Tom Jones International

Anita (“TJOnly”) arrived in Las Vegas last Sunday to see Tom at the MGM for the first time (not the first time she’s seen Sir Tom — just the first time she’s done so in Las Vegas). As you can tell from her story, she had a great time. If you were also here and haven’t shared the story of your trip, please do.

How does one describe perfection? The trip, the reason for the trip and the great new friend I made on the trip, have made this past week nothing short of perfection.

I arrived in Vegas on Sunday afternoon and Ellen, who was to become my new friend met me.

Of course, Tom was THE REASON for all this. Four fantastic nights (three front row and one 3rd row) of swinging, swaying, singing along, staring, cheering, and sore hands from non-stop applause. This man possesses an incomprehensible magic, not only his voice but his personality and interaction with his audience. I surely got my fix…the withdrawal symptoms are gone for now. Tom couldn’t put on a bad show if he tried.

I didn’t get to meet Tom this time, but got the next best thing. On night 3, he used my Valentine’s wash cloth to wipe his brow (love that lingering cologne). On night 4 I was able to give him my little gift. This was the highlight of my trip.

Before I left Orlando, I was shopping and thought I heard my name being called from a rack of men’s underwear. I looked over and there they were, red and yellow boxer shorts with SUGAR DADDY written all over them. They whispered “Buy me for Tom.” Now, how could I pass them up?

Tom was interacting with the audience between songs and I waved the boxers in the air. He came over and I handed them to him. He didn’t notice the writing at first, but then as he held them up he saw the “Sugar Daddy” and read it out loud. The audience was hysterical as Tom explained that Sugar Daddy was one of the songs on his new album. He then proceeded to hold them up in front of him a couple of times and said “Are these for me?” and I said, “They certainly are baby.” What a hoot!

After the show that night I went out to dinner and for a ride down The Strip. It sure has changed since I was there in ’78 and with all the construction continues to change. I look forward to my next trip to Las Vegas and am hoping to get some good seats for a couple of Florida concerts in April.

Almost forgot: I just love Tom’s new look…the grey looks fantastic, suits him. I can’t explain it, but he looks more real.

It was a fabulous trip and I know I’m lucky to have had the experience. Thank you, Tom!

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12:48 pm PST: At the US Figure Skating Championships Exhibition in Cleveland, Rena Inoue and John Baldwin just skated to Tom’s version of Kiss. They were cute…nice surprise!