Tom Jones International

Here’s, thanks to Tony Sachs, an updated set list. Here’s That Rainy Day (as a song; it apparently rained in Asbury Park last night). Also gone is the video commercial for this website — been waiting to say that for a long time!

I’m Alive, In Style & Rhythm, Help Yourself, Seasons, Delilah, 200 Lbs. Of Heavenly Joy, End Of The Road, The Road, We Got Love, Fly Me To The Moon, That Old Black Magic, Grandma’s Hands, Git Me Some, Give A Little Love, She’s A Lady, If He Should Ever Leave You, Never, I’ll Never Fall In Love Again, Green Green Grass Of Home, What’s New Pussycat, You Can Leave Your Hat On, Sex Bomb, It’s Not Unusual Encore: Venus, Kiss

A Rainy Night Made Better

Tom’s night at the Paramount was awesome!! You would not know it was windy and wet outside with the heat inside generated by the great voice and band on stage. Let’s start with the venue. The theatre is nice, yet old looking. There was a balcony and the entire place was packed. I had never been to Asbury Park before and didn’t think the area was as run down as it looked. It definitely felt like the summer must bring more bustling moments than were seen Friday night. The chairs were cool in that they came out and reclined a bit to increase the comfort.

My seat was incredible. It was listed as third row center but it was really first theatre row. There were 2 rows of folding chairs in front of me closer to the stage (too close) that didn’t seem comfortable. It’s always better to be a little further back. The staff seemed nice and were able to control things until the encore when they were having a harder time dealing with the rush and picking on random people to stop taking pictures which was odd. They never stopped me during the show and I must have taken almost 40 in full view of them.

As for the show, I was a little concerned that the voice might be shaky, because of the weird traveling done in the last week. Being in New York City earlier in the week, then traveling to Washington and Albany, then back to New Jersey might take a lot out of someone. I was of course wrong!! Tom came out excited and in full, clear voice like the real pro we all know. He was in a really great mood and looked so touched at the ovations he was getting. He looked especially touched after I’ll Never Fall In Love Again, that he just took it all in for an extra couple of minutes before moving into Green Grass. The band was great as always and Tom seemed to have some laughs with Herman the drummer during a couple of occasions in the show.



The 6 or 7 songs from 24 Hours that get performed almost make me enjoy them more live than on the album. He really relaxes through the vocals on stage and makes the song sound different, whereas to me, on the album, he pushed a little more than I thought he should on certain songs. The lighting is amazing, yet as a photographer commented on earlier this week, a little difficult for clear shots.

My only disapointment was with the staff member who told me at 7:30 that Tom was already in the building when I had gone around the side of the theatre to possibly get a picture with him. To my amazement, no other fans were hanging out waiting for him. There was a covering so no one would have gotten wet. I’ve known for years from my times visiting Westbury, that Tom always gets to a theatre like this about a half-hour before showtime. The security agent said he was already in (throwing me off, which is understandable) so I walked away.

As I walked away and turned around, there he was, leaving the tour bus that had backed up which had been sitting idle in the parking lot for a long time. He had an umbrella which he closed after getting under the covering and Don was walking behind him. No barricades or anything- would have been a great opportunity for a better picture than the one I have from Westbury about 11 years ago. After the show, I tried again, knowing that he immediately leaves a theatre like this one after Kiss. Don just gave me a look and Tom only looked straight ahead as he walked out with towel on his shoulders and walked towards the bus. That time, I was only inches away and still nothing.

I really can’t say I expected much at the end of the show- I just tried for the heck of it. I know I shouldn’t have expected anything before the show either- we got a great show and that’s all that really matters. I did, however, always think it was cool and interesting that Tom can come and go from a theatre like that making him the real pro that he is.

It’s great seeing Tom happy about new material and having all this energy to show us live and on all his recent TV appearances. Let’s hope he rides the wave into continued great things this year!!!