It's even worse now that the music television networks so quickly make musicians' lives into history, contained within narratives that demand neat conclusions. Last week saw two stars deeply challenged by their own historical standing return to the New York area to prove their vigor and make relevance seem irrelevant. Thursday, Ringo Starr brought the seventh edition of his All-Starr Band to the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, N.J., while Bill Wyman led the New York debut of his Rhythm Kings on Friday at Town Hall. Both survivors shrugged off their status and stressed the fun of rock made not so much for mythic meaning as for a good time. Mr. Starr's concept was brilliant in its obviousness.
Most pop artists have only a few peaks in their careers.
The All-Starr Band changes with every tour and includes luminaries lesser than the Beatles but big enough to shine for about three songs per night. It is the living embodiment of that old fantasy about the great bands that must be jamming in heaven. Mr. Starr wisely decided not to wait, creating groups odd enough for the afterlife while their members could benefit from them on earth. Individually these artists would struggle to convince a crowd that they weren't outmoded, but together they could renew the crowd's taste for them. Mr. Starr also gained from this approach.