Tickets to see Ringo Starr and his all-Starr Band at The Sound on Tuesday, September 26 have already gone on sale, and lawn tickets start at $39.50.
This iteration of the All-Starr Band—the 15th since 1989—features Toto’s Steve Lukather, Men At Work’s Colin Hay, Average White Band’s Hamish Stuart, and Woodstock keyboard whiz Edgar Winter, as well as a little help from saxophonist Warren Ham, and drummer Gregg Bissonette.
This show comes just over a year after Ringo and the exact same lineup of the All-Starrs finally staged a heavily-postponed show at Ruth Eckerd Hall, originally announced in November 2019. And it looks like Colin Hay is still up for belting out the chorus on the band’s version of Toto’s “Africa,” too.
“That was one of the challenges,” Hay told Creative Loafing Tampa during a press conference. “I can still get there, and to do that, I make sure that I warm up as much as I can, because if I don’t, it’s challenging.”
The Sound—under the same umbrella as Ruth Eckerd Hall and the Bilheimer Capitol Theatre—is the 9,000-capacity heart of a five-year long, $84 million renovation to downtown Clearwater’s beloved waterfront Coachman Park. And a plethora of nationally-renowned bands and artists are already scheduled to perform this summer alone.
It all starts on Wednesday, June 28, when a ribbon-cutting ceremony takes place at 5 p.m., followed by a free concert from Cheap Trick, featuring Safety Harbor resident Robin Zander. Free tickets sold out in an afternoon, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take a chance and sign up for the waitlist.
During opening week celebrations alone—centered around wellness, community, music, and diversity (don’t tell DeSantis), and including all kinds of local entertainment and vendors—Gavin DeGraw and Colbie Caillat (June 30), Dave Koz with Candy Dulfer and Eric Darius (July 1), and even a fresh-outta-retirement Peter Frampton (July 2) are all booked, and lawn tickets to see all of them start at a whopping $9.
Even The Florida Orchestra is getting in on the action, as it is set to perform in front of a July 4th fireworks display on the last day of opening week.
It doesn’t end there, either. Barefoot king Michael Franti and Spearhead roll into The Sound on July 21. John Fogerty—who finally reacquired publishing rights to his Creedence Clearwater Revival material earlier this year—is set for July 29, and Innings Fest alum Goo Goo Dolls with O.A.R. co-headline a gig on July 24.
In the fall, Kenny Loggins’ farewell tour—with special guest Pablo Cruise—arrives on Sept. 16. While dates and a lineup have yet to be announced, Clearwater Jazz Holiday has also been confirmed to return to its original home base after a few years at BayCare Ballpark.
And Hooters is having a 40th birthday party at The Sound on October 7, with a performance from Chicago. That’s probably not your weird uncle’s favorite band, but Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Fest stop at the ol’ Gary on the same night may be the only excuse to pass up spending $9 to sit on a lawn and listen to “Saturday In The Park” on an actual Saturday in the park (no apologies).
Even with the thought that it seemingly took no time at all to book a Beatle, the debut concert series at The Sound—with many more unconfirmed shows on the horizon—will undoubtedly go down as small potatoes, compared to what’s to come.
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Review: In return to Clearwater, Ringo Starr gets by with a little help from his all-star friends
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