Last day of the tour :(
The Vegas gig was remarkably good. For a start, hats off to the Cannery Casino who have built a beautiful music venue, with first class sound and lights and a highly professional crew. The indoor auditorium holds a few hundred in comfort, but electric glass doors open up the large outdoor patio for larger shows that acommodate 2000. They don’t usually have live music on a weekday, and usually the choice is confined to tribute bands and oldies style acts; but buyer Kathy Spehar took a chance on bringing me in on a Wednesday, and what she got was a pretty full house and (I hope) a great show that brought the Cannery something unusual with a high credibility quotient.
This being my first ever Las Vegas concert, I must admit I felt quite self-conscious walking on stage. A portion of my audience presumably were simply casino guests that had wandered into the club for a little evening entertainment. Were they expecting an underlit magician surrounded by girls in sequinned leotards and peacock headdresses? Within a few square miles of me a large number of technically superb singers, dancers and comedians who devote their life to their particular ‘art’— whatever you may think of it—were also taking to the stage. How could my modest technical skills in those areas possibly stack up? I mean, the $200 a night guy with a mic and a MIDI piano at the raised central bar of the casino could play like Oscar Peterson and sing like Stevie Wonder. And here I was, the headliner, with my name 30ft tall on the highway, barely able to play a scale or sing a full chorus perfectly in tune.
I had to remind myself was that what I do is completely unique. You won’t find it on any other stage in the world, especially not in Las Vegas. So I just did my regular show, sang my songs and told my stories. And in the middle of Sin City it must have seemed like a little oasis of calm, cool music and visuals, with a wry English understatement And LV is becoming way more stratified these days in its efforts to appeal to wide audience, so why the hell not?
Johnny’s video projections have never looked better. The spacious stage had large screens at the back and also to each side; and the house lighting guy—don’t know his name but Don will be pleased to hear he does the lighting for Rush!—was world class. The onstage monitor system was more powerful than many of the front of house PAs we’ve been playing through on this tour. I think it was a bit of a shock to the Jazz Mafia Horns to be able to hear themselves with such clarity!
My friend Jonathan Deans and his wife came down, and he was not the only Vegas sound guy in attendance: several audio pros from other venues came down to check me out, many of whom use my CDs (especially ‘Aliens Ate My Buick’) to tune their own speakers. This put the pressure on Clif Brigden, who is mixing my front of house sound on this tour, to deliver the goods. He was very pleased with the sound and got lots of compliments. He was even interviewed by a pro audio magazine, which he found quite amusing because as he himself admitted’ “I don’t really know anything!” He’s downplaying his skills there, as he’s been doing a sterling job under difficult circumstances.
With the help of the local staff we loaded up the bus in under half an hour after the concert. Everybody checked out of the their hotel rooms and onto the tour bus, which was due to leave at 3am. At midnight we met at the front entrance and an enormous stretch limo ferried the eight of us to the Wynn Hotel, where Jonathan had arranged for our names to be on the door at The Lure night club. This was a torrid affair with open-shirted Vegas high rollers chatting up by silicone-enhanced blondes, and sipping their $60 cocktails. We were shown to a lounge area outside and shared a bottle of Bourbon that was the cheapest item on certainly the most expensive drinks menu I’ve ever seen! But we got to toast each other for a great tour that’s covered a huge variety of different venues, all the way from the fabulous TED Conference, to a tent in Texas, to a tech company cafeteria.
The plan was to drive overnight and be in the Bay Area around lunchtime so the horn players could pick up their cars before tonight’s final gig north of San Francisco. But I awoke in my bunk on the bus in the early hours and realised we’d been at a complete stop for some time. It turned out a water truck only three vehicles ahead of us had clooided with a ten-wheeler semi, and the road was completely blocked for four hours while the services cleaned up the mess. This has put a wrench in the works, and we’re now hustling up Highway 5 hoping to get to Fairfax by 6pm in time for a load-in and brief soundcheck. Traffic permitting, we’ll probably make it in the nick of time. Larry our bus driver is a good ol’ Texas boy and has been an absolute trooper throughout.
And so will come to a close this excellent March mini-tour. I think the audiences have loved hearing my electronic stuff with the new and exotic live horn arrangements. There’s been a great cameraderie on the bus, though Lunesse, we’ve missed you like crazy! I’m looking forward to some rest, and catching up with my wife and family.
Net loss at Texas Hold’em table: $134
One bottle of Jack Daniels and a few cokes at The Lure: $480
Cup of tour bus coffee hand-ground by my old mate Clif in a pepper mill: Priceless.
The Lure has a 2-bottle minumum. Thomas scans menu in vain for a bottle under $400. Clif is visibly disturbed.
In the limo (L to R): Rich—trumpet; Mike—keyboard tech; Adam—trombone; Joe—sax; Justin—backline/merch.
I can honestly say that after many years of living in Vegas, that was certainly the best show I have seen (and I’ve seen most of them here). Incredible! I’ve been a big fan of yours ever since I saw your Aliens Ate My Buick concert in So Cal – which also happened to be my first concert ever!
I’m a cop here in Vegas, and my partner and I just happened to stop for lunch at the Cannery during our shift when I saw your gigantic marquee out front. Needless to say I freaked and immediately bought tickets. I would have been pretty bummed if I knew you were in town and I missed it.
Anyway, thank you for an amazing evening….and I’m sorry one of the friendly locals didn’t warn you about what you were in for at Lure. Springing the “two bottle minimum” on unsuspecting tourists is one of the reasons why we don’t have state income tax…..
Hello dere, as my lorikeet would say! {a lorikeet is a small species of parrot.}
I hope you lot made it to Fairfax in time for a great soundcheck!!!
And I don’t guess that’s the *usual* price for a bottle of Jack!
I like to know the etymology
I dunno, teetotaller that I yam. {Note fake familiarity–”Jack”,
hee hee.} Actually, I’ve sometimes wondered whether the term
“teetotaller” was something to do with golf–whoever wasn’t
drinking could tot up the score!
of words. One of my favorite expressions of unknown origin:
“Hell bent for leather”.
Great pix! That was a pretty good one of yourself and the
Thanks!
giant red marquee lettering! Your description of your gyrations
in trying to achieve the right angle made me giggle.
Peace and strangely expensive cola,
Habitually cheerful Kara, birdmother…
So glad that SxSW gave you a chance to have another mini-tour with the Jazz Mafia Horns and gave us a chance to hear you again. Hope the final show was a success and that you get the true rest you deserve after a year of near constant activity.
We patiently await your next chapter…
Great blog entry Thomas!
How on earth to you find time to sit down and write such detailed and candid accounts when you are quite obviously in a big hurry all the time?
> And here I was, the headliner, with my name 30ft tall on the
> highway, barely able to play a scale or sing a full chorus
> perfectly in tune.
You are a modest guy. Ok, so technically there are probably many musicians out there playing perfect reditions of others music in piano bars all over the world but you cannot compare yourself to them.
One of my favorite analogies for this point is the guy that can calculate the cubic-capacity of the pickle jar but can’t get the lid off! You have for years proved you are a talented practical musician who can see beyond his own technical boundaries and finds creative ways to solve the puzzle and get the result anyway.
The piano-bar guy belting out perfect Elton John tributes will have to wait for someone like you to serve the pickles.
We appreciate you sharing your experiences with us. Keep it up!
Thomas Dolby in 30ft high letters is no more than you have earnt.
Cheers,
Jon
Vegas wigs me out (kind of like how you may not visit Blackpool all that often), but under the auspices of Storytelling Thomas, I have finally found an angle on appreciating it. It is difficult to put into words how cool this entry is, so for once I’ll be speechless and simply hold thumbs aloft [Holding Thumbs Aloft].
great stuff mr.d.really cool blog,enjoy the rest,europe awaits sir!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great blog! I think my heart would’ve stopped at a $400 bottle of bourbon. You are approaching the price of a STELLAR single malt when you get into that range.
The horns were a nice addition this go around, and I hope for future gigs you consider bringing them along. The sound was stellar (thanks to Clif), the video was amazing (Johnny is a true artist), and the rest of the crew solidified a fantastic show. It was strange to be at one of your shows and not see Lunesse, but hopefully she will be able to join you for future shows…she will have a little helper then.
Have a great summer with your family! Best wishes for safe travels wherever they may take you.
Brian
Sounds like song lyrics in there somewhere:
“This was a torrid affair with open-shirted Vegas high rollers chatting up by silicone-enhanced blondes, and sipping their $60 cocktails”
simply casino guests that had wandered into the club for a little evening entertainment. Were they expecting an underlit magician surrounded by girls in sequinned leotards and peacock headdresses?”
But then again you are THE Thomas Dolby and you just roll like that!
What a fantastic show last Wednesday night at the Cannery. Thank you very much for creating a break from the cultural void of Las Vegas. We loved it.
Thanks, Thomas, for coming to SXSW, and congrats in wrapping up what looks to have been a very successful tour. Sorry to hear about the logistical confusion here and there you experienced in Austin. This, I must admit as a native, is to be expected. Remember, this place
runs on hippie time. The most popular t-shirt out here is
“Keep Austin Weird”, which might give a hint as to its
laid-back vibe, which can get damn frustrating if you
are trying to get something in on time, with the requisite parameters you’re looking for. To be honest, when I first moved here, it took a very long time to get used to
its vibe. I sort of expect things to not go right, people
to be late or not show up, and consider it a plus when
things actualy go as planned. Sounds like you had a blast
on 6th street anyway. What a circus, huh?
I’m new on here, so let me digress as to how long I’ve been following your music. I bought TGAOW in ’83 in
downtown Chicago on my lunch break, brought it home,
and proceeded to blow the minds of friends and family who never heard anything like it. The vocals reminded
me of Joe Jackson(one person who sadly seems to have been forgotten), but the song structures and the techno
effects were out of this world! I truly think that the album was far ahead of its time. I believe people copped
riffs and ideas from that album for years. I don’t think artists like Moby, great as they are, give you the street
cred per electronic music that you so readlily eastablished long ago.
So, after following your later efforts up to the present,
I have one final thought. I strongly believe that you
are experiencing a creative surge right now. Your new
committment to touring after a long spell says it all.
I think you have a great magnum opus, so to speak,
of new music just waiting to be let out and recorded.
I feel you can release something that is better than
anything yet written, that could sent all the electronica
done in the past 20 years packing. If I’m correct with the creative surge, which if course hits, as muses go,
of its own accord, please let it out and blow peoples
minds again, just like that magical TGAOW.
-Scott K
So sad to discover I missed this show. And wow, Lure is a nice club, but terribly expensive. You all would’ve been welcome to hang out at my pool, and each person could’ve had their own bottle.
I hope Vegas shows up on your next tour schedule, would love to see you live.
Why are those Drinks so expensive Mr. Dolby??? I mean 400 dollars? That’s rent money! Anyway I was at the Dallas show and I can say that I really did love hearing the horns accompany you. Those guys are outta sight! It was my first time seeing you too! Afterwards you came up to the bar where we were, and asked us what we were drinking, and while I still can’t remember the name of that damn tequila I can only hope that it did not cost a king’s ransom! At any rate here’s to you, and thanks for making my whole year!!
hey Tom, this statement left me a little confused..
I had to remind myself was that what I do is completely unique. You won’t find it on any other stage in the world,
what? cause you were in vegas ? ….bulshit man make some new music’, I’m educating the 20 somethings on your music which has to be 15 years old…..hey if i could mix the milksake my flavours would be..a little vangelis (circa blade runner), a little manfred mann(circa chris thompson) and a little Dolby(circa flat earth)… Would love to know whats been cookin musically over the last few years…..look forward to your new work with great anticpation!….
kind regards
Paul Holt, Hamilton Island,
Great Barrier Reef,
North Queensland.
Australia.
Thomas,
Thanks for a great show. I saw the one in Anaheim with English Beat, one of the earlier ones in LA, and the one here in Vegas. Maybe it was the sound, maybe the horns, or maybe you’re more comfortable with your rig, but the Vegas show was by far the best.
As you might expect, the Strip tends to overshadow what little culture we have here. Thanks for helping out on a Wednesday night.
Next time you’re in town, come check out some real Las Vegas culture rather than an overpriced conventioneer-packed Ultralounge: http://springspreserve.org/
Thomas,
As with all the others who have replied here, I am a great fan of yours, “Golden Age of Wireless” is one of those few albums from back then that I still listen to regularly (and the whole album, not just the single that the radio stations still beat to death). I thank you for a great show in a town where interesting musical acts are hard to come by. The trend here in Vegas seems to be that this is the place where worn out acts who refuse to pass with dignity come to die… Celine Dion, Toni Braxton, many others. On the other side of the coin, we get all of the really great shows, but you’ll pay more than that bottle of Jack you were grifted into for a ticket. The venue you were at was to say the least WAY off the beaten path, I tend to cast aspersions upon the place, but I’m glad you were happy with it. Truth be told to my chagrin, I thought the place looked and sounded great for you. And I think you should know, being that it was far from the strip, it tends to be a local’s place, and your audience did not consist of tourists here for some convention or other, but honest to goodness Las Vegas Thomas Dolby fans =) I hope you come back through when/if you tour again, I’ll show you some places where they sell real bourbon that you don’t need to take out a loan to enjoy.
Oh, and if you ever find you need a drummer, please drop me a line
Tim Jackson
Las Vegas, Nevada
Ah. If only I could’ve been there! March 22nd was my birthday. Somehow, I don’t see Thomas Dolby ever wrapping up a tour in Memphis, alas (can’t blame him, not a lot of artist-friendly venues here, unfortunately). Well, if he ever plays Tunica, I’m there, dammit. I’m just a’skairt that Mississippi/Tennessee might not be the best TD crowd. Well, I’ll cross my fingers, anyhoo.
Hey, those of ya who don’t know what do do with themselves waiting for the next TD tour might be able
to kill a few years(thats how long I’ve been on this
terribly addicting open source website), checking out
http://www.archive.org(internet music archive). If you are
into electronica, and I imagine most people on here
are, you will find reams of absolutely mindblowing
ambient electronica, very similar to what TD was doing
way back when. Per electronica, you might start out
with “Dutch Space Mission”, which sounds like 2001 a
space odyssey right after the Jupiter and Beyond sequence(you know, when Dave was speeding through
the time-space continuum). Phrozenlight is the best and most prolific on here. Don’t listen to this stuff on crappy
PC speakers. Make sure you burn it to CD’s and play it
properly on a full fledged stereo. DSM sounds VERY
cool on a car stereo. Remember, listening to a car stereo
is like sitting inside a giant set of headphones, but better. If you like soundtrack-ish ambiance(and aren’t
all movie soundtracks ambiance per their background
mood setting?), check out the wonderfully silly “March
of the Dizzy Loonies” by Kat Spot. Sounds like a great
lost soundtrack to a Tim Burton animation. Me and my
fiancee must have burned at least 400 CD’s from this
wonderful open source audio archive. Click on audio
first, then open source audio, to get at the songs.
Reminds me of how great the net can be, and why we
have it in the first place……….