Thomas Dolby has lived one of the most remarkable careers in modern music, and “The Iconic 80s” tour brings that story to life across seven intimate US dates this April. The Grammy-nominated new wave pioneer hits Plymouth, New York, Kingston, Lansing, Indianapolis, Chicago, and St. Louis, accompanied by distinguished musical guests Gail Ann Dorsey on bass and vocals and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Lipke on guitars and vocals. Dorsey opens each night with her own solo set.
The format is deliberately intimate, songs, stories, and musical reminiscences woven together by a man who has genuinely seen everything. Dolby’s career runs from busking on the streets of London and Paris to session work with Stevie Wonder and Foreigner, producing Joni Mitchell and George Clinton, sharing the stage with David Bowie at Live Aid and Roger Waters at The Wall in Berlin, founding a Silicon Valley tech company, co-inventing the Nokia polyphonic ringtone, and serving as music director for TED Conferences for twelve years. He is currently an endowed Professor of Music at the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University. That is not a biography, it is a novel.
Dorsey brings her own formidable history to the stage. Best known as David Bowie’s longtime bassist and vocalist, she has toured and recorded with Tears for Fears, Lenny Kravitz, Bryan Ferry, and Gwen Stefani, and currently performs with the Blackstar Symphony. Her next solo album, ‘The Appearance of Life’, arrives this spring, with first single “(It Takes All Kinds) to Make a World” out now.
Lipke, an Emmy-nominated composer, producer, and conductor whose orchestrations have been performed by major US symphonies including the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, rounds out a supporting cast that elevates these shows well beyond a standard nostalgia run.
Tickets are on sale now.
Thomas Dolby “The Iconic 80s” Tour Dates:
April 14, Spire Center, Plymouth, MA
April 15, Racket, New York, NY
April 16, Assembly, Kingston, NY
April 18, Grewal Hall, Lansing, MI
April 19, The Vogue, Indianapolis, IN
April 20, House of Blues, Chicago, IL
April 21, City Winery, St. Louis, MO