Show & Venue Reviews, What's New, Pussycat?
Please share your Tom Jones shows with other fans. Setlist? Audience? Energy? What was it like being there? We’d love to hear from you.
And, while you’re telling us about the shows, please let us know what you think of the venues where Tom plays. Clubs, theaters, casinos — Tom Jones performs in all of them. Which venue do you think is the best? The worst?
So that other fans will know what’s in store when they buy their tickets, please tell us a little bit about the venues you know. If possible, try to use the format below so others can tell at a glance what you think. The best venue will merit ****. More than one review of a venue is welcome.
Leeds Castle: Either Tom Had A Bad Night Or The Critic Was Cranky
Monday, July 10th, 2006Here’s a review of Tom’s Leeds Castle show on Sunday night from The Guardian. While every critic has the right to an opinion, no critic has the right to go to a show with an attitude about the show or performer that he or she doesn’t disclose to readers. Even the most cursory reading of what we’ve posted below shows that this is someone who does not like, who does not get — and who is not willing to even consider — Tom Jones.
We know from experience that not everyone likes Tom as much as we do and, sometimes, they don’t like his music or show or, even, his appearance….but no one can deny his talent. And while various facets of his performance have been criticized even here (mostly the sameness of the setlist and stage outfits), it’s very rare for him to deliver a merely “workmanlike” performance. And we know he really enjoys performing in the UK. This is certainly the show we’ve seen repeatedly, and we’ve often expressed a wish for some change, but “human jukebox?” “Boredom?” This woman is clearly clueless— about Tom, at least. She’s certainly spot on about Frank Strauss’ stupendous gifts on the keyboards. Or, perhaps, she would rather have been near “Mr. Gelati” watching the World Cup. For what it’s worth, we couldn’t find an email for her, but you can email the editor.
Tom Jones at Leeds Castle, Kent
✯✯✯ (out of 5)
Sophie Heawood /Tuesday July 11, 2006/The Guardian
“This song was written in the late 50s. Or was it the early 60s? You know, they say it’s the second thing to go, your memory. I can’t remember what the first thing is.” Tom Jones recently turned 66, has the orange skin of an oompah-loompah, and is performing outside a castle in Kent – in fact, he seems to have borrowed the portcullis to use as a beard. The boy from the valleys should be at home here, as his stage is down in the dip while we are spread up the hill, sitting on the green, green grass with our picnics and booze.
Even after the sun has set over the beautiful castle there is still a big queue for the ice cream van, though it turns out to be a rabble of beleaguered husbands watching the world cup final on Mr. Gelati’s portable TV.
Jones might claim amnesia but he hasn’t forgotten his old hits, as he wiggles his hips through Delilah, What’s New Pussycat?, It’s Not Unusual, Kiss and even a recent chart hit he enjoyed with the dance act Chicane, called Stoned in Love. Middle-aged women dance sexily for their husbands during If I Only Knew, perhaps to compensate for the fact that they had to pay £40 a ticket to miss the football. When he covers Love Letters Straight From Your Heart, the couples wrap themselves around each other and sway. One pair of pants is still thrown at Jones — but his outstretched arm can’t quite catch them in time. “Ah, nearly,” the sexagenarian winces, a shadow of his former knicker-blocker glory.
After performing a rather lovely medley of Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis songs, Jones regales us with stories of going out drinking with the latter in Las Vegas, though he doesn’t mention his long friendship with the former. The boogie-woogie piano from his 10-piece band is great, and Jones is, of course, the consummate performer — but his manner is very workman-like. How can it not be, when you’re churning out half a century’s worth of well-known material like a human jukebox? Whether it’s Botox or boredom that have robbed him of his smile lines, there’s something rather stony-faced about Jones’s delivery. Despite the quips, he is strangely humourless.
July 11th, 2006 at 6:07 am
This Sophie Heawood sounds like the one who is humourless. The only nice thing she writes is about the lovely medley of Elvis & Jerry Lee, but she ends with zinger on that too!! Poor girl must have arrived at the show with her knickers in a twist.
July 11th, 2006 at 7:54 am
Although everyone is entitled to their own opinion, the critic’s review was a little bit one-sided. As true fans know, it is about the music and above all the strength of Tom’s voice. Tom’s voice, was amazing, and the band were brilliant as always. In my opinion, it was one of the best shows I have seen. It seems as though Ms Heawood has only focused on what the audience did in relation to Tom’s show. Yes… there were knickers thrown… but it is well known that now Tom isn’t very keen on this, & is trying to tone down this image he has. So, this couldn’t have exactly been helped.
If Ms Heawood was viewing the show from the banks (at the back of the venue), she wouldn’t have got the full atmosphere of the concert like lots of fans & myself enjoyed in the front seated crowds. the atmosphere was amazing & Tom paid a lot of attention to the audience.
It is down to personal taste & preference…so a biased opinion would’ve been added wither way.
July 11th, 2006 at 8:03 am
I’ve NEVER seen such an awful review of a TJ’s show. Usually, people are skeptical before hand but once anyone sees him live they are won over and there is no denying he is THE VOICE! Something is definitely wrong with that women…if she is one.
July 11th, 2006 at 8:30 am
The point made in the introduction to the posted review is that bias is OK, as long as the critic is fair and reveals it to the readers. That’s our problem with this review — not her dislike of the show, but the sloppy reporting. She didn’t like the show? Fine. But why? Tom “humourless?” That, oddly, is a new one. And so she goes. Better to have said she went not expecting to like the show and she didn’t because she doesn’t like Tom Jones. That would have been honest. What she wrote came out of left field with no rhyme or reason. Poor thing. Looks like she’s the humorless one.
July 11th, 2006 at 8:48 am
I thought Tom was in great form on Sunday and looked really happy to be back in the UK. I saw lots of men in the audience stay all the way through the show and not disappear to watch the World Cup. I am a great football fan but Tom Jones in Britain for one night — here is only one place to be!!
By the way was Peter Olstad limping? Hope he’s better when Tom is back in October.
July 11th, 2006 at 1:58 pm
Wrong girl at the wrong place, at the wrong time. See it this way, if every woman would be “into Tom,” what would be left for us? Just kidding.
July 12th, 2006 at 12:59 pm
OK, color me clueless but how can anyone be “the consummate performer” if he/she has a very workmanlike manner? She negates herself in the exact same sentence!!
Botox or boredom? Although I wasn’t at this particular one, one thing that has always moved me is not only the heart and soul Tom puts into every song but the facial expressions that further demonstrates his emotions and makes the audience feel the song right along with him!! A trait or talent which I think he has actually added more of to the performances!
An honest opinion of the show — like it or not — would have been a review. What was published was more like a personal attack without any justification.
I can’t help but wonder if she’s always disliked Tom but was forced by someone holding a gun to her head to go to the concert!
July 12th, 2006 at 1:06 pm
One more comment then I’m over it…after reading the article, you’d think she would only give Tom one box out of five. However, her rating was ✯✯✯ (out of 5). So…what did she not dislike about the concert that warranted a more positive rating than what she actually wrote???? As I said earlier, I am sooo confused!
July 17th, 2006 at 12:32 pm
First of all,Oompah Loompahs are BLUE, not orange, because they chewed too much of the blueberry pie gum for dessert. D’oh! Secondly, can you imagine actually having to spend time around that woman for any reason? Talk about humourless. She has a website.
July 18th, 2006 at 2:52 pm
Fay, I just checked that journo’s website and judging by her picture she’s rather a precocious little madam with some rather old-headed opinions.
Whatever happened to the notion that children should be seen and not heard?
July 26th, 2006 at 2:11 am
What a bunch of middle-aged fans wasting their time on a piece of review that actually says more good things about Tom than just another simple laudatio. Got to know how to read a review but judging by the comments we’re dealing here with a load of Sun Page 3 readers.
July 26th, 2006 at 3:12 am
Reviews are subjective and, therefore, are usually read subjectively. Some people, as emails castigating us for posting this pointed out (some quite forcefully), saw this review and the things she said that had nothing whatsoever to do with what happened onstage and read it as exceedingly negative. We thought, more than anything else, she was just careless, having not paid a lot of attention. We don’t always say things are perfect, but we do try to be accurate. But the debate is what makes it fun. Unfortunately, we don’t get The Sun and Page Three. We’ve got to make do with the NY Post’s Page Six.
July 26th, 2006 at 7:39 am
I am most certainly orange! Here’s a pic of me!