Concert Review—

Thomas Dolby Mixes Time-Tested Classics, New Inspirations On Current Tour

By John Voket

RIDGEFIELD — There was anticipation in the air on March 31 as those gathered at The Ridgefield Playhouse chatted quietly about what they hoped to see and hear from  ‘80s MTV darling Thomas Dolby. After all, it had been almost two decades since he mounted an American tour backed by more than his own bank of synthesizers.

And once Dolby and his backing band — guitarist Kevin Armstrong and drummer Mat Hector, as well as Aaron Jonah Lewis (guitar, fiddle, banjo) and Ben Belcher (guitar) — got down to business, the entire audience appeared to be mesmerized for the duration.

From the opener, “Commercial Breakup,” to his final encore, “Silk Pajamas,” Dolby and company presented an extremely well-mixed selection that showcased many of the tunes from A Map of the Floating City, his first original release in nearly 20 years.

While Dolby’s nod to his back catalog touched on a few expected (or demanded) hits — “She Blinded Me With Science,” the equally energetic “Hyperactive” and the beautifully lush “One of Our Submarines” — he also leaned toward the obscure with a stripped down rendition of “Field Notes,” his mid-’80s collaboration with Japanese electronica pioneer Ryuichi Sakomoto.

“The Flat Earth” was another treat, with layer upon layer of synth effects, rhythms and bass riffs giving way to the song’s hooky guitar counterpoint. “My Brain is Like A Sieve” was pumped out like a deliciously funked-up cha-cha, with Armstrong and Hector lending perfectly balanced harmonies.

The best of the back catalog selections, “I Love You Good-Bye,” brought up alt-folk multi-instrumentalist Lewis on the fiddle and banjo, providing organic instrumentation against the backdrop of sampled  thunder, frogs and peepers as Dolby took the crowd on a wild adventure deep into the rainy Everglades in a dirty stolen Datsun.

As much as the audience reveled in familiar territory, the reaction to his new material had to be more than gratifying as the crowd bobbed and swayed to the pounding intensity of “My Evil Twin Brother.”

“Love Is a Loaded Pistol” — the result of a dream Dolby had where Billy Holiday appeared to provide him with a snatch of  lyrics — featured some of the best and most sublime guitar work of the show from Armstrong.

“Road to Reno” played out like a frenetic ‘70s crime spree movie, while “The Toad Lickers” immortalized a cult of Welch survivalists in all its authentic Appalachian acid-folk grandeur.

Even the first encore, “Spice Train,” pitched the audience into improvised belly dancing as the Middle Eastern and Mariachi mash-up took hold.

All in all, the Dolby set was a perfectly balanced showcase of his finest work. And he seems to be having a great time as well, with his more than capable bandmates providing enough support so Dolby can relax and enjoy performing, instead of being leashed to a bank of keyboards like on previous tours, which required his complete concentration.