Thomas Dolby has recently announced a Brief East Coast US tour and not surprisingly, it coincides with the fall break at The Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University, where the popstar adds frissons of celebrity as he has taught there for over a decade now. I see that last year the tireless Dolby was named to the inaugural Taylor A. Hanex Professorship in Music for New Media at the university. As he’s created music for films, records, phones, video games, and the web at the bleeding edge of the technology for almost 45 years now, we can’t think of anyone more suited to the notion of teaching students how to score for new media using new technology.

This brief tour will keep the Prof. close to home as he take to what sound like a handful or more of charming, theaters in the perimeter surrounding his home base in Baltimore, Maryland. I see that he’s playing The Birchmere in Virginia once more. I swear, that in 15 years of following Dolby tour dates, he must have played The Birchmere more than any other venue. It figures in every US tour. See??! The Birchmere’s Wikipedia page even had a photo of him on the marquee as the representative illustration!

The brief promised music and storytelling; something Dolby always had a penchant for. Even if he was just relating how he built up a track from loops onstage as on the Sole Inhabitant Tour. I just realized yesterday that I’ve seen Dolby three times now; fairly heavy for this Monk! I’m not usually that sort of person who sees an act more than a handful of times. Owing to my geographic positioning, more than any other factor; sadly.

I’m guessing that he will be relating stories related to the broad topic of his life and experiences in this business called “show” rather than the nuts and bolts of what song he’s going to perform next. Like a mashup of his One Man Show and his memoir “The Speed Of Sound.” Since last summer’s tour with the Totally Tubular Festival featured Dolby in solo mode, I would expect that to follow on this tight, limited excursion. After all, the man practically invented the one-man laptop show! Even before there were laptops!

THE ICONIC 80s: My PERSONAL RECOLLECTION

• Oct 23 | Birchmere | Alexandria, VA
• Oct 24 | Ram’s Head On Stage | Annapolis, MD
• Oct 26 | Roxian Theatre | Pittsburgh, PA
• Oct 29 | Keswick Theatre | Philadelphia, PA
• Oct 30 | The Queen | Wilmington, DE
• Oct 31 | Patchogue Theatre | Patchogue, NY
• Nov 01 | Archer Music Hall | Allentown, PA

So these are the dates. Busy, but just shy of an aggressive roster for a twelve day spin. This Monk won’t be venturing out, but it’s always a good evening when Dolby’s onstage. So why not stop in for a show and say “hiya” to Thomas Dolby…and his hair.

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