RINGO DELIGHTS THE CROWD AT BRISBANE´S CONVENTION AND EXHIBITION CENTRE

Ringo delights the crowd at Brisbane's Convention and Exhibition Centre (feb 11) with a mix of old and new.

ALMOST 50 years ago, Ringo Starr, fresh from having his tonsils removed, was running late for the first and only Beatles' tour of Australia. He has since returned as a tourist, but this is first trip back in a professional capacity.

Surprisingly sprite, Starr looks as if he is back to his 1964 fighting weight. The drummer brings not only the big beat but also a cache of great songs.

It's not all about Ringo: his ever-evolving All-Starr Band now includes Todd Rundgren, Steve Lukather (Toto), Gregg Rolie (Santana and Journey) and Richard Page (Mr Mister), Mark Rivera and Gregg Bissonette.

Ringo began proceedings with a rollicking cover of Carl Perkins's Matchbox, then it was straight into his bona fide solo classic, It Don't Come Easy.

Ringo set the agenda early by retreating to the drum riser as Rundgren took his turn in the spotlight. Maybe it was an off night, but Rundgren struggled to sing his mini-masterpiece I Saw the Light.

Passing the baton, Rolie led the band into a blistering Evil Ways where Lukather, not for the last time, demonstrated what a shredder par excellence he is on lead guitar. Toto's Rosanna got the crowd briefly on their feet and showcased the modus operandi: the band are fine players while bassist Page and multi-instrumentalist Rivera do the heavy lifting when hitting the high notes in the choruses.

Starr, who still has a tremendous amount of presence on stage, looked joyful to be on his kit.

The familiar shoulder roll, the lean back on the stool and wide grin are all part of the DNA of modern rock.

Rather than just play his rockabilly-fuelled highlights from early Beatles' albums (Honey Don't and Act Naturally), Starr dug a little deeper and pulled out his own singalong from the White Album, Don't Pass Me By. Like his onstage demeanour, there's something incredibly likable about Ringo's baritone. Other Starr highlights included a cover of The Shirelles' Boys, which he'd also sung in his pre-Fab Four days as a member of Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, Yellow Submarine and a ragged I Wanna Be Your Man.

Part of the mystery of great music is that it has the ability to bring you into the moment or do the reverse: it can take you immediately back to another time and place. Photograph, co-written with George Harrison, has the ability to do that.

A terrific night, Ringo's show is essentially an evening of two parts. There are FM radio hits from semi-familiar faces that hold the show together and comprise a great band. Then there's something richer: and that's Starr demonstrating who he is now and what he did then as a quarter of the band that shook the world.

Sydney, tonight /Melbourne: Saturday and Sunday/ Adelaide: February 19/ Perth: February 21.