Forty years ago, the cities of London and Philadelphia hosted the biggest arts event of the ’80s: Live Aid. And there was no bigger star in London than David Bowie.
Bowie did not perform his four-song set alone, of course. He recruited a talented band that included breakthrough artist Thomas Dolby on keyboards. The experience left a deep impression on Dolby, who now resides in Baltimore as head of Music for New Media for the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins, and so Dolby occasionally incorporates elements of the experience in his modern day performances.
Such was the case in Professor Dolby’s recent performance at Rams Head on Stage, where he unleashed an experimental new project under the banner of his latest tour, Iconic ’80s: My Personal Recollections.
The current tour is Dolby’s most extensive US tour in some time, as he is on sabbatical from Peabody this fall and using that opportunity to visit many cities. To assist in his experimental new project, Thomas has recruited bassist Gail Ann Dorsey and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Lipke, both with roots in Philadelphia. He enlisted Dorsey’s bass due to her long tenure (1995-2013) with Bowie; the two of them performed together when Dolby sat in with Bowie’s band at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City in the year 2000.
In a sold-out show at Rams Head on Stage on Oct. 24, Thomas performed mostly solo but shared the stage with Dorsey and Lipke for his special project. I don’t recall that he made any special request of us in Annapolis, but he apparently has done so in other cities, and so I will discuss the Iconic ’80s secret project at only a high level and allow you to learn all of the details when you go to see him for yourself! (Or at such time when he makes an announcement.)
Dolby began his show simply enough: He covered “Blue Monday” by New Order, a performance I first witnessed during his DJ sets, where he would spin the tune and sing live vocals — a smashing combination. He then played a relatively straightforward rendition of one of my personal faves, “Europa and the Pirate Twins” (from his debut album, The Golden Age of Wireless, 1982).
Watch the official music video for “Europa and the Pirate Twins” by Thomas Dolby on YouTube:
A Thomas Dolby concert is an exciting experience because the professor is a master of technology and innovation who enjoys advancing the musical experience through audio and visual augmentation. This is no less true on his current tour, even as he steadied the audience for the Iconic ’80s project. Before introducing it, Dolby performed fan-favorite “One of Our Submarines,” a song inspired by the WWII experience of his uncle. Thomas gave the song a performative punch-up by singing and mixing segments of “Cars” by Gary Numan and “Silent Running” by Mike + The Mechanics into the matrix of the song.
Should you consult sources like Setlist.fm, you’ll see that Thomas, along with Gail and Andrew, performed two movements from a symphonic project, again the secret, called Iconic ’80s. It is sublime and clever, and it warrants your attention! While I won’t tell you its contents, I will mention a bit of the inspiration.
About a year ago, I had the pleasure of attending a Peabody Institute student showcase in DC, where students of Thomas scored a silent film adaption of Edgar Allan Poe’s “Fall of the House of Usher,” among other presentations. At the end of the program, Thomas himself played a riveting version of “She Blinded Me With Science.” His students were deeply impressed, as they revealed to me that the professor never discusses his career in pop music. Thomas professes an interest in perceptions of the ’80s decade that made him pop music-famous, however, and he became inspired to create something his students might perform — and which perhaps will play bigger stages in the future.
And thus was born the Iconic ’80s Symphony. I’ll say no more at this point.
The remainder of Thomas’ show was a true joy. An engaging storyteller, Dolby recounted how he learned that Jason Mraz covers “My Brain Is Like a Sieve” from Aliens Ate My Buick (1988) and captured a brief film of Mraz singing the song, which was shown at the concert. Thomas called back to his Live Aid experience with a powerfully poignant cover of “Heroes,” a song that David Bowie played that day.
Dolby closed the set with a couple of “must haves”: “Hyperactive!” from The Flat Earth (1984), a song that I consider his most quintessential, and “She Blinded Me With Science,” aided by video clips of celebrities and public figures declaring “Science!” along with Dr. Magnus Pyke aka the “mad scientist” who gained pop fame for the line in the original song.
Watch the official music video for “She Blinded Me With Science” by Thomas Dolby on YouTube:
In Annapolis, Dolby closed the show with a one-song encore of “Airwaves,” and honestly the song never sounded more beautiful.
It was a treat to watch Gail Ann Dorsey open the show with four or five songs. Dorsey was far too modest although she was a soulful singer. Among the numbers she performed was a new single, “(It Takes All Kinds) To Make A World,” which is slated to appear on an upcoming album next year. It was a special occasion to see her perform solo and then later join Thomas and Andrew on stage as a trio. I hope she continues to work with Thomas as he produces and evolves his Iconic ’80s project.
See Thomas Dolby’s full setlist at Setlist.fm.
Here are some photos of Thomas Dolby performing live at Rams Head on Stage on Oct. 24, 2025. Photos by Mickey McCarter.
Here are some photos of Gail Ann Dorsey opening Thomas Dolby at Rams Head on Stage on Oct. 24, 2025. Photos by Mickey McCarter.
Nice review! I saw Dolby recently in Florida and, excluding Dorsey, darn it, who wasn’t on this leg of the tour, it is as you described. From beginning to end it was fascinating, nostalgia and futuristic sound mixing. It took 48 years to see him live, and it was worth it! And yes, “Airwaves” was the perfect closer.