( dpa )- Former Beatle Ringo Starr on Friday kicked off this year's European Capital of Culture celebrations in Liverpool with a new single dedicated to his home city, the birthplace of the Beatles phenomenon.
Ringo , 67, performed Liverpool 8 from the rooftop of the city's main concert hall, St George's Hall, as a crowd of up to 50,000 was entertained by an extravaganza of fireworks, dance and acrobatics.
The port in north-west Britain, the birthplace of the Famous Four, hopes to generate around 100 million pounds (200 million dollars) from 12 months of cultural events to mark its reign as European Capital of Culture, a title it shares with the Norwegian oil port of Stavanger .