BT /TD tour kicks off
Tonight was great! An excellent start to the tour. Of course there were glitches to be worked out–but that’s what first nights are for. I stood and listened to BT’s set and it sounded amazing. Very dreamy, ethereal, uplifting. A lovely sheen of top end harmony sometimes giving way to a bed of grinding low-res noise. People were spellbound. And that’s even without the visuals–there was no room for video at the Red Devil so we did it with audio only.
A few gigs from now we will be totally cooking!
November 28th, 2006 at 1:57 am
Thanks for another great show, Thomas. (Two TD shows in a week–no complaints here
Glitches aside and not unexpected for a tour kick-off show and of course it was on a Monday after Thanksgiving, you got into the swing of things and delivered! I had never heard BT live and I enjoyed it very much–it swept me up and I went with it to the end. Also, nice to finally meet Lunesse, web mistress. I wish you all a great tour.
November 28th, 2006 at 6:14 am
Have a GREAT tour, Thomas! We’re greatly anticipating your arrival in Austin next week…
Will the order of sets be alternating, or will BT be opening for you each night??
Beech
November 28th, 2006 at 7:28 am
Thomas,
you seem to have let a small detail slip through without as much as a passing remark.
You played new material tonight!!!
Congratulations. I really wish I had been there to hear it. I guess for us over here it’s going to be a l,ong time before we get such a chance.
Cheers,
Jon
November 28th, 2006 at 10:23 am
You sound happy and happy is good.
It’s only fitting that what you are going to do next is go to Disneyland! (well, Downtown Disney anyways)
I’ll be there tonight to take it all in. I am really looking forward to it.
ciao
Doug
November 28th, 2006 at 10:31 am
It wasn’t really a *new* song. I started it in about 1994 then abandoned it. I revived it to mark the happy conclusion of the K-Fed affair. See, even my new songs are 12 years old! I’m like a fine Islay single malt!
It’s called ‘Your Karma Hit My Dogma.’ I believe I saw this on a car bumper sticker in Carpiteria.
November 28th, 2006 at 10:47 am
Phew! Finally some information! Thanks!
New is new despite the vintage. I would give my eye teeth to get to a show now. After what Lunesse said about 2007 being the line drawn in the sand and in the event of more shows being announced for the New Year, I was planning to sneak out under the premise of a ‘business trip’!
Now it’s already started and I’m missing it. Arrrrgh!!!
…podcast
…podcast
…podcast
It would be great to see you back in the heart of The Empire again.
Good luck in San Diego!
Cheers,
Jon
November 28th, 2006 at 10:47 am
Doh!
November 28th, 2006 at 10:55 am
…and i thought you had fun playing the independent! great show. i never thought i’d be fortunate enough to see you play live. but this has been a banner year for an 80’s synth pop boy! in the last few months, i’ve been able to see you twice, ABC, pet shop boys and scritti politti. pure heaven.
i teach logic pro for apple and love seeing you rock it live. you’re clearly having a great time. one tiny thing though, the bass line for “wind power”, i miss it. that gritty PPG wave bowed buzz saw. bring it back! please?
screen kiss and urges would be welcome. but it’s just so great to have you back! thanks again.
November 28th, 2006 at 11:06 am
“New” music! Aweseome! Since many of us can’t attend the fall shows I hope you put up a podcast so we can hear your new material. Thanks for the updates!!
November 28th, 2006 at 1:38 pm
Hey Thomas,
I’m so happy to see you touring. I’m living in Phoenix these days so I’ll try to get down to Tucson to see ya there. I’m not sure if it’s possible but I’d love to say hi after all these years!
Thanks so much and take care,
Mike (the Fly) Quinn
November 28th, 2006 at 1:50 pm
tngregory
Re: the PPG bassline… alas, the only way to do that nowadays would be to multisample the original 2″ multitrack. I don’t even know where that is, probably in some vault under Abbey Rd! I’ve resisted doing that, opting instead to let the songs evolve with new sounds and styles. And anyway EMI owns those masters in perpetuity (scowl.)
Windpower 2006 has a new feel to it. Gentler, somehow. I like it! So there
November 28th, 2006 at 2:27 pm
Good luck Thomas for the rest of the tour and its fantastic to hear you’ve got new material ready to present to your (very lucky) US fans. As Jon has already gently hinted, it would be wonderful for your European contigent to get a glimpse via the podcast if that’s possible.
I’d love to know three things if you have the time to answer them:
1. Do you think you’ll play live with a band in the future? This kind of ties in with your comments about gentler arrangements.
2. Re the sampling of your masters, I presume you did sample things like the sound fx from Submarines and the Magnus Pyke vocals for Science, but from what source?
3. I’m a big fan of the MAQ16 that I can see is part of your rig. I just wondered what parts you use if for and in which songs?
I know these are really geeky, but I must keeping missing you in the shed chat room… luckily for you!
Cheers,
Andrew
November 28th, 2006 at 2:32 pm
fair point, fair point. as a regular listener to the flat earth, the gentler material is always welcome. screen kiss has never sounded better. the minimal kick and stick of the rhythm, the fairlight breath lines and that gorgeous bass line. oh and those lyrics. great tune.
btw, the vocoder switches you’re pulling off mid sentence…bravo.
your new shows are an engaging combination of gear geek heaven, fan/artist appreciation and an intro to logic song arrangement. so much for the price of admission. thanks for playing out again.
November 28th, 2006 at 4:58 pm
I’m so excited!! Recently saw you at the Cerritos Center. I felt that age and a SLIGHT weight change has improved the quality of your voice. I’ll be there tonight at HOB Anaheim with ring on my fingers and bells on my toes. I just want to hear that voice again. Saw you first at the Greek Theater in 80 something. Excelent show. Saw you @ Cerritos. Excelent show. It sounds to me like the Thomas Dolby-B.T.-David Portal show should blind me with science. Hope it’s an excelent show. DUH…. It WILL be.
November 28th, 2006 at 5:06 pm
WOW just read an older write up on you. Said you’re 47. Me too. I don’t know about you but things seem BETTER at 47. Maybe not as fast and fun but I’m sure enjoying things more now. ROCK ON!
November 28th, 2006 at 6:24 pm
I love the PPG too, but I think the newer equipment forces one to be creative in new ways…and I enjoy that creativity present in the SI album. The spirit of the music remains, but the subtleties are different, more contemporary. Maybe there is some good to come out of losing things
…where the spirit, or groove, must be translated into a new interpretation. The new version of Flat Earth is a great example of this.
I’ll bet that your music will sound a little different a decade from now when played on whatever amazing new technology will be around then.
November 28th, 2006 at 10:05 pm
Ah ha! It was a PPG! Just happen to have a PPG Wave 2 (softsynth version aka “The Waldorf Edition”) sitting on my bookcase…uninstalled…crud. 8( New computer, must…reinstall. After that, it’s a matter of trying to navigate the almost uninterpretable factory patch names…not to mention trying to program it if all else fails. The good news is that I know where the Windpower bass comes from now.
November 28th, 2006 at 11:44 pm
Thomas – Thanks for your thoughtful efforts and your courage. I toured for 6 years playing trumpet from Lincoln Center to the Hollywood Bowl. It can be tough.
Loved to reconnect to your music. An old flame now that I’m in the world of business transformation…linked in the distant past but hoping to reconnect. Put up a mix on my site that is probably due to your influence and in some way to Seal.
Have a listen if you like – it’s just a short loop: http://www.totalintegrationnow.com
Best,
Eric
November 29th, 2006 at 12:16 am
Great concert tonight (at HOB Anaheim)!!!! Loved it all, especially Karma (want to hear that again!!!)
This was the seventh Dolby concert I’ve been to now — wow!
BTW, just a minor little thing I noticed, which probably only Californians would notice — you might note that the town of Carpinteria has an “N” in it, and the stress is on the “i” in “ia” — so CarpenteRIa. (You were pronouncing it like an old carpet store we used to have here, actually!)
Thanks for another great show!
Cara
November 29th, 2006 at 6:37 am
I woke this morning from a strange dream in which TD (of all people) was helping me adjust the settings on my in-ear monitor just before a gig! I decided to check out the website and was greeted with a photo of the man himself using a custom-built headset contraption. I then discovered that a new DVD & CD has just been released. What a wonderful surprise! Syncronicity at work, no doubt.
Now if only CD Baby would ship the DVD to Brazil… Oh well, at least there’s the podcasts for now.
Great to see you looking (and sounding) so dapper, Thomas. I still harbour fond memories of my short stint at Beatnik back in 1999. Those were the days!
Wishing you all the best with the tour,
Ritchie Court
November 29th, 2006 at 7:37 am
I had a dream about Thomas Dolby too. It also involved this bizarre chromatic blue spider/octopus floating in my drinking water. I accidentally took a sip and had to spit the awful thing out…Thomas Dolby was there to talk me through it thankfully…I know thats not as touching or profound but for what its worth its actually one hundred percent true. Now in addition to my fear of spiders I think ive developed an acute phobia of tap water and octopai(sp). Thank you Mr Dolby for helping me through that rough time!
November 29th, 2006 at 9:05 am
Thank you Thomas Dolby for another great music memory from the HOB. But I must say the sound quality @ the Cerritos Center was ten thousand times better. PLEASE play there again! Soon. What a great way it was to introduce my teenaged sons to a good concert.
My family really liked the SWISH SWISH sound of the blades in Windpower at Cerritos but you really didn’t use it much at HOB. The visual and the sound together are things we all remember as we hum or whistle one of your songs.
Thanks also for the Meet-Greet and Hug.
November 29th, 2006 at 9:43 am
Hey TDMR
Looks like a great tour. I know I am a “broken record” ( skipping cd seems so wrong a metaphor) are there any plans to bring your show north of the 49th parallel? There was talk of tour with a band at one point (Lost TOy reunion – I thought) is this still a possibility? What are Kevin and Matthew doing these days?
Is there any plan to release the videos you made, I am hoping to see a “sole inhabitant set” under the xmas tree! the videos would be a great treat too.
I loved the show at Royal Oak!
Graham
belleville ontario
canada
November 29th, 2006 at 1:22 pm
What’s really wierd for me to think about is that my Dad is only a little older than you TD! It seems like most of your other fans are closer to your age…but you should know that I play you for all my friends, and Im starting to build a younger following for you! Maybe that will help you some since your back at it, you think?
November 29th, 2006 at 2:36 pm
It’ll be pretty dang cool to see how the tour – and possible co-headliner collaboration – will have evolved by the time you hit lovely downtown Baltimore.
BTW, you’ve gotta, gotta, gotta stop and see the jaw-droppingly over the top Xmas lights in the Hampden neighborhood of Baltimore. You will be blinded, amazed, and horrified, all at once.
November 29th, 2006 at 5:37 pm
I love that saw bass in Wind Power as well. Even if you don’t use it on Wind Power, it would be cool to hear it show up somewhere else. I love the current version of the song in your show. One other thing I really liked about that song was the echo effect on ‘continental al al al tal al…’
You may find someone else who has already sampled it and used it in a song…..might check with your buddy K-fed.
I don’t know what version of PPG you used, but when I google ‘PPG bass synth’, I get all kinds of page hits with .wav samples. There is one library (SonikSynth) that claims to own or have access to at least one of the versions. (They also claim to have a prophet V sound similar to that used on your ‘Science’)
November 30th, 2006 at 10:03 am
Was just me or did the guy @ HOB Anaheim with the feather in his hat who was dancing near the front left during BT look like KFed? I even checked a few photos of him in People Magazine and on TMZ.com, and all 4 of us in my group agree it could have been him.
November 30th, 2006 at 4:00 pm
Whooever he was, he later was thrown out of the club when he tried to crash the meet’n greet.
December 7th, 2006 at 9:06 pm
I just looked at the tour schedule a bit more closely (a quick scan previously showed no MO dates so I was was sad).
12.08.06 Warehouse Live – Houston, TX
12.09.06 E.P. Delta Lounge – Memphis, TN
Ouch. That’s something like 10 hours of driving after the concert to get to Memphis. I hope you’ve gotten used to sleeping on the bus!
Hope you’re on the mend.
December 12th, 2006 at 8:19 pm
just saw u in birmingham. very disappointed that they would not allow me to get my dvd signeb. thought you were a regular person. at least your music would let you think so.