Tom Jones International

After Tom leaves the Philippines on March 28, he’ll play in South Korea. As far as TJI could find out, this is the first time he’ll be there. He is certainly circling the globe in 2010. Friday April 2 and Saturday April 3: Seoul, South Korea; Olympic Park, Fencing Stadium; 6:30 pm: Tickets While the official TJ site still lists the May MGM Grand cancellation in big fat letters, the April 7 and 10 dates in South Africa still aren’t listed, but tickets are being sold. Click here to find links to the ticket sales.<

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Tom arrived in New Zealand Wednesday and held a press conference covered by just about all the press in the nation. His management was firm in telling reporters what questions were off-limits and, as you can see, the promoters turned it into a real media event. There is video at the bottom of the last article in this post.

Tom Jones still chases the dream

By Michael Dickison/4:27 PM Thursday Feb 18, 2010/New Zealand Herald

Perennial entertainer Tom Jones will sing Sex Bomb even as he turns 70 and tell stories told many times before with enthusiasm – but will not entertain questions about women flinging their underwear at him.

Jones, 69, famous for It’s Not Unusual and stages filled with underwear thrown from lusting crowds, cheerfully answered questions today in a press conference to promote his four-stop tour around New Zealand, starting at Auckland’s Villa Maria Estate on Sunday.

Jones walked into the conference room, in front of a pack of cameras and reporters, with a charming grin and salute.

But this was after repeated warnings by organisers not to ask about women’s underwear, questions that would be “old hat” and “unimaginative.”

Reporters were told their reputations would be on the line.

Jones has performed for 50 years, toured the world, amassed an estimated $400 million, and mixed with the biggest names, like Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.

For the rest of this article and two more, two new photos and a video of Tom’s New Zealand press conference, click here to (more…)

On Thursday February 11, 2010, Tom played at the Festival Antofagasta 2010 in Chile. That day the Chilean newspaper Estrela Norte published an article allegedly detailing the rider to Tom’s contract with the music festival. A “rider” is a list of the requirements that must be met by the venue/producer for the entertainer to appear. (A “tech rider” details the technical needs of a show.) The most mythical of such documents is the Van Halen tour rider of 1982, a 52-page document set out requirements for such things as herring in sour cream, Schlitz Malt Liquor, one tube of K-Y Jelly (don’t ask!) and — most famous of all — a dish of M&Ms backstage from which all the brown ones are removed. Tom’s rider is downright dull next to that. Of course, if this is true, it was leaked to the press because usually those details are between the promoter and the artist’s management. On the east coast of the USA where it is available he used to ask for Poland Spring Water (“What it means to be from Maine”)which shows he has incredibly good taste as it is the very best bottled water. I don’t find Tom’s requests as reported here unreasonable…..well, too unreasonable (two people to iron?). Do you? Anyway, here’s the article.

To find out what the newspaper says Tom required backstage, click here (more…)

Brit Update: The Spice Girls won the award for the most memorable appearance in the last 30 years. Aside from Tom and Robbie Williams, among the others they also beat are the Bee Gees, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson. Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert, quite rightly (IMHO) said, “You can never underestimate the stupidity of the general public.”

Tom’s appearance at the Festival Saturday night was clearly spectacular, with a show that lasted two hours and five minutes. Here is a photo from the news story about it.

Tom Jones won over the audience at Festival Fonsi Iquique

The Welshman won the younger audience on the second night of the northern festival. With a powerful show and a voice that passes every test, the singer was excellent

by Andrea Hartung in Iquique/Monday, February 15, 2010/ La Tercera

The audience was mostly young, waiting for the Puerto Rican Luis Fonsi, but Tom Jones, the old “Welsh tiger,” won with pure talent. On the second day of the Festival de Iquique he was the first artist to perform. The man who sang Delilah performed his best-known songs like Sex Bomb and You Can Leave Your Hat On. But he also sang from his new album, 24 Hours.

The sensual singer danced to all his songs and then joked with the audience. His show began at 21.30 pm and continued, thanks to popular demand, until 23:15 hours.

This photo by Nadia Pérez is one of a dozen of Tom in Chile that are particularly good. I think the one on this page is among the best ever taken of him. For this and 11 more, check out the new TJI flickr set, Sir Tom In Chile.

Thanks again, Dre!

Loretta Van Der Horst (photo right) is a Dutch journalism intern who works for the Santiago Times in Chile. She was among the group invited to the show that her co-worker wrote about below. This is from her blog. It’s written in Dutch and I’ve done my best with translation….may not be exact, but you get the point. Thanks, Dre! (And Johan!)

Bizarre week with Tom Jones and Band ..
February 14, 2010, 6:37 AM

Where to start? Monday evening during a dinner with friends I received an SMS from a friend of a friend. He is the sound engineer for Tom Jones, who is on a world tour and this week is in Chile. “Come for 12 hours now, because Tom is going somewhere else.” I read the rest. Nobody hesitated. They ate fast-food chicken while they got ready to go.

First Night with Mr. Jones

Once we arrived we sat with the band [in the restaurant] while Tom Jones sat quietly with his cigar in hand, sipping a glass of champagne. His ring finger was decorated with a large gold ring. Around his neck he wore a cross. The now-elderly star (69) is still happy happy to take pictures with his fs.

As I drank my pisco [I traditional Peruvian drink in the brandy family,] I realized how sedate he is for a man of his size. The alcohol flowed as the band was off the following day, and while we were slowly but surely drinking more champagne, pisco and beer.

Tom also became increasingly looser. Thus, in his playboy image, he does not disappoint. An approving glance at the waitress was enough to make her tray shake. At one point he started to sing out of nowhere at the top of his voice. Here and there he told a stale joke and laughed at ours.

Matteo and the Sound

When the bar was closing we were promptly invited by Mr.. Jones to accompany him to his five-star hotel for a drink. The fact that we had to work the next day didn’t stop anyone from going. The soundman told us Tom always stayed the longest of everyone and that tonight could ever be late.

Tom took three taxis and still posed here with the drivers and, like it was the most normal thing in the world, I gave our driver the command to take us to Tom’s hotel. Not much later we went through the Sheraton’s golden revolving doors and we ordered some drink by the pool. Tom asked me what I did in Chile, I told him about my internship, he nodded. “So are you enjoying yourself?” …. Ehhh yes! He talked about his tour, this elderly but oh-so-charming sex bomb.

Happiness

Matt, the sound engineer, and Gary, the drummer, invited us to the show and a day or so later we we felt like celebrities in paradise. It was surreal. Our tickets were there under my name. When we walked into the arena we were escorted to the Golden section where Matt was waiting for us backstage and where, yes, drinks were poured before the show because we were early. Suring the show we stood near the soundboard (photo above) to get a better view. While Matteo was pushing the buttons and complained about the lack of bass, I was enjoying the performance.

But the band had more in store. After the show, history repeated itself and we celebrated with an after-party, again at the pool in the hotel .. The night threatened to go out of control when I was about to swim, but luckily a hotel worker saved me..

Happy Valentine’s Day to all….may it be a sweet one spent with those you love! And, of course, with the perfect soundtrack.

A man in the UK is auctioning a suit Tom wore in the early 1990s on eBay, The auction ends this morning (February 14) at 10:54:04 PST.

The inside of the jacket, as you can see at right, was signed by Tom. Several people have said the signature doesn’t look like Tom’s but, remember, it’s signed on loose fabric and, therefore, doesn’t have the clarity or quality of a signature on paper. As it comes with a certificate of authenticity on Tom Jones Enterprises letterhead, I suppose we should give it the benefit of the doubt. The COA says, “TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN — AUTHENTICITY LETTER —THIS GREENISH-TURQUOISE SUIT, COMPLETE WITH MATCHING VEST AND PANTS, AND MADE BY SQWEAR, IS FROM TOM JONES. MR. JONES HAS WORN THIS OUTFIT ON STAGE SEVERAL TIMES WHILE PERFORMING LIVE.”

The seller also links to two photos in the TJI TJI flicker set that were taken at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.

The photos clearly show that the suit is turquoise and the one being sold looks green. But, TJI has photos of Tom in the same suit in a shocking pink color and, I was told, he had it in green, too.

The starting bid is GBP 5,000.00 (Approximately US $7,821.00) with a buy-it-now price of £15,000.00/ Approximately $23,463.00.

Hurry!

If you want to see Sir Tom in concert on Valentine’s Day, you can! Of course you have to go to Iquique, Chile. Although this is not on the official site’s tour date list, TJI heard from Ruben that he’ll be there, checked and found you can buy tickets here. It’s in the sunny Southern Chile region and it’s summer. Let us all know if you go.

Maria sent this lovely review to TJI (my translation): “The concert in Santiago was tremendous. Tom Jones sang his heart out and the people gave him their hearts. I love when he sings the older songs and also love Never. By the end when he sang Take Me Back To the Party everyone was on their feet dancing and singing. It was a party and we cannot wait to go back again.” I am in my 20s and I cannot think of another time when I had so much fun at a show. What I saw was a man having a lot of fun like the audience and when you see that, you have to be happy.”

Along came Jones

Santiago takes its hat off to Tom Jones

Written by Laura Burgoine /Friday, 12 February 2010 05:25Santiago Times

(Editor’s Note: Welsh singing sensation Tom Jones is touring Chile. His first performance was last Saturday in Viña del Mar, and he hit Talca and Santiago earlier this week. The 69-year-old legend, who has sold more than 100 million records worldwide and is best known for his hits It’s Not Unusual,What’s New Pussycat and Delilah, will wrap up the Chilean leg of his tour this weekend. When he was in the Chilean capital, Santiago Times writer Laura Burgoine had the chance to meet and greet the star. She recounts her experience here.]

Santiago is still swooning after Tom Jones’ epic concert, and here at the Santiago Times, we have personally been swept off our feet by the legend himself. An intoxicating four-day TJ binge has seen this group of young journalism interns form a cult-like following of the music god in our very own Jonestown.

It began with two press-passes and five interns fighting for the chance to catch a glimpse of TJ onstage but ended with backstage cocktails, hanging with the band and all of us sipping wine, poolside, with Mr. Jones himself.

To backtrack a few nights: a quiet dinner at home with my co-workers was interrupted by an SMS-text invitation to join Tom Jones’ band for drinks. Instantly deserting our chicken and throwing on our best clothes, we raced to the bar in hopes of spotting the star. As we sat drinking with the band at the Backstage Bar in Santiago’s entertainment district, Jones sat inside with his personal assistant, quietly nursing a cognac.

For the video, click here to (more…)

Just noodling around online during another crazy busy day, I found another video from February 4 in Luna Park, Buenos Aires. I was, in truth, looking for video of Help Yourself which has now been put back into the show. But the only one there was such poor quality, I opted for this one. Love the song, love to see Tom do it and, as always, it’s fun to watch. In fact, try to watch without moving or singing along!

You can check out this video here.

As usual, if you cannot view it, please drop me note using the “Contact TJI” link at right and I’ll send it to you.

For some reason, tomorrow night’s return to Viña del Mar is no longer on Tom’s official site but tickets are being sold. If you go, please let us know and, if it’s canceled, let us know that, too.

I’ve (fortunately) been very busy these last couple of weeks working on an exciting new project and, because of that, found this video particularly welcome because the sound is pretty good for an audience-shot video and it reminded me once again how beautiful this song is.

Now, this is not one of my favorite songs. Tom does a magnificent job singing it, but I used know someone who got all dramatic when he did so and would almost hit anyone — friend or stranger — who dared to even breathe audibly when he was singing it. Even though any performer merits the respect of silence during a performance, that was too much. For that reason, it got old. But now, once again I’m beginning to appreciate it. It is beautiful.

Of course, Tom sings the song beautifully and, at its end, the wildly enthusiastic crowd in Luna Park in Buenos Aires showed their appreciation in a way unique to that part of the world.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. And, sometime in the next few days you’ll see an amazing video that two fans sent from Europe. Just wonderful! So look for it.

You can watch the video in the TJI.com Video Library.

Asia One reports that Tom will perform at Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore at a one-night only concert in the Compass Ballroom on March 26. The concert will begin at 8 pm. They say Tom will be the first international superstar to perform at the integrated resort. Tickets on sale 9 am, February 24 here Two days later he’ll be playing at the Araneta Coliseumi in Manila the Philippines. Tom should get an extra kick out of this because — and TJI wonders if Tom is aware of this — it was the site of the Ali-Liston Thrilla In Manila. The venue, depending upon the set up, seats 24,679 for end-stage concerts and 15,657 for center-stage concerts. Tom is not listed on the venue’s event list but, when they are available, you can get tickets here.

Tom Jones For Aerosmith? Don’t Rule It Out

Classic Rock Magazine/February 8, 2010

Joe Perry has told Classic Rock that one name Aerosmith might consider as a stand-in for Steven Tyler is… Tom Jones!

Says Perry: “He’s got a great set of pipes, so why not? I’ve played with him before, and know he could bring something extra to the band. We haven’t approached him yet, but if he were interested that would be great. Imagine the interest Tom would generate.”

The Welsh warbler was, of course, amusingly linked with the vacant Black Sabbath job nearly 25 years ago. In fact, it was an April Fool’s joke by Kerrang! magazine in 1984.

Perry now insists that, whoever the band bring in, this will be on a temporary basis, while Tyler pursues other activities. But, as soon as Tyler’s ready to return it will be business as usual for Aerosmith.

When did Perry work with Tom? On July 1, 2007, Tom performed at the Concert for Diana. He sang himself and performed with Joss Stone. Aerosmith’s Joe Perry was on guitar and, afterwards there was a brief interview. You can watch the interview here.

Moderator’s Note: Somewhere I have video of the performance and the entire interview and if I can find it, I’ll post it. If you have it and are willing to send it, please drop me a note and I’ll tell you how to do it.

For a very positive review from Buenos Aires, click here (more…)

Moderator’s Note: With the storm coming later today, a wish that all stay safe and warm and that the power stays on. And, sorry, as some of you know, I am envious. I miss the snow!

So, just for fun, let’s try to caption Photo #1 at left and/or Photo #2 at right.

I don’t want anyone to think TJI is making fun of Tom. He is just so into his music, so animated and clearly having a good time when he performs, that playing with these photos a little seems perfectly fine.

Photo #1 is probably the easiest to caption. The other is more of a challenge. What do you think the captions should be?