Tom Jones International

If you saw Tom over the last few weeks and want to send in a review/photos, etc. please do it Wednesday, as that’s when the rest of the fan reviews/photos, etc. from this tour will be posted for Thursday. Thanks!

Tom will play the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Sunday, July 10. The show will run 75 minutes (6:15 to 7:30 pm). tickets are €89 for a full-day pass.

Oddly, the festival listing for Tom’s show has him listed second, behind the “director:” Gary Wallis (Director); Tom Jones (Vocals); Laura Critchley Leanne, Sophie Hiller (Backing vocals); Samuel Francis Walden (Saxophone); Trevor Mires (Trombone); Henry Alexander Colins (Trumpet); Michael James Moses (Guitar); Toby Chapman, Lutz Rainer Krajenski (Keyboard); David Bronze, Rest of lineup t.b.a.

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Edna Gunderson in USA Today says: …Tom Jones…all in black, managed to get through three songs before the first panties were tossed on stage. Flaunting his impressive stylistic and vocal range, the 70-year-old Welsh singer covered gospel, pop, country, jazz and blues. In a still-strapping voice, he sang I’m Never Gonna Fall in Love Again, Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s Strange Things Happening Every Day and Run On (which he and Elvis sang during after-hours jams in Vegas).

Jones paid his respects to the region. He revived his hits Detroit City and Green Green Grass of Home, a pair of country tunes Louisiana native Jerry Lee Lewis recorded early in his career. And he honored New Orleans tradition with St. James Infirmary, a standard that has steadily regained popularity since Katrina. He also noted the centennial of Mahalia Jackson’s birth with a rocking version of her Didn’t It Rain.

New Orleans Jazz Fest stirs Tom Jones memories

Doug MacCash, The Times-Picayune NOLA.com

The elegant Mr. Jones wasn’t on stage for long before various female undergarments fluttered through the air, seemingly drawn to the supple-voiced crooner like pastel moths to a flame. The decades-old act of devotion filled the crowd with glee. A Welsh flag swam in the breeze above the audience. Three sisters standing not far from me held aloft a home-made tribute to their mom Beverly Dubroc, a devoted Jones fan, whom, they were sure, attended the concert in spirit. Though Jones surprised fans by not closing the show with “What’s New Pussy Cat,” I could still here it clearly, on a car radio, sometime in my 1960s childhood.

If you haven’t read Alison Fensterstock’s over-the-top review of the Tom Jones concert, drop everything and do so right now. “I am actually exactly the right age to be a 71-year-old’s trophy wife.” Too much.

Below is the article mentioned in the review just above. Some of it is terrific, some terrifically stupid. And, for the record — because I just asked someone who worked on the ad campaign — the quote is “What happens here stays here.” Not “What happens in Vegas….” Journalists should get it right. But clearly, this journalist has the hots for Tom Jones and, thus, may be crossing a professional line. And, I find it difficult to believe (and, if it’s true, it’s also very wrong) that Tom was cruel about Mel Tillis’ speech defect, don’t you?? Also, Tom was not “making fun” of Elvis. It is natural that a southern boy like Elvis would be surprised that a Welsh boy like Tom would know so many gospel songs. What is wrong with this chick? Trophy wife? Huh? Some prize.

It’s not unusual to have strong feelings about Tom Jones at the New Orleans Jazz Fest

Alison Fensterstock The New Orleans Times-Picayune

5:35 p.m. Guitarist starts it off for the last set of the day at the New Orleans Jazz Fest. Heavy blues chords and a little flash. This guy could have filled in for Richie Sambora yesterday.

5:37 p.m. Drummer jumps in. Slow, heavy kick-drum thumps. Anticipation is building.

5:40 p.m. The man emerges! Black jeans, navy shirt, black blazer, the famous silver crucifix. No extraneous chest hair display. Minor chills – we are in the presence of greatness.

5:41 p.m. Tom Jones is so poised that he manages to find a polite way to not only name-drop Elvis Presley, but subtly put him down. “You know, in 1967 in Las Vegas, I was playing Caesar’s Palace and Elvis was at the Hilton. He used to stay up all night playing blues and gospel songs, and he’d say if I knew any of the songs, I should join him. Of course, he didn’t expect me to know as many as I did.”

For the rest of this article and the link to the video, please click here to (more…)

Moderator’s Note: It’s kind of late Sunday night and I’ve spent way too much time in airports and on planes this weekend (19 hours between Thursday and Sunday) and I am tired. So, look for a new post Tuesday — with audio, maybe some video. Thanks for your understanding and thanks, too, to all of you who have sent and will send reviews of the recent US shows. (BTW, I was at the Jersey Shore this weekend, not down South.)

Wishes that everyone going to Nashville tonight and New Orleans tomorrow has a wonderful time seeing a wonderful show! We’re all anxious to share your experience so be sure to tell us about it!

With gratitude to Denise and Lon for taking the trouble to send reviews, audio, photos. We really appreciate it!
Fan Reviews:
Denise Lewis: Along with three of my friends, I got to see Tom at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center in Atlanta on Wed April 27. Two of them had never been to a Tom Jones concert before and we were all very excited. We were in the 7th row from the front so we knew we would be in for a treat and we were. Tom’s voice was very strong and he seemed to be having a good time. He sang a number of songs but I’ll Never Fall in Love Again, Delilah and Green, Green Grass of Home got the best reaction for the crowd of approximately 2500. My friends were so excited and we had a blast. However I have seen him a number of times and something was different. I think the fan who wrote from Orlando was right. The band was way, way too loud. We want to hear Tom not amplified guitars that tried to drown him out. I noticed no really big notes, If I Only Knew was a prime example. One of my friends asked me if he had hurt his back or his legs because of the way he moved around the stage. Another girlfriend said he seemed to be holding back and not moving. Since neither had seen Tom live before I didn’t know how to respond except that he is almost 71 and we needed to cut him some slack. But it did worry me. I love his concerts and him and hope this was an anomaly.

There was a lot of Praise and Blame which is OK I guess but the crowd really responded to the ones they knew. I missed Pussycat, She’s a Lady, I (Who Have Nothing), Sex Bomb, Help Yourself, etc. Please don’t think I am complaining. I have loved Tom for over 40 years and have seen him in concert many times. I am just a little worried. This concert was different from other. Not bad, just really different. But I will never quit loving him. His voice is magical.

Lon Roberts: I was sitting on the front row. In short – Tom rocked the house! His voice is amazing. I had seen him previously in 1993 and 1994 at an amphitheater but neither show compared to this one. Again, his voice is amazing and even more powerful. He had the audience eating out of his hand. He seemed to be having a great time. He was very talkative and walked the stage like a true, seasoned professional. He has toned back on the move (but did move some here and there – including the leg rolls on Kiss), but even the innuendo and the insinuation of moves made the women scream. It was a great show and everyone left talking about how great he is and how great he sounds.

Click here to listen to Lon’s recording of Tom in Atlanta singing Green Green Grass of Home. Lon also sent photos that you can see, along with some others from Atlanta, at the top of the pictures in the TJI.com Tom Jones On Stage flickr set.

Tom Jones in Atlanta

Story by Hali McGrath SoundSpike.com

Iconic Welsh crooner Tom Jones is still going strong as he struts through his fifth decade of performing. The hip-swiveling 72 year old is on the road in support of his most recent studio set, Praise & Blame, and hoping to deliver up something of a religious experience.

The set is a mix of covers and original songs that SoundSpike contributor Phil Gallo described as “hitting all the expected notes within the idiom: the acceptance of blame for sin, references to fables, meeting angels in heaven and doing the Lord’s work among ne’er-do-wells.” On Saturday night (4/30), Nashville fans can judge for themselves when Jones and his band perform at the historic Ryman Auditorium. On Sunday (4/31), he will play a set at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

To read a new interview with Sir Tom, please click here to (more…)

Return of the Mack: Tom Jones dazzles at Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater

Posted by Gabe Echazabal on Tue, Apr 26, 2011 at 1:14 PM in The Daily Loaf

You’d be hard pressed to find an entertainer who better defines the term “superstar” than Tom Jones. The Welsh-born singer rose to fame in the mid-1960′s and racked up a string of hit singles, starred in his own variety show and gained the admiration of millions of overzealous female fans who showed their affections by launching their undergarments at him during live performances.

Fast forward several decades and you’ll still find Jones every bit the dazzling entertainer. Jones has retained a large core audience that has faithfully followed him through changing trends and styles as evidenced from the eager crowd awaiting his taking the stage last Friday at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater.

One of the loudest and rowdiest roars I’ve heard from an awaiting audience in a long time was steadily belted from the plush seats until Jones took the stage at 8:15 p.m. No need for an opening act; the crowd was here for one reason only: to be treated to the timeless, sexy, soulful voice that Tom Jones has entranced his fans with for years.

Clad in bright purple silk shirt, shiny black blazer and black slacks, Jones slowly emerged amid a sea of sultry red lights. A guitarist preceded Tom’s entrance and filled the hall with some tasty, nasty slide guitar blues giving the feel of a seedy blues club rather than a pristine performance hall. Jones quickly launched into Burning Hell, a cut from his newest album, the excellent gospel-blues tinged Praise and Blame. In fine voice, the 70-year-old Jones boldly opened with this relatively unknown selection from a current work rather than relying on a tried and true nugget from his vast career. Pretty ballsy move, without a doubt. But, in actuality, it set the tone for the bold course Jones opted to trudge all night long.

The evening’s set was filled with constant surprises and jaw-droppers. Sure, we were treated to classics like Green Green Grass of Home and a savory, Mariachi-styled version of Delilah. But Tom seemed to really soar when delivering his versions of some pretty unpredictable covers ranging from Little Feat’s Dixie Chicken to Hey Pocky Way by the New Orleans-based party band The Meters.

Showing no signs of slowing (ok, so Tom doesn’t swivel his hips as ferociously as he used to), Jones proved for nearly two hours that he is still as entertaining and charismatic as ever. Jones was, after all, the one entertainer who Elvis Presley admittedly feared; supposedly, Elvis was always worried that Jones would surpass him in terms of popularity and stardom, and that he’d eventually steal all his fans away from him. At this, my first ever Tom Jones concert, it’s easy to understand Presley’s anxieties. As if it weren’t enough of a threat that the man can sing, select hip material to cover AND whip an adoring crowd into a frenzy, he was also born with the gift of the gab. Almost as enchanting as the performance itself, Jones playfully told several engaging stories and anecdotes that found him name-dropping artists like Jerry Lee Lewis, Ry Cooder, Bob Dylan and Elvis.

For the rest of this article and another about Tom singing the Stoke football version of Delilah, please click here (more…)

Wednesday Notes: Just want to say that I hope all of you seeing Tom in the next few days — Atlanta, Knoxville, Nashville and/or N’Orleans — have a grand time. Keep other fans informed, please!

Tuesday night I went to see Gladys Knight in the newly renamed Gladys Knight Theater at the totally redone Tropicana, across the street from the MGM Grand. I wasn’t expecting a most special show, but I was so surprised. Among the songs she did, aside from her hits was a terrific I (Who Have Nothing), Grandma’s Hands and one of my favorite standards, Someone To Watch Over Me. She did some wonderful gospel and the evening ended up being a total joy! Keep her in mind when next you are in Las Vegas. Yes, you want to come to see Sir Tom, but there’s a lot more, too. There is a reason this is called “The City of Entertainment.” (And, no, neither the Visitors Bureau nor the Chamber of Commerce pays me to say this.)

A brief, OK preview of Tom’s show in Clearwater from the St. Petersburg (FL) Times. by Carole Liparoto, Thursday, April 21, 2011:

SoundCheck: Tom Jones

It’s not unusual to love Tom Jones. Adoring women shower him with undergarments. Singer-songwriter elite-types (Van Morrison) place him atop their lists of favorite artists. Queens (Elizabeth II) knight him. So what could be left for the 70-year-old bronzed baritone to accomplish? In a word, grit. On the Welshman’s latest, Praise & Blame, gone are the Vegas-style sex bombs, playful pussycat calls, the loose buttons and usual bombast. In are bluesy, roadhouse-rock covers (of John Lee Hooker, Bob Dylan, etc.) about where we go when we die. Fans should expect a little of both Jones styles at this show.

With the knowledge that everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion and in the belief that healthy, polite discourse is good, I am posting the review below from a long-time fan who travels to see Tom often and who went to the show at the Hard Rock in Orlando. Clearly, this fan was upset and the review is negative with a tone not of anger but of real disappointment. I don’t agree with the conclusion about Las Vegas but, as noted, we’re all entitled to our opinions. Feel free to discuss it. The fan said “the show was very substandard,” adding:

“As I spoke to the people around me before and after the show, those that had never seen Tom were over the moon, of course. I sat next to a woman from New York who had seen him many times who said she was very disappointed.

“First, the lights and instruments drown out the man and his voice. I don’t know if this is done purposely. Maybe. As best as I can tell, the voice is still there. However, I noted no held notes or anything out of mid-range for him. On If I Only Knew, no big blast of that voice before the words or during mid song. Absolutely no dancing, which made the man look stiff and at times, uncomfortable. Even with Kiss, on the “think i’d better dance” part, no dance. He said, I think you’d better dance now. No What’s New Pussycat or She’s A Lady. Mostly his new songs. The best song of the evening was St. James Infirmary Blues from the Jools Holland album.

“All of the above brings me to the conclusion of why he may not be playing Vegas these days. I don’t think this show would be accepted by the many long time fans that go to Vegas primarily to see him.”

“He looks great, but seems a shell of his former stage personality. Of course, we love him and anything he has to offer musically, but… I realize they are trying to “legitimize” his music and Tom as a performer, but…. It wasn’t a bad show, just very different.

Video: The sound is awful and the picture a bit blurry, but someone took 55 seconds of video of Tom singing It’s Not Unusual at his first Florida show Thursday night. It is a bit blurry, but it is close up, so you can see that Sir Tom looks terrific. If you want to, click here to see a bit of Tom Thursday night at the Seminole Hard Rock Live. (I cannot recall ever posting video of this quality, but it shows Sir Tom to advantage so I decided to do it.)

Donna and her friend Anita, both from upstate New York, went to Tom’s show at the Hard Rock in Hollywood, FL. She sent a set list (not, she noted, necessarily in order) and a review. Hope you all share my gratitude for the work Donna did for us.

The set list (with the name of the person/group who had the hit and links to the lyrics of new songs): Burning Hell; Run On; Let’s Have A Ball (Ry Cooder); I’ll Never Fall in Love Again; Dixie Chicken (Little Feat); Strange Things; Green, Green Grass of Home; Detroit City; Delilah; St. James Infirmary Blues; What Good Am I?; Nobody’s Fault But Mine; Don’t Knock; Didn’t It Rain; If I Give My Soul; Mama Told Me Not to Come; You Can Leave Your Hat On; It’s Not Unusual Encore: Kiss; If I Only Knew; Hey Pocky Way (Grateful Dead).

Donna writes: The Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, FL was just about sold out. It was a late-arriving crowd and the show started at about 8:20 with a screaming guitar solo and the stage lit in red lights. Everyone was pumped up by then, awaiting Tom’s arrival. This was how Burning Hell started. When Tom hit the stage, there was a huge ovation from the crowd — clapping, whistling, hooting & hollering, and screaming. After doing a couple of numbers, it was clear that Tom’s voice was as strong as ever. He addressed the crowd saying how beautiful the new arena was, he had never been here before but it definitely would not be the last – God willing! More screams from the crowd. With a motion of his hands, Tom invited the audience to sing backup on Strange Things. We all gladly participated.

Before doing Green, Green Grass of Home he told the audience the story of how he found the song on a Jerry Lee Lewis album and said that he was going to perform it like he did in 1966 when it became a #1 hit. He mentioned that he was getting back to basics tonight. The crowd really enjoyed this rendition of the song. Another change that the crowd really enjoyed was the new arrangement on Delilah. It started out with a slow tempo with dueling Spanish guitars for the first verse or two and then built up to a quicker pace on the later verses. Anita and I really loved this new version of Delilah. Again, Tom invited the audience to sing along, this time on the chorus. Everyone was into it. In fact, people were singing it as we exited the arena. When Tom moved into the faster songs starting with Mama Told Me Not to Come and You Can Leave Your Hat On, the audience was on its feet dancing and remained so for the rest of the show. The audience chanted until Tom came out for his encore of Kiss, If I Only Knew and Hey, Hey Pocky Way. The crowd was going crazy! Tom taught us how to sing the chorus on Hey Pocky Way and got everyone singing. The two girl singers joined Tom at the front of the stage as he did this final song. He encouraged us to sing louder and praised the audience saying “that was really GOOOOD!” It was clear that Tom was really enjoying how much the crowd was into the performance. As they finished, he thanked the audience and said without us, there would be no “them”. He said they really had a ball up there and that he hoped we did, too. This elicited more screams from the crowd. He gave each of the backup singers a kiss on the cheek and the rest of the band joined them at the front of the stage, they joined hands and bowed to the audience.

An interview with Tom was printed in the Knoxville, TN, newspaper on April 21. With a rather inelegant title, it begins:

Tom Jones’ talent outlives the fit of his trousers

The whole package

Over the past few decades, Tom Jones seems to be perpetually cool, but it took a little time to overcome his initial image.

“Those bloody pants,” says Jones in a call from Los Angeles, where he has lived since 1976. “If I had a chance again I wouldn’t have worn them so tight! I’ve only got myself to blame there. When I look at myself from then I say, ‘No wonder nobody paid attention to what was coming out of my mouth. They were too busy looking at my package!’ ”

To read the interview, click here.

If you want to see Tom in Nashville, check out the tickets available in the post below. And, wherever you see him, please don’t forget to send your reviews/photos/etc. for other fans to share!

Please don’t forget the Question of the Month in the post below!

More Dates: Tom will be playing two concerts in the English Heritage Picnic Series:Friday, June 24, Kenwood House, Hampstead, 7:30 pm. Tickets £32.50 to £199. On July 30th at 7:30 pm, he’ll be at Audley End, Saffron Walden. Tickets range from £32 to £125.

On Sunday, July 24, at 9:30 pm, Tom will be in the Théâtre Jean Deschamps in Carcassone, France. The onlineticket sale begins April 9. (Until then, tickets sales at box office only.) Tickets are €55 to €65, plus €3.80 “rental per seat.”

The same old Tom-cat still makes crowd purr

Nancy Torner | The Milwaukee Journal | Tuesday, August 6, 1985

It’s very possible that tucked away in some closet, a painting of Tom Jones is aging – because the Singer certainly isn’t.

The female half of the crowd of 5,942 who attended his 75-minute performance Monday night at the State Fair gasped as Jones, now in his mid-40s, took to the stage in a tight black tuxedo. About the only thing that had changed since he last
appeared here in 1978 was that his thick head of hair was cropped a little shorter. Otherwise, he was as vocally powerful and visually virile as ever.

The 12-piece band that travels with him belted out Procession of the Nobles as Jones ambled onto the stage. And without a word, his booming voice broke the air with a lively version of the Pointer Sisters’ I’m So Excited.

Using the same opening line he has for years, Jone:; eventually acknowledged the audience in his suave, British accent:
“Good evening, ladies. And thank you, gentlemen, for bringing them here this evening.”

Given all the mileage put on Jones’ vocal cords, given the tuberculosis he suffered as a child, It’s remarkable that his voice still sounds like it’s coming out of a deep cave rather than an ordinary chest cavity.

His high range was just as pure and raging as his midrange, enhanced by a vibrato that spanned nearly a whole step. His diction was as clean as a seasoned Shakespearean actor’s. The band and three backup vocalists who helped him through such old favorites as Delilah, What’s New Pussycat? and It’s Not Unusual were better than adequate, but any finer points were lost in the night air.

Jones also sang a variety of more current hits by other artists, his selection impeccable and somewhat daring. With an audience primarily ranging in age from 15 years his junior to 15 years his senior, he still was successful pulling off such rock ‘n’ roll hits as Prince’s Purple Rain. And for an encore, he flattened the crowd with Bob Seger’s Old Time Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Generally, the audience members were more subdued than in the past, possibly because the stage was nearly out of reach from the ground. Several women did manage to hand flowers to Jones and to crawl up on the platform’ that supported the stage to get a kiss.

One fan tossed a brassiere on the stage, Holding it in one hand for the crowd to see, Jones toyed with the clasp saying, “Let’s see if I can still do this,”

He brought squeals every time he threw his hips or took such deep bows that his sweat-soaked shirt pulled tight across his back and became transparent.

Opening with 35 minutes of merely average standup comedy was comedian George Wallace, who deserves mention for topical lines such as, “Reagan’s got this country so screwed up we got people sneaking back into Mexico.” But he ruined his
finish by regressing into mundane sex materiaL

If you didn’t see it, be sure to check out the post below. It is not only thought-provoking, there’s some terrific video. It is worth your time!

STV in Scotland has the first review of Tom’s performance at the Celtic Connection Festival.

Praise (and no blame) for Tom Jones at Celtic Connections

Review: He may no longer be a Sex Bomb, but Tom Jones’ appearance at the Glasgow Royal Hall last night as part of Celtic Connections’ gospel strand saw both singer and audience in deservedly high spirits.

Michael MacLennan |18 January 2011 07:00 GMT

Woah there tiger! Cut to an audible audience gasp as a curly-haired, ever-lusty sexual dynamo roams the stage, eyeing the crowd alluringly. Wild whoops and cheers drive this slickly attired, vocally gifted beast even further into a sweat-soaked frenzy; indeed, by the end of his set so many pairs of knickers have been thrown at the wailing Welshman in question that he resembles a moving and crooning marshmallow man made entirely out of used underwear. What a sight to behold…

Though in truth it was a sight that – contrary to any outdated expectations of what a Tom Jones gig might involve – didn’t actually happen, probably for the relief of all involved. (Or at least if it has occurred in Glasgow, it was more likely at his first ever gig in the city at the now deceased Apollo many moons ago, of which Jones last night recalled: “It was good – rough and ready, but good….”)

No, this is the mature Tom Jones, a man who has hit the big seven-oh and has finally grown up in the process. It’s an edifying sight, far better than any tired attempts teaming him up with the latest dance producers or chart stars to try and ensure continued relevancy. Finally someone in a position of power realised that a voice like that is never going to go out of style, not while there’s any decency in this world of ours, anyway.

So the Welsh wonder has stripped back his sound, and as part of Celtic Connections’ gospel strand he was in town to perform in its entirety his latest album Praise & Blame, coming as it is steeped in a genre custom-made to allow his voice to soar, as well at intermittently dip into a gravelled croon imbued with a remarkable richness. (It’s probably at this point that I ought to throw in a comparison to fine wine, but I think you already get the gist.)

For the rest of this review and a link to eight new photos of Tom performing at the Festival, please click here to (more…)

Several people have emailed and called me with the news I’ve tried to ignore — the Dancing With The Stars premiere last night on ABC TV had two TJ songs on it. First, Bristol Palin (for the uninitiated, she’s the daughter of Sarah) dancing to the Tom Jones-Stereophonics version of Mama Told Me Not To Come which, she explained, is reflective of her relationship with Levi Johnston. Then, David Hasselhoff doing Sex Bomb. It was not, however, Tom’s version. It was apparently The Hoff’s own version. I do not ever watch the show as I believe it is one of those things that makes a viewer want to turn her eyes away. You can watch last night’s mess for yourself here. Then you can recover by reading the rest of this post. Don’t forget the brief paragraph from a book just below.

What do you think of this paragraph from a book about a singer everyone knows? “The Voice…was simply working its spooky subliminal magic. Did it help that the [singer's] mouth was voluptuously beautiful, that his electric blue eyes were wide with fear and excitement, that he knowingly threw a little catch, a vulnerable vocal stutter, into his voice on the slow ballads? It helped. It whipped into a frenzy the visceral excitement that his sound had started. But the sound came first. There was nothing like it…The singer was a genius.”

Tom Jones, Union Chapel, London
Divine show from Jones the Voice

Reviewed by Andy Gill / Tuesday, 21 September 2010 / The Independent

It’s probably the broadest audience of which I’ve been a member, in terms of ages and lifestyles, with the hardcore mumsy Jones fans down front – knickers tonight kept to themselves, this being a proper chapel and all – joined by the younger urban professionals who came on board through Tom’s revival during the last decade, and now an extra layer of musicologically intrigued observers like myself, who would never have dreamt of going to see Tom Jones in his showbiz pomp, but are fascinated by the recent raw exposure of his gospel and blues roots with the Praise & Blame album.

Just about the only subcultural group that isn’t represented here tonight are goths, which is ironic given that this may be the most gothic experience they might ever encounter – a man unearthing his soul in a church, bathed in a daring chiaroscuro composed of artful shafts of light and shadow. It’s a brilliantly lit performance that makes clever use of the Union Chapel’s features, with a row of tiny tea lights glimmering in sconces around the balcony, and the broad, bulbous space well fogged with dry-ice so that each song’s spectacular lighting choreography doesn’t just illuminate the singer, but animates the air itself, cutting the sepulchral atmosphere with seemingly solid beams that angels could dance along.
The show opens with the slow tattoo and desultory strum of Dylan’s What Good Am I?, the beat picked up by audience handclaps, swelling to cheers as the singer takes the stage, backlit in penumbral gloom in front of the pulpit. If anything, it’s a better delivery than that on the album, Jones negotiating the song’s unusual melodic shifts more smoothly as the ghostly hum of organ rises behind him. Then for the lolloping boogie Lord Help he’s caught in clear white spots against hellfire red, belting out the song with an easy power remarkable for a vocalist of his age, his body twitching lightly as the tempo picks up towards the end. With its astringent, snarling guitar riff and primitive pulse, it’s like The White Stripes or The Black Keys with a more commanding singer.

For the slower, hymn-like Did Trouble Me, the rear wall’s stained-glass rose window is dramatically lit up, a striking coup de théâtre that harks back to its original purpose. Harmonium wheezes through the opening section, before the tempo shifts up as banjo and tambourine bring a more revivalist tone. Then as the final chorus is reached, the stage is bathed in downward shafts of brilliant white light, as if God himself was smiling down on Tom. He – Tom, not God – takes a moment to explain the concept behind Praise & Blame being that if you’re willing to take the praise, you have to be prepared to take the blame sometimes, too. “Like people sometimes say, ‘Oh, Tommy’s got a lovely voice’,” he offers as an example, “‘…but isn’t he a naughty boy!’.” The light Welsh brogue, and the cheeky twinkle as he turns to take a sip of water, speak volumes about a career spent stroking audiences with his natural charm.

With his charisma and assurance, Tom Jones could lead a congregation of sinners easily to God – if he wasn’t such a naughty boy.

Photo of Tom at Union Chapel sent to TJI by a fan who was at the concert.

A fun anecdote from back in the day. TJI will get the photos that go with this article soon and will post them. (The photos don’t run online in MediaWales.) Photo right of Sir Tom at Union Chapel: Tony Barson / WireImage.com.

The day Kray-zy Tom Jones stole from gangster Reggie

Sep 19 2010 by Nathan Bevan, Wales On Sunday

TOM Jones’ former bass player has told of the time the starving singer stole a steak off East end gangster Reggie Kray’s plate – and then blamed it on an escaped python.

In his new autobiography Memoirs Of A Senator, The Voice of the Valleys’ ex-band mate Vernon Hopkins reveals how Tom Jones pinched the notorious London crime boss’s dinner backstage at a Mayfair club after months of living on scraps. At the time he was trying to break it big during the Swinging Sixties.

“Our manager Gordon Mills had put us up in this grotty basement flat in Ladbroke Grove – full of mice and mould it was,” said Vernon.

“We were trying to survive on the equivalent of 20p each a week in today’s money, so when he offered us some paid work as a backing band for Gerry Dorsey, who he also managed, we jumped at the chance.

“Gerry hadn’t become Englebert Humperdinck at that point, he was struggling on his a*** just like us, living in a dingy little place above a shop on Hammersmith Broadway with a wife and two kids to support,” he added.

Tonypandy-born Mills had got Gerry and the Senators a gig at the chic Astor Club in Mayfair, which was often frequented by some shady clientele that included the notorious Kray twins.

For the rest of this story, some fun audio, two reviews of Union Chapel and a short one of the CD, please click here to (more…)

As it is a holiday — to those of you who do, may your fast be easy — I am getting help with TJI this weekend and there was not time to do more than embed a video. Whomever shot it is good and the quality is exceptional for youtube.

The photo at right was taken in Border’s Books and Music yesterday where, out of the multitude of titles they stock, the ones that are selling best in Borders’ stores are put on the “Hottest Releases” rack. Way to go, Tom Jones!

The review just below is an odd one, as the reviewer clearly loves The Young New Mexican Puppeteer. But, it’s OK nonetheless. However, there’s a disconnect as, at the top of the review, above the header, it says, “Description: Pop and easy listening numbers from the veteran singer.” Huh???

Gospel inspires Tom Jones to finally act his age

Spiritually lifted: Tom Jones at the Union Chapel

Rating: 4 out of 5
By John Aizlewood / 16.09.10 / Evening Standard

As a man reaches his twilight, he tends to embrace the things that really matter. At 70, Tom Jones is no exception. Having spent too much of his career chasing youth — the Las Vegas years; the ghastly Sex Bomb; the threat to “bum-rush the door” on 2002’s Younger Days — he has returned to the music of his youth: rock ’n’ roll-tinged gospel.

There were no hits last night, not even The Young New Mexican Puppeteer, which would enhance any occasion, just Jones’s current Praise And Blame album in its entirety, including Didn’t It Rain which, for reasons far from clear, was played twice in the final three songs. Jones may well be the only man on earth who can legitimately claim to count both Robbie Williams and Elvis Presley among his “good friends” but while he’s clearly seeking the late-career revitalisation and credibility accorded to Neil Diamond and Johnny Cash, Praise And Blame is exactly the album Elvis would be making were he still in the building.

“This is gospel music, uplifting music, spiritual music,” he purred. It was also Tom Jones finally acting his age and so at ease at not having to pretend to be sexy any more that he could even quip “what’s that?” when someone suggested a lozenge he was popping might have been viagra.

The lighting was sombre; the voice deep, rich and almost a sub-human growl on Nobody’s Fault But Mine; while the music, brimming with rue and regret as much as fire and brimstone, was as Gothic as the setting.

Not the most mobile of performers these days, Jones carried the up-tempo Lord Help and Strange Things by power of voice alone, but when he worked his spine-tingling magic on the soul-baring Did Trouble Me and If I Give My Soul, you could almost weep for his wasted years.

Still, this was an evening of joy and one that promised uplift: here is a man who has finally found himself.