March 29, 2024
Annapolis, US 42 F

Thomas Dolby Brings Time Capsule Tour To Annapolis

Most of today’s kids have never heard of Thomas Dolby. Most of the older crowd may not have heard from him in close to 20 years. But last night, Dolby brought two sold-out shows to the Rams Head Onstage and absolutely killed the crowd with his old favorites like Europa & Pirate Twins, She Blinded Me With Science and I Love You Goodbye (which, I have to admit I did not realize he sang, but always loved the song).

But Dolby has not been sitting back cashing royalty checks for the past 20 years. Well, maybe he has, but he has not been idle. In 1993, Dolby founded a company called Headspace which was later renamed to Beatnik. While you may not know the name, you know the product–it is the polyphonic ringtones you hear each time your cell phone rings!  Dolby is also the Musical Director of the TED Conferences.

During his single set, he played the old favorites and mixed it up with some new songs–if you get a chance, listen to Evil Twin Brother. Dolby is very high tech and always has been from the beginning. But unlike some of the newer “performers”, Dolby is truly a musical artist. He tells a story, he sings, he engages, and wraps it all in a technology blanket.

If you get a chance to see Dolby on his Time Capsule Tour, do it.

Touring along with the tour is Dolby’s own “time capsule.” If you saw a funky trailer parked outside the Rams Head Tavern last night–that was it. Dolby is making a time capsule to be opened in the future. The Time Capsule is a chrome- and brass-plated road trailer that seats three…with handcrafted leather and wood fittings, and complex electrical wiring…time-travel machine. Inside is a high-tech video recording suite that allows a music fan or guest artist to upload a personal video message to the Future.

We spoke with his playful crew manning the capsule and they told us that the intent is to accumulate all of these “messages” and seal them in some sort of player to be opened 100 years from now. The exact burial spot is up in the air, but Stonehenge and the Mayan peninsula were top contenders!  Here’s a sample of a message to the future.  Our message? Well, let’s not go there!

Despite the draconian “you must be seated” rules of Rams Head Onstage, the venue is an outstanding place to see any artist as it seats just over 300. There are only three bad seats in the entire place. Unfortunately, there was a prohibition on flash photography (coupled with extremely low lights) so the photos from last night were not that great–but I did manage to fire off a few flashes before being politely tapped on the shoulder!

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