Ringo Starr set to perform in the Triangle, years after HB2 cancellation

Ringo Starr is coming back to the Triangle, three years after he canceled a show because of objections to House Bill 2.

The once-and-forever Beatles drummer brings his All Starr Band to Durham Performing Arts Center on Aug. 6. The concert, announced Monday as an additional tour date, celebrates the 30th anniversary of Ringo and his All Starr Band, according to a news release. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 1.

Starr’s date means that the Triangle will get shows by both surviving Beatles this year. Paul McCartney is scheduled to play Raleigh’s PNC Arena on May 27.

Starr was previously scheduled to play Cary’s Booth Amphitheatre in June 2016. But he canceled that show in protest after the NC General Assembly passed HB2, the so-called“bathroom bill” that, among other things, required transgender people to use the bathroom that matched the gender listed on their birth certificates.

Bruce Springsteen, Boston and Pearl Jam were among the other acts who canceled North Carolina shows over HB2 that year.

“I’m sorry to disappoint my fans in the area, but we need to take a stand against this hatred,” Starr said in a statement then explaining his cancellation, according to a story in The News & Observer. “Spread peace and love.”

In 2017, the General Assembly passed a compromise repeal that undid enough of the law to start luring acts back to North Carolina. Maroon 5 and Cirque du Soleil are among the boycotting acts that have returned to perform.

This story was originally published January 28, 2019 at 11:40 AM.