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Tom Steps Onto The World Stage At The Concert For Diana
Sunday, July 1st, 2007Here’s a Gillian Anderson introducing Sir Tom Jones at the concert. Then here’s Part 1 of his performance, followed by Part 2. The sound on these clips — unusual for youtube — is terrific. Hurry and see them before they’re removed like other clips from the concert were.
For a few moments Sir Tom Jones was where we think he belongs, at the center of the entertainment world, when he stepped onstage at Wembley Stadium with 500 million people tuned in at today’s Concert for Diana.
He got a grand introduction from Gillian Anderson who paid tribute to his longevity in the music business.
He began his three-song set with one of Diana’s favorites, Kiss and then did the Arctic Monkeys tune I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor. He closed with a duet of Ain’t That A Lot of Love with Joss Stone.
We loved seeing Tom, were undecided about I Bet You Look Good….. and the choice of Ain’t That A Lot of Love. We enjoyed seeing Joe Perry but, of course, we missed Tom’s regular crew.
As they usually do, wireimage.com has terrific photos of Tom on their site.
We posted one screen shot (above) and the thumbnail at the right but there are lots more (including this one of Tom with Joss Stone full-size) in our screen shots set.
And, tonight at 7 EDT and PDT NBC will devote two hours to a special about the concert hosted, undoubtedly, by Matt Lauer, the Princes’ new BFF in the US.
MODERATORS’ UPDATE: Now, eight hours after the concert ended, we’ve gathered our thoughts about the event. As we noted above, it was great seeing Tom in that venue today. He was gracious and clearly pleased to be there. It was nice that he sang Kiss since, he said, it was a favorite of Princess Diana’s. The more we listen to him do I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor the more we like it (but since when is “dancefloor” one word?). And, we suggested several months ago he duet with Joss Stone, so we’re particularly happy he did so. We might not have chosen that particular song, but it was fun to see them together.
However, we just wish he’d dressed more like, say, P. Diddy or, even, as he does onstage — a beautiful summer suit, vest — the whole works with shoes and belt to match. He is such a great-looking man and he should dress commensurately with those looks. As for that wedding ring that seems to be drawing comments elsewhere, we can only say that the man is married and, if you look carefully, you’ll see he wore it in the DVD interviews. This isn’t the 1960s — he doesn’t have to hide who he is, does he?
All in all, a fabulous day for Sir Tom! Congratulations to him!
A round-up of comments on the entire concert in the British press is in today’s Guardian. The question being asked is, “Cheery or Cheesy?”
Now, what did you think?
July 1st, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Friends…I think it was THRILLING seeing Tom live. He looked fantastic in a light colored suit and his voice was right on! About an hour after his performance he was interviewed and said he thought it went really well. Then they cut to 2 hosts and the women corrected Tom saying that he had pronouced the name as Josh…it’s Joss and she’s a woman. Not too nice to correct our dear Tom.
None the less, it just makes me want more TOM!!
July 1st, 2007 at 12:50 pm
The introduction was amazing couldn’t be better! I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor was great, he should record it, Kiss was good as usual, I think he didn’t do his “I think i better dance now”..probably to let Joe do some showing off on the guitar side — Gentlemanly behavior, I think. Ain’t That A Lot of Love with Joss Stone — I”m not sure about the duet. I enjoyed it (they both have great voices) but I think they might have chosen another song. (I can imagine it’s hard to choose one)
Anyway good to see him involved in such an event. Thanks to Tom and his management.
July 1st, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Compliments to Joe, he did a great job
July 1st, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Joss, you are amazing!
July 1st, 2007 at 2:11 pm
Tom looked amazing in his light blus suit! Love it!!! I also really liked his song I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor. I did miss his “I think I’d better dance now” dance. Oh, well, it was fantastic to see him surrounded by so many fans! Thank you Tom, and thank you Ellen and Ursula for letting us know about this appearance!
July 1st, 2007 at 2:52 pm
Fantastic!!! Ain’t That a Lot of Love was a very nice choice since that really speaks to the essence of Diana’s heart. Joss sounded great with Tom but she could’ve stirred up more chemistry with him by letting him lead the dancing and moving in closer to him instead of being off in her own dance. I think a ballad like The Reason may have been more memorable than I Bet You Look Good… All in all…a wonderful treat and tribute!
July 1st, 2007 at 4:20 pm
I thought Tom looked and sounded terrific — loved that blue suit. Kiss of course was great and I thought it very wise that he left out the dance on this occasion. I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor: I thought Tom did an amazing version but I’m going to have to watch it again to decide if he should have done something else that showed off his voice better. I loved it (I think!) but I’m just not sure. You have to hand it to him, though — everybody else just trots out the tried and tested hits and out he comes with this!! For me, I think it’s just that it was so different from what the rest were doing and it really stood out – which of course is a good thing. And that’s what our Tom loves to do: push the boundaries all the time and I so admire him for that. I’ve just had a quick squiz at the news reports so far and it seems to have gone down well — here are a couple:
BBC News
CTV News
The duet? Well. I just wish he’d sung on his own and I’ll leave it at that.
Thanks, Ellen and Ursula for getting the photos to us so quickly — brilliant!
July 1st, 2007 at 5:11 pm
I haven’t had a chance to see the concert yet. I got called by the American Red Cross to volunteer for the South Lake Tahoe fire and the hotel I’m staying at doesn’t have VH1 on cable, though I should be able to get NBC tonight. (Sending prayers of safety and Light to the U.K. re: recent attacks..) I’m surprised by the song selections… at least it wasn’t a Dancing with the Stars fiasco! VERY SURPRISED he/mgt didn’t choose/sing I Like the Way. Guess Diana concert mgt. didn’t want Sir Tom blowing the roof off the new arena. Shame…500 million would have been rockin’!! Guess they didn’t want a 65+ showing the young ‘uns how it’s done.
July 1st, 2007 at 10:06 pm
This was yet another watershed moment in Tom’s career and I think Gillian Anderson did a stand up job introducing The Voice. Kiss was a great choice and got the people moving… I was disappointed he left the dance out… I think the dance shows the fun side of Tom and would have caused the arena to go crazy. The thing about that dance is that is shows Tom’s character, his humor and, for the female fans, his trademark sex appeal. But I understand why he left it out…
As for Dancefloor… I think it was a great choice in that it shows that Tom is not trapped in a time warp. I think I agree with Dana, though, I would have loved to see him do I Like The Way… But regardless, he knocked each of the three songs out of the ball park and demonstrated that his voice is as rich as 1964 and his talent is timeless. Way to go, Sir Tom.
July 1st, 2007 at 10:06 pm
With all due respect, it was fantastic to see Tom showcased to such a huge audience. His sheer talent blows everyone else away. But who in the hell dressed him this morning?? He should have dressed like Diddy, with a vest, tie, etc. He would have looked spectacular. I know it’s small point and that the main point is that it was great to see him in this venue……but we, his fans, always want to see him at his best.
July 2nd, 2007 at 3:07 am
I loved the concert and Tom was awesome (as usual). However, I agree with Laura, who dressed him? I like the Way would have had the crowd in a frenzy. I think it would have made a better choice instead of a Ain’t That a Lot of Love. It was wonderful to just see and hear Tom so the suit and choice of songs are, I suppose, not that important. Just a thought. Yes, the ring thing…He fiddled constantly with “the ring” during his DVD spots. either a nervous habit or just not used to wearing it. Nuff said.
July 2nd, 2007 at 8:42 am
Actually, Linda, the ring thing is a nervous habit, as he seems to be a fiddler during interviews when he’s just being himself. (Although the camera work on the DVD interviews could have obscured that a bit.) We do know an amazing tailor here in Las Vegas who does custom clothing for lots of performers and we’d love to see…..oh, well….as you said, it’s not really important in the long run, is it?
July 2nd, 2007 at 9:40 am
Before Tom came out, Dave Berry, the man doing the interviews backstage mentioned Tom and Dennis Hopper were dressed alike, or had on the same suit?? Berry did say something like “I wonder what they will do about it.” But, who cares about that? I was just happy to see Tom, never noticed the ring thing but did notice Rod Stewart’s wedding ring. Going to check my tape to see Tom’s!
July 2nd, 2007 at 9:59 am
Tom was hot and current despite that suit! OMG…burn it! I loved all three songs. The duet was better than I expected though the chemistry with Joss was lacking. Considering the venue and royal audience, its understandable that he held back the Vegas moves we have all come to love. Its just great to see our man on the tube. Hope he does more TV.
July 2nd, 2007 at 11:38 am
Good for Tom! He did a great job yesterday and the duet with Joss Stone was particularly gutsy. It takes a lot of talent and big pair to credibly duet on a kind of love song with someone less than one-third your age!
July 2nd, 2007 at 11:41 am
Well, Chris, we know he has the talent and we all saw the other asset you mentioned on the after-performance interview.
July 2nd, 2007 at 11:50 am
I loved watching the end of the live show and Dateline highlights — gave me the jitters and reminded me of when I watched the breaking news of the accident and, later, the confirmed death of the Princess. Great to see our Tom. Did very much like the duet w/ Joss Stone — those 2 can raise the roof. Did not get to see Kiss and Bet you look good… until I logged on to VH1.com. You can easily select those you’d like to view. Question: Is there a way to save those Vh1 clips to computer (and iPod)? I can only seem to save the link…(copyright problem)? Can anyone help me? Thanks!! And…unfortunately, it seems that PART 2 has been removed from Youtube.
Thanks Ursula and Ellen for your great site! You girls are “da bomb!”
July 2nd, 2007 at 11:56 am
Ooops sorry for the sadness on my last post, but we were supposed to be thinking of Diana…Hurray to Princes Will and Harry for the great tribute to their mother…Yep, I agree a different outfit on Tom would have been better, but any change from seeing him in the familiar concert blacks and purples is a treat!
July 2nd, 2007 at 11:58 am
Here in Germany, where I live, the TV Channel, that was broadcasting the concert, unfortunately cut I bet you look good on the dancefloor out. So I was unable to watch it!
I think the Kiss version was gorgeous and I was really positively surprised that he didn’t do his “think I better dance now-dance”. I thought, yesterday he was better-looking than on his Vina del Mar (Chile) gig.
This concert has to be released on DVD (just like the Queen’s golden jubilee was)! Does anybody know something about a DVD release ?
After all: Good job, Tom!
July 2nd, 2007 at 12:06 pm
I loved Tom’s performance. It’s always interesting to see Tom doing a new song onstage and I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor was once again something that I couldn’t have guessed Tom will be singing, so there he surprised us once again. He’s voice suited for the song perfectly too. What comes to selecting Ain’t That A Lot Of Love for the song with Joss Stone is maybe a little weird, because Tom has “done” that song already a few years back. I was still delighted hearing him singing it once again because he’s so familiar with it and can obviously sing it so well on any given day. Tom seemed very relaxed and sung it great while Joss seemed like a backing singer for Tom who was jumping there next to him. She has a very good voice too though.
July 2nd, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Marco: you can see some of Tom’s performance on VH1.com.
The VH1 clips cannot be downloaded, but youtube clips can with several app. Our favorite is called TubeSock. It’s $15 and available from Stinkbot.com.
July 2nd, 2007 at 12:34 pm
Great performances. I skipped the Kiss and Ain’t That A Lot Of Love performances as I was very interested in the new I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor. After Stoned In Love this is the thing I want to hear. Very well sung, great arrangements, typical Tom and maybe a hit record if they put it on CD. Just let it be a single-release to raise money for the good cause first. Then put it as a bonus track on the forthcoming CD…just a suggestion.
July 2nd, 2007 at 12:52 pm
It was a TOTALLY HOT set, and congrats to Tom for showing the younger ones how to set the bar.
July 2nd, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Hey!! that was wonderful! And i think audience agrees with me! I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor was very good and I think it was better than the original, of course its my opinion! Tom’s voice was good and bright, and, yes, my friends liked it as well, and, “Hmm,” they asked. “Is this new song of Tom’s?” I said, “Well, it’s an Arctic Monkeys song.” And my friend said, “This will be the next good song to break speakers.” lol.. Yeah more this kind of music from Tom. Well, i like all Tom songs but i think younger people as well.. BTW, can someone post Without Love video (from This is Tom Jones) on youtube? tjvideostoo got banned or somthing lol and he had so many Tom videos on youtube. Now I can’t enjoy them anymore.
Olli
July 2nd, 2007 at 4:41 pm
Hi friends!
Am I the only one that noticed during the interview with Tom and Joe Perry, those blue suit pants were rather tight and kinda showed off one of Tom’s other natural endowments. I looked at the camera shot and thought “WOW” and then I guess the cameraman or someone realized it because the shot tightened up real fast and showed from waist up for the rest of the interview. Maybe it was just my imagination but I don’t think so. That shot only lasted 15 or 20 seconds before it all at once zoomed in and up. If someone has it on tape, take a look and let me know.
Guess I should be more interested in his voice and then I wouldn’t notice such things. LOL
Denise L
Atlanta GA
July 2nd, 2007 at 5:16 pm
Denise: see comment #s 15 & 16 above. You were not the Lone Ranger on that.
July 2nd, 2007 at 6:58 pm
I noticed it when he walked out on stage. It looked like there was a double-decker bus in there!!
July 3rd, 2007 at 10:07 am
Tom definitely was one of the highlights of that show, bar none. Voice was great, he was great, looked amazing as always. And I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor was so well done. Better than the original, horns sounded great too, sorry Artic Monkeys!! Cannot wait for that to be released, great song. And, of course, Joe Perry sounded and looked wonderful as always. Nice combination!! Thanks Tom!!
Anne, Toronto
July 4th, 2007 at 10:51 am
As a “taffy” living in the US I was pleased we got to see the whole concert. I thought Tom looked and sounded great, except for the suit. I thought it looked two sizes too big…. in the sleeves of course..…. I have always loved him singing Kiss and I wasn’t disappointed, especially when he didn’t do his “dance” routine during it, I always cringe I when I see him do it at his shows. JMHO…
I liked Bet You Look Good…. and I, too, think he should release it on his next CD.. He was great with Joss Stone, and being the gentleman he always is, he seemed to stand back and let her have centre stage.
On the interview he did with Joe Perry I noticed that his Welsh accent seems stronger tonight than usual. I loved the story the announcer told after the interview about Tom calling the stage arranger over and doing his sexy growl at her and set her off running. What a great sense of humour he has. I can’t wait for August to see him again…….and as the announcer shouted after Tom as he went through the door…….
“WE LOVE YOU TOM!”
July 5th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
Thinking about it a bit more…”Vaults of Heaven” would have been nice for Diana.
He didn’t stand back and let her have center stage, he was trying to cue her in to move closer and she didn’t pick up on his body language. She stupidly got wrapped up in her own psychedelic hair and love child barefoot dance and failed to let the Master lead. Damn, if I was on stage with Tom Jones, I would lock eyes with him and let my body move to his rhythms. She sounds great, but she only has a few years in the industry and was not coached enough on how to duet with this Master. If you go back to his old duet videos, even a young Marie Osmond was able to generate more chemistry. Stone did not pay proper respect to Sir Tom and thought she was the bigger star of two of them. But I guess after Mick Jagger and Bonnie Rait, TJ seemed small time to her. I don’t care if they share the same producer or whatever, he should not appear live with her again.
Remember Courtney Cox doing “Dancing in the Dark” with Bruce Springsteen for the music video? that was what Stone should have done…acted like she was beyond thrilled to be with our Superstar!
July 6th, 2007 at 9:13 am
Thank you, Marisa. I thought maybe I was the only one who noticed this. It looked like there was a gulf between them. Joss is a very good singer but inexperienced. I enjoyed her solos. But if she is going to sing with Sir Tom, she better get with the act.
July 8th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
Thank you Sandy, I didn’t mean to be overly critical there…I listen to her all the time, LOVE her voice, but she can’t dance…Whitney Houston had the same problem, didn’t seem to stop her.
July 9th, 2007 at 9:38 am
I reckon they were standing far apart because they were playing on a big stage to a stadium crowd. Although the tv audience would always be much bigger than a stadium audience (hopefully!), I’ve noticed artists usually place priority on performing for the crowd in front of them at big concerts rather than for the folks at home.
If you look at Tom’s Cardiff Castle dvd for example, he uses bigger gestures than he would in a tv studio and marches up and down the stage to make the most of the space. That’s what I thought Joss Stone was thinking and I thought that’s why she was dancing funny as well.
Dunno, maybe she was just being snooty and can’t dance but I didn’t think so.
July 10th, 2007 at 8:04 am
Maybe, she was just flustered at being on the stage with the great Tom Jones.
July 20th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
Tom was great. I loved his songs but not that blue suit. The day before concert there were short interviews with some of the stars at rehearsals. Tom was lovely. He said Di loved him singing Kiss. Tom said after a show he was walking and thought his son Mark was behind him. Tom said, “Christ, it’s hot tonight. ” Someone said, “Yes, it is.” It was Di. She said, “How will you cool down? Put your head in a bucket?” (Sorry for cussing. Tom’s words, not mine.)
August 31st, 2007 at 12:40 am
Tom’s version of Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor is so much better than Arctic Monkeys! Their original version lacks depth!