Ringo and Friends Rocking Again, Naturally

What daft bunch of rockers would play King Crimson’s “In the Court of the Crimson King,” Supertramp’s “Logical Song,” Sheila E.’s “The Glamorous Life,” and the Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine” all in one set? Well, who else but erstwhile Fab Four drummer Ringo Starr and the seventh incarnation of his All Starr Band?

Loaded with sing-along moments, Thursday’s two-hour-plus show at the nearly full Universal Amphitheatre was, as the energetic and wry-as-ever Ringo put it, all about music and fun. “We don’t do this to get tortured,” he joked.

Well, that depended upon how fond (or tolerant) you were of the selections performed by members of this offbeat, high-end bar band, featuring Ian Hunter (Mott the Hoople), Greg Lake (King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer), Roger Hodgson (Supertramp), new-wave Howard Jones and drummer Sheila E., along with saxophonist and musical director Mark Rivera.

Smart enough to exploit his Beatles cachet without trying to pass himself off as a frontman, Ringo emphasized the lightness of it all, interweaving perky renditions of his signature tunes--”Photograph,” “Act Naturally,” “Boys,” “A Little Help From My Friends,” etc.--and favorites associated with each of his all stars. But the program also provided an odd prism through which to view different fragments of rock history.

Jones’ heartfelt, blue-eyed synth-soul actually was warmer than you might remember from his shimmery ‘80s heyday, but Hodgson’s undeniably catchy prog-pop was every bit as annoying as it was 20 years ago. Like Jones, Sheila E. proved an asset both in the spotlight and behind the scenes, furiously breaking sticks during a flashy percussion solo and exchanging grins with Ringo as both bashed gleefully away during “Crimson King.”

Lake’s takes on that tune and ELP’s hoary “Lucky Man” showed that, for some, the majesty of rock will never go out of style. With “All the Young Dudes,” Hunter--who good-naturedly endured Drew Carey’s clowning during “Cleveland Rocks” and provided a rare moment of understatement with a wistful ballad --also emphasized how even once dangerous-seeming music eventually succumbs to the safety of nostalgia.