Why Ringo Starr Just Postponed the Rest of His Tour

By Daniel S. Levine

Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band postponed their June performances after two members of the group tested positive for COVID-19. Edgar Winter tested positive last week, then Steve Lukather tested positive. The band postponed 12 June dates, which were tentatively rescheduled for September.

"We are so sorry to let the fans down," Starr, 81, said in a statement Saturday. "It's been wonderful to be back out on the road and we have been having such a great time playing for you all. But as we all know, Covid is still here and despite being careful these things happen. I want to thank the fans for their patience, I send you all peace and love, and we can't wait to be back in the Fall."

The 2022 All Starr Band tour kicked off in Ontario on May 27. During the second night of their sold-out three-night stand at the Beacon Theatre in New York, Starr said Winter tested positive but vowed to continue without him. However, after Lukather tested positive Saturday, the group decided to put the whole tour on hold.

Starr had dates scheduled through June 26, with stops in Baltimore, Providence, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Richmond, and St. Augustine on the itinerary. Those shows will all be performed in September now. Starr's fall 2022 tour will end in October with a two-night stand at Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City.

Starr established the All Starr Band in 1989. Each show features Starr performing his Beatles songs and a selection of solo hits. The other members of the band also perform their own hits. The 2022 lineup includes Winter, Toto guitarist Lukather, Men at Work frontman Colin Hay, Average White Band guitarist Hamish Stewart, Kansas' Warren Ham, and drummer Gregg Bissonnette. Members of the group have performed on Starr's recent solo albums, including Postcards from Paradise (2015), Give More Love (2017), and What's My Name (2019). Starr's most recent releases, Zoom In and Change the World, were short EPs.

Starr is hardly the only music legend to postpone tour dates after a positive COVID test. In May, Weird Al Yankovic tested positive for COVID-19 himself. He was forced to postpone two dates from his The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour, which features performances of his lesser-known tracks. In January, Billy Joel rescheduled a Madison Square Garden show for the second time, pushing it to Aug. 24, 2022, because of "COVID-related circumstances." 

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