Concert Review: Ringo & Friends at the Ryman

Ringo Starr famously loves Country music.

And has since even before joining The Beatles.

Whenever he was given a slot to sing lead on a Beatles record, it was almost always had a Country feel:

• “Matchbox” and “Honey Don’t,” both written by Carl Perkins

• “Act Naturally,” made famous by Buck Owens

• And “What Goes On,” written mostly by John Lennon with help from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr himself.

It was his first writing credit.

Ringo has dabbled in Country throughout his solo career and has just released a full Country album.

With stars like Beyoncé, Jon Bon Jovi, and Steven Tyler releasing Country music, it just makes sense that someone who’s loved and performed Country since the 1950s should do the same.

The album is called Look Up, which is also the title of the first single, and Starr will tour behind it starting in June.

However, this past week: He sold out two nights at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville for a show called Ringo & Friends at the Ryman.

Both nights were filmed and will be edited into a special to be shown on CBS and Paramount+ in the next couple months. Proceeds from the special will help aid relief in Los Angeles after the recent fires. 

I’m guessing this was a recent decision. The tickets went on sale before the fires started and the show wasn’t billed as a benefit or taping. But this was definitely not a regular concert. It was a television show taped before a live audience.

As such, it didn’t sound like one would expect at a concert, especially in the Ryman which is known for its excellent sound. 

This is always true of music performances for TV.

At regular concerts, the sound the audience hears comes primarily from the venue’s PA system, combined with direct sound from the instruments and the natural acoustics of the space.

For television, the audio engineers use close microphone setups to capture individual instruments and vocals, isolating them from the other instruments, ambient noise, and crowd sounds.

These separate tracks are mixed later to create a more controlled and pristine audio track. 

The result sounds great on TV, but the live sound in the room can lack the organic blend and reverb usually heard in the venue. Television tapings therefore sound different than a standard concert, and will sound better when you watch it at home later.

I’ve been to a couple tapings so I wasn’t surprised by the thin sound, middling volume and lack of bass in the mix. The sound wasn’t bad, per se, just weak. I’m pretty sure no one was turned off by the sound, disappointing though it was:

Because everyone was there to see a Beatle. 

Things began with the backing band nonchalantly taking their places, and then producer T Bone Burnett introduced them individually.
_{Photo Credit: Angelina Castillo}

They’re all A-list session musicians, including Jim Keltner who Burnett called “Ringo Starr’s favorite drummer.” High praise indeed.

Then he introduced Jack White and Ringo Starr, in that order, and they started the show with “Matchbox.”

Starr is a spritely 84-years-old and still has his familiar side to side bounce as he sings.

His voice is strong, if a little lower than it used to be. He was relaxed and easily the coolest person in the room.
_{Photo Credit: Angelina Castillo}

Between songs, his trademark charm and humor are still in full force, but he left most of the introductions to Burnett. As White left the stage, Burnett introduced Sheryl Crow, Mickey Guyton, and Molly Tuttle to sing backing vocals on Starr’s 1971 single “It Don’t Come Easy.” It was a slightly countryfied version and the four voices were the highlight.

This was followed by the first of three songs from the new album, “Time On My Hand.”

After which Starr left the stage and Tuttle returned to do “Octopus’ Garden,” which she said is one of her favorite songs from her childhood. Her guitar and vocal talent stood out even among the better known artists.
_{Photo Credit: Molly Tuttle}

After that, White returned to do an accurate and fun version of “Don’t Pass Me By.”

And that’s how the show went. All the songs were ones Starr sang with the Beatles or on solo records, but sometimes he was on stage and sometimes not. This gave the other stars a chance to shine and they often did.

Highlights included Billy Strings’ cover of “Honey Don’t,” Rodney Crowell and Sarah Jarosz doing “Act Naturally,” and Larkin Poe’s version of “I Wanna Be Your Man.” 
_{Photo Credit: Larkin Poe}

The band left the stage while The War and Treaty did a stripped down cover of “Without Her” from Starr’s Beaucoup of Blues album. It was just the two of them in a piano and vocals arrangement, completely different from the original version. Likewise, Mickey Guyton revamped “You Don’t Know Me At All” from a pop song to a soul ballad. I’ll include the full set list below.

Starr played drums on only “Boys,” which he also sang, and “What Goes On,” sung by Strings and Tuttle. Nothing against Keltner, but I would have liked to see Starr drum more.
_{Photo Credit: Philip Macias}

Near the end of the show, Emmylou Harris came out and read a prepared statement about Starr’s relationship with Country music and promoting Look Up.

Then all the performers joined her, and Brenda Lee came out, too, to do the last two songs, “Yellow Submarine” and “With A Little Help From My Friends.” I spotted a guy in a baseball cap who hadn’t been introduced, but I think it was Starr’s brother-in-law, Joe Walsh.

While there were great moments — the female harmonies were particularly good, but that could be due to the treble heavy mix — the entire production felt under-rehearsed.

Endings were loose and even sloppy, and it was obvious that the band didn’t know the material as well as they could have. Between songs, there was some on-stage discussion about where to stand and slightly awkward pauses before counting in the next song. This could be explained away if the show was indeed transformed from a standard concert to a star-studded television fundraiser at the last minute.

It’s hard to be upset about the show’s slapdash nature. It’s Ringo, and it’s not just that he’s a Beatle. His peace and love aura is not a gimmick. It’s who he is.

In a time when our politics and media divide us, Starr makes it possible to believe, again, that peace and love will win in the end.
_{Photo Credit: Angelina Castillo}

We need to be reminded of that every so often. As Sheryl Crow said at one point, “I needed this.”

Song list:

1. “Matchbox” – Ringo Starr w/Jack White
2. “It Don’t Come Easy” – Ringo Starr w/Sheryl Crow, Mickey Guyton, and Molly Tuttle
3. “Time On My Hands” – Ringo Starr
4. “Octopus’ Garden” – Molly Tuttle
5. “Don’t Pass Me By” – Jack White
6. “Thankful” – Ringo Starr w/Larkin Poe
7. “Honey Don’t” – Billy Strings
8. “Without Her” – The War and Treaty
9. “I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party” – Sheryl Crow and Molly Tuttle
10. “Boys” – Ringo Starr w/Sheryl Crow, Molly Tuttle, and Larkin Poe
11. “Have You Seen My Baby” – Jamey Johnson
12. “You Don’t Know Me At All” – Mickey Guyton
13. “Act Naturally” – Rodney Crowell and Sarah Jarosz
14. “I Wanna Be Your Man” – Larkin Poe
15. “What Goes On” – Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle, w/Ringo Starr on drums
16. “Look Up” – Ringo Starr w/Molly Tuttle
17. “Photograph” – Ringo Starr w/Billy Strings
18. “Yellow Submarine” – Ringo Starr w/Emmylou Harris, Brenda Lee, everyone
19. “With A Little Help From My Friends” – Ringo Starr w/Emmylou Harris, Brenda Lee, everyone

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