Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Marktrock, Leuven

Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band performed at the Marktrock festival in Leuven, Belgium, on 16 August 1998.

It was the sixth show of the fourth All-Starr Band’s European tour, which lasted for 18 dates in August and September 1998.

The Marktrock Festival was great fun. The stage was set up in the ancient town square of Leuven and there were 15,000 people crammed in there. We followed Anouka, a Dutch singer – very good and very loud and the wonderful Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Before our set I got to spend some time with Ian, a writer, well more a poet really that I have always admired. He told me that he used to come and see me play at the Plough, Ilford, a pub in London, when I was with the Johnny Burch Octet This would be around 1962/63. He was kind enough to say that he thought it was the best jazz band he ever heard in England. Unfortunataely the Octet never had a chance to record. It was great to hear Ian’s songs ‘Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick’, ‘What A Waste’ etc. He was in great form and the band was very tight.

The All-Stars weren’t bad either and we left the crowd shouting for more as we screeched away through the narrow old streets back to Brussels. On then to Portugal…

The fourth All-Starr Band

• Ringo Starr: vocals, drums, percussion
• Peter Frampton: guitar, vocals
• Jack Bruce: bass guitar, keyboards, guitar, vocals
• Gary Brooker: keyboards, organ, vocals
• Mark Rivera: saxophone, guitar, organ, keyboards, percussion, vocals
• Simon Kirke: vocals, drums

Concert setlist

• ‘It Don’t Come Easy’
• ‘Act Naturally’
• ‘Whisky Train’ (Gary Brooker)
• ‘Show Me The Way’ (Peter Frampton)
• ‘Sunshine Of Your Love’ (Jack Bruce)
• ‘Shooting Star’ (Simon Kirke)
• ‘Boys’
• ‘Baby, I Love Your Way’ (Peter Frampton)
• ‘Love Me Do’
• ‘Yellow Submarine’
• ‘Conquistador’ (Gary Brooker)
• ‘I’m The Greatest’
• ‘No No Song’
• ‘La De Da’
• ‘I Feel Free’ (Jack Bruce)
• ‘All Right Now’ (Simon Kirke)
• ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’
• ‘Do You Feel Like We Do’ (Peter Frampton)
• ‘White Room’ (Jack Bruce)
• ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’ (Gary Brooker)
• ‘Photograph’

• ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’

1998 All-Starr Band tour dates

• 7 August 1998: Helsingin Jäähalli, Helsinki, Finland
• 8 August 1998: Heitere Open Air, Zofingen, Switzerland
• 9 August 1998: Smukfest, Skanderborg, Denmark
• 12 August 1998: Freilichtbühne, Stuttgart, Germany
• 13 August 1998: Theaterplatz, Chemnitz, Germany
• 16 August 1998: Marktrock, Leuven, Belgium
• 18 August 1998: Expo 98, Lisbon, Portugal
• 20 August 1998: The Point, Dublin, Ireland
• 21 August 1998: Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London, England
• 25 August 1998: State Central Concert Hall Rossiya, Moscow, Russia
• 26 August 1998: Oktyabrsky Concert Hall, Saint Petersburg, Russia
• 28 August 1998: Salle Des Etoiles, Monte Carlo
• 29 August 1998: Salle Des Etoiles, Monte Carlo
• 30 August 1998: Salle Des Etoiles, Monte Carlo
• 1 September 1998: Grugahalle, Essen, Germany
• 2 September 1998: Stadtpark Freilichtbühne, Hamburg, Germany
• 3 September 1998: Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn, Germany
• 5 September 1998: Wintershall Estate, Bramley, England