IN MY LIFE… AS RINGO!
Part 6 by Mike Streeto

Hey Brunchers, Viva Las Vegas! In November of 2007, my good friend and partner and producer, Charles F. Rosenay!!!, invited me to join him on a “Weekend of Love” to see the Cirque du Soliel show, “Love” in Vegas.

We joined a tour group for the weekend, and stayed in the same suite where The Beatles slept ( suite # 2344 ) on August 19, 1964, at the Sahara Hotel and Convention Center. There are pictures of The Beatles in the room, and we had a party there. The highlight was the “Love” show, but we also saw the Vegas cast of “The Fab Four” (Fab FourMania) on stage, had a reception at the Hard Rock Café, went to the Beatles-themed Revolution Lounge at the Mirage Hotel & Casino, and other fun activities. Also, as a last-minute bonus, we visited “Old Vegas" (downtown) to see the band I had recently performed with, “Fab Forever.”

Before we talk about “Fab Forever,” I should add that I met a lot of new, groovy friends on the trip. We all loved the “Love” show. It’s a must to see at least once. The sound is the greatest, and to us Beatles fans, it’s all about the music, plus the superb re-mastering by Sir George Martin and son Giles Martin. We also enjoyed the concert by “The Fab Four,” who put on a great show from a-z, but that’s what we’ve come to expect from the band that expertly captures the Beatles. It was also nice to hang out with the band, thanks to Ron McNeill (the rhythm guitarist and spokesman for the great group).

After our Hard Rock Café luncheon we ended the 20 weekend of activities with the addition of one final concert event, a gig by “Fab Forever” at the Canyon Club inside the Four Queens Hotel & Casino (where, for you trivia buffs, Davy Jones of The Monkees played back in 1993, and covered “I’ll Cry Instead”). The club is rather run-down and tired, and there were few people there besides our tour group. The show was very basic and stripped-down, and couldn’t compare to the “Fab Four” production we saw the night before (great title: “The Night Before”). Sorry guys, but ...

The show’s producer/director, Jerry Peluso, lit up with a smile and gave me a hug. He put his arm around me and escorted me back stage to see “the fellas.” Off we went, and the first band mate I saw was Todd Rainey (“Yesterday,” “1964”), the 'Paul' from my time with this band. From my hometown and state as 'Ringo', Carmine Grippo (“Classical History Tour,” “Twist and Shout,” “The MopTops,” “She Loves You”), gave me a nice greeting. He was surprised to see me! As 'George', the legendary Jimmy Poe (“BeatleMania,” “1964,” “Beatlemania Now,” “An Evening With George”), also gave me a warm greeting. 'John' was Gary Gibson, and, being Gary Gibson, all I got was a “hey mate.” You could read about these guys in my previous write-ups. Lead guitarist, Glen McCallum was replaced by Jimmy Poe (a great choice), and I was replaced behind the kit by Carmine Grippo. This really threw me because Glen was always in the band (?) no matter who the John or Ringo were. With all that talent up there, it just didn’t “come together.” Even Charles was surprised that they were so sloppy. Well, maybe it was the sound system?

I was so glad I wasn’t involved with this line-up, in this shabby venue. It was much more fun and satisfying playing the bigger and better concerts when I was in “Fab Forever,” in Vegas, Florida and Connecticut .

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