist Steve Lukather, ex-Journey keyboardist Gregg Rolie, Mr. Mister singer Richard Page, former Bread saxophonist Warren Ham and David Lee Roth drummer Gregg Bissonette.
Starr, who has been touring with his current band lineup since 2014, encourages each member to sing their most famous hits, in between singing solo hits of his own and his songs with the Beatles. A recent concert from Starr spanned 25 songs and featured everything from Yellow Submarine, Act Naturally, and With a Little Help from My Friends to Evil Ways, Black Magic Woman, and Oye Como Va, the latter three of which Rolie sang when he was Santana’s frontman.
Starr, 74, will be riding high when he appears in Victoria for the first of eight Canadian dates. His 18th solo studio album, Postcards From Paradise, on which every member of his All-Starr Band appears, is set for release on March 31. Postcards From Paradise will feature additional contributions from his brother-in-law, Joe Walsh, Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics, and Peter Frampton, among others.
Starr will be inducted as a solo artist into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April, and will follow that honour (his second induction, after being included as a member of the Beatles) with the Sept. 21 release of his photography book, Photograph.
Other B.C. dates on his Canadian tour include Vancouver (Oct. 9, Queen Elizabeth Theatre) and Penticton (Oct. 10, South Okanagan Event Centre). The tour will also stop in Edmonton, Calgary, Regina, Toronto and Montreal.
Tickets for his Victoria appearance are expected to sell quickly. Further information will be announced Monday, according to organizers, but expectations are that tickets will go on sale March 27.
More details at ringostarr.com or saveonfoodsmemorialcentre.com.
