Ringo Starr at Capitol Records for his Annual Peace and Love Birthday celebration Photo: Belinda Thomas

Ringo Starr returned to Capitol Records Tower in Los Angeles for his annual Peace & Love Birthday event where he joined fans gathered for a Noon Peace and Love celebration. The dream is to create a wave of Peace & Love across the planet, starting in New Zealand and ending in Hawaii. Starr began these in 2008 at the Hard Rock Café Chicago and last year he celebrated the 10th Anniversary at the Hard Rock Café Nice. Over the years it has grown enormously with peace and love events all over the world, and this year already has over 30 events in 22 countries.

“I’ve said it before but I really can’t think of a better way to celebrate my birthday, or a better gift I could ask for, than peace and love. It’s so great how every year it keeps growing, with the wave of peace and love starting in the morning on July 7 in Australia and ending in Hawaii, with celebrations in all the time zones in between. I am so happy to be back at Capitol Records, and for our great sponsors who are carrying the message of peace and love around the world, like the David Lynch Foundation, Life is Good, SiriusXM, Modern Drummer and Starbucks. I also want to thank each and everyone of you for continuing to help spread peace and love, Starr stated.

Starr had a number of special guests join him which included his wife Barbara Starkey, David Lynch, All Starr Alum Sheila E, Edgar Winter, Nils Lofgren, Jim Keltner, Gregg Bissonette as well as friends Don Was, Ed Begley Jr, Richard Lewis, T-Bone Burnett, Benmont Tench , Peter Asher, Gary Wright and Peter Jackson.

Starr did not perform, however before the countdown there were performances by The Jacks who performed “You’re Sixteen” and “Speed of Sound”, Ben Kyle of Romantica and Sara Watkins perform “Act Naturally” and “It Don’t Come Easy” and the students of the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus perform an original song about Peace and Love.

Director David Lynch introduced Starr to the hundreds of fans many who waited hours to see the legend. A portion of the street on Vine was closed off for the event which was free to the public. Lynch, who referred to Ringo as “this person in question who would know, by any chance, about a yellow submarine” and “gets by with a little help from his friends,”. Starr took the stage and lead the crowd to the count down to noon when everyone shouted “Peace and Love,”. After introducing his special guests who were on the stage with him, Starr joked and suggested they form a “Peace & Love” band headed by Don Was.

A Birthday cake was bought out on stage or Starr and the crowd all sang Happy Birthday to him to celebrate his 79th birthday. After wards he and everyone on stage threw out white peace and love bracelets.

Starr is on tour as 2019 marks the 30th Anniversary of Ringo and his All Starr Band, who played their first show on July 23, 1989 at the Park Central Ampitheatre in Dallas, Texas. The first leg of 2019 tour dates was earlier this year in Japan.

The next leg will resume at Harrahs in Windsor, ON, Canada on August 1st and they will conclude September 1st at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, California, nearly 30 years to the day when the inaugural All Starrs completed their first tour on September 3, 1989.