LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Peace, love, art, and music. That's what music legend Ringo Starr is bringing to Las Vegas this month.
WATCH | Ringo Starr reflects on his legendary music career that took him to Vegas
The former Beatles drummer is continuing to tour with his All Starr band. He is set to take the stage with Steve Lukather, Colin Hay, Hamish Stuart, Warren Ham, Buck Johnson, and Gregg Bissonette at The Venetian on September 17, 19, 20, 24, 26, and 27.
I caught up with the band on Tuesday and asked them about their first Las Vegas memories. For Starr, his first visit to the valley was on Aug. 20, 1964. The Beatles played two shows on that date at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
He says the city has changed over the years, in a good way, because people are more passionate about the music.
"It used to drive me mad because there were like tables. They were eating dinner. There was a guy with three girls at a table. It's like the last thing you wanted to listen to was the music," Starr said. "But now, it's so great. It's music city. I love it."
Stuart echoed those remarks.
"My first memory of Vegas was that it took about 15 or 20 minutes to get to the Strip from the airport in a cab. Now, you walk out and you're on it," Stuart said. "It's very strange. We played the Stardust or something like that but it's amazing the way Vegas has changed. It's so huge now. It's crazy."
For Bissonette and Hay, it's the fact that the world comes to them in Las Vegas and they can return home after a successful series of shows.
"My first time was in 1982 playing a big convention for an auto industry thing. They brought all these Los Angeles musicians there and I couldn't believe I was playing in Vegas," Bissonette recalled. "Now, to play at The Venetian with Ringo and the All Starr Band, you've got so many people from around the country coming to Vegas. What a great concept."
"It was a place that I had never experienced before," Hay said. "I like playing it because it's close to home and you can nip home after you've played there."
The All Starr band has been performing together for years and Starr said it was a daunting task at first.
"I had never put a band together so I started just calling friends who I knew in my phone book. It was a book in those days. Nobody said no," Starr said. "It was so far out that I had to stop because we would have 20 people on stage."
And for the rest of the guys, it's an amazing experience.
"If you would have told me in 1966 when I saw Ringo in Detroit that I'd be playing five feet away from him since 2008, I would have never believed it," Bissonette said. "But one of the great things about this band too is that we do kind of our own take on all these great songs that everybody has. We kind of do it our way, which is super fun to do."
"It's a dream come true for me and to share the stage and play for people who love Ringo and all of the songs, it's most than music, it's almost spiritual," Johnson said.
"Man, this has been the best 13 years of my life man. Thank you for having me boss," Lukather told Starr. "You started my musical life. It sort of popped open when I saw you. And all these years later, to get to be your friend and be a part of this with all these great cats, I love you man. Thank you for having me. Every day is a joy."
If you can't catch the show, you can see Starr's artwork in a special exhibition at the Animazing Gallery at the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian.
This marks his first art exhibition since 2019 and it's the first time that he is selling 12 original pieces in addition to limited edition and signed works of art.
"It's just something I love to do. I've got one little room where I can throw paint around," Starr said. "A lot of it is spin art and it's so abstract because you can't control it, really. You can make colors. That's all."
Other pieces include a series of faces as well as signed drumheads and drumsticks that are mounted into frames.
The art exhibition is open to the public, free to attend, and runs through October 15.
All sales proceeds will go towards Starr's charity, The Lotus Foundation. The foundation supports, participates in and promotes charitable projects like research and treatment for cerebral palsy, brain tumors, cancer, substance abuse prevention, homelessness issues, domestic violence issues, and helping animals in need.