At the Hard Rock Cafe in Los Angeles last night (11/2), and in cooperation with the L.A. Food Bank and whyhunger.org, held what was billed as an "All-Star" tribute jam to the music of John Lennon, all the while supporting local and world food banks and keeping the spirit of this mans music alive all for the causes set up by Yoko Ono in the name of her late husband. Edgar Winter, Dave Stewart, Joe Walsh, Ringo Starr, plus "very special guests" where to be there playing, and paying tribute, to the music of John Lennon.

All guests in attendance were asked to bring a minimum of 5 cans of food and by all estimates and in seeing the mountain of food at the entrance of the HRC, and the donations and pledges raised inside, the night was a success, but, as I'll describe below should have been so much more. Admission was extremely hard to come by as knowing someone who knew someone wasn't gonna cut it this time. Last night, it was the toughest ticket in town.

Musically, er, aaa, hmmm, yaaa, that was a bit of a different story.

There was a young house band that played a mix of their own music and some solo Lennon tunes. Edgar Winter then took the stage and played "Come Together" and "Revolution" as well as a couple other songs. If you blinked, you would have missed the Ringo Starr, Barbara Bach, Zack Starkey, Joe Walsh possee being whisked in to a private area about an hour after the doors opened. After the set of Winter's, and a break of Beatles music being played on the house speakers, Dave Stewart came on and began his set. Dave finished his 4 song set with "Give Peace A Chance" joined on stage by Ringo and Walsh for the last half of the chorus. Then an army of security surrounded the Starr/Walsh possee and escorted them out the back door and down the stairs of the Kodack Theater parking structure all the while the Cafe was in a "lockdown" until the named guests were secure in their vehicles.

Total time on stage for both Ringo and Joe Walsh: less than 10 minutes. Neither picked up a guitar or a drum stick. Ringo did thank the band and "thanked" the crowd for coming out. Or as Ringo put it, "I want to thank all of my fans". Thank them, are you kidding me? Try thanking them by at least playing a song, ...an entire song. One song would have been nice. It was not all a concert or even a performance, it was an appearance.

What is my point you ask, ...................it is this. I knew autographs would be a very slim chance at best (though I am always ready for the chance). That at all was not the focus or the issue last night. It was a night of music and donations for a very worthy cause, However, Ringo Starr has become so full of baloney to fans and so caught up in "Ringoville", that even when he stands on a stage and "thanks" his fans, it feels that he is simply working the cameras and much like the rash of politicians we have been overdosing with these last few weeks, it seemingly he is just telling the cowd what they want to hear. He seems so politically fake.

He could have mingled a bit last night, but didn't. He could of played some music last night, but didn't. He could have turned a night for a good cause even more profitable by standing on stage and auctioning off perhaps some of the many posters the HRC had displayed. He and Walsh could of walked around with a donation bucket and raked it in, but didn't. They could have sat a table and signed autographs at a set price and raked in the loot, but didn't. He could of sat at a table and provided photo opts and raked in the loot, but didn't. For a night which was about raising funds, it was "opportunity lost" by two of the BIGGEST names in all of Rock and Roll.

There was so much more that he (and Walsh) could have done, instead of just showing up for two hours and hiding in a booth with their family and friends, only to appear on stage for 10 minutes then dash out the back door. What a tremendous waste of a golden chance to raise even more money. The night was not about Ringo, or even the music, it was about awareness and fundraising. It was not about trying to obtain an autograph (even I knew that). Lending his name and making an appearance however, I suppose, did bring out the crowd, but they easily could have and should have used their status and easily brought in more donations. It would have been easy in such a private industry event.

Oh, and as far as the "special guests" in the crowd, the only person I saw and I was looking, believe me I was looking, was George Lopez.