Tom Jones International

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…)

Wow! I forgot to note that today, February 7, is the 42nd anniversary of the debut of This Is Tom Jones on ABC-TV in the USA. Darn! I need to git me a calendar with significant dates in Tom’s career so I have them handy to post!

Tom’s In South America: The Mayor of Viña del Mar Chile Saturday night designated Tom Jones “a distinguished visitor” to the city.

So That’s What Elvis Wanted! A newspaper in Valpariso, Chile, added something new to Tom’s story of Elvis singing to him at Caesars while Tom was in the shower: Jones said he let Elvis into the bathroom “but warned him sing to me looking into my eyes. He did it and then nobody believed me that Elvis sang to me in the shower. I believe that the song was an excuse, maybe he wanted to observe and compare,” {Jones} said laughing.

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Here’s a really nice tribute to Tom from Carlene Carter,the country music singer who’s the daughter of June Carter Cash, stepdaughter of Johnny, half-sister of Roseanne. She was interviewed for South Coast Today, a regional newspaper in New Bedford, MA. She spoke of dealing with the losses of her parents, stepfather and a sister over the last several years. In a brief sidebar to the article she spoke of what gets her through:

Now that’s unusual

Carlene Carter says that while she has some eclectic musical tastes, the one artist she really loves to listen to is Tom Jones.

“I’ve got to tell you, now this may come as surprising from me, but I think he is fantastic. I went to see him at that music stage in Hyannis (Cape Cod Melody Tent) when I happened to be on the Cape and he just knocked me out.

“Now I love to listen to his music, and he’s got it all. I love the songs and his voice. His stage show was terrific. What a great performer. Yeah, I would say Tom Jones what a knockout. You wouldn’t guess that, right? But there it is.”

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Sandy, a Dallas fan, saw Tom’s show there. She sent the review just below and expressed concern that she was too harsh. I believe it is an honest assessment of the show as she saw it.

Sunday night Dallas loved Tom Jones and Tom must like Dallas as he has appeared there at least five times in the past few years.

Tom was wonderful, Tom was fabulous, Tom was Tom!

His set list was the same as Vegas with the addition of Never. He explained what the song was about in his amusing way and the crowd loved it. He did sing Its not Unusual.

I understand the changes they have made, even though I don’t totally agree. The new musicians are very talented & add enthusiam to the show but they are lacking in professionalism. At times they seemed to be competing to see who could play the loudest and nearly drowned Tom out several times.

Three of them sang harmony standing behind Tom on Green Green Grass and they sounded off and the back-up singers sounded weak, so they didn’t add anything. If we had never seen the show before we would not have realized the polish that was missing. The lead guitarist, who is very talented, picked panties up and threw them at the other musicians and draped one over the microphone.

Tom ignored all of it and seemed to be having a great time.

Last time Tom played here I complained about the lights at the venue and Tom’s management was very gracious about the issue. This year we were sitting mid-orchestra and the lights were flashing on us more than on the stage. Whomever was in charge of lights must have thought they were in a large stadium instead of a lovely Symphony Hall. If they keep this up we will have to sit in the balcony to avoid the lights. At least it will be cheaper.

Despite all of the above, Tom Jones is a Force of Nature and yes, we will continue to attend his shows but, please, these new people need to learn who the Star of the show is.

Hopefully, we’ll have that Dallas fan review tomorrow…or someday soon.

Thursday night Tom played to about 5,000 people in Buenos Aires’ famed Luna Park. Jorge, whose posts you see on TJI, sent us the photo at right.

The evening, according to several newspaper reviews, was a smash, although the reviewer just below tried his best to take the man down a peg and clearly didn’t care for the singers and he uses the dreaded “c” word, “crooner.” Yuck.

Clarin carried that review by Marcos Mayer. Again, I’ve done my best to translate and did leave out a bit.

Tom Jones: as the years pass
The singer was presented at Luna Park and demonstrated why he is still an idol

In this second half of his career, Tom Jones has set two goals. One is keeping alive the old glories of the late ’60 and early ’70, when he was admired for a voice and a power that bordered on the edge of the incredible. Two, he’s trying to show he’s still entitled to a place, albeit somewhat marginal, in the panorama of rock and pop world. These two attitudes marked the show he gave with a solid band of ten musicians in a Luna Park that was almost full and before an audience that ranged from fervid to a complacent listeners.

Tom Jones knows he must also prove he is a star. When he is not planted as a crooner at the microphone, his movement will deny his almost 70 years. It is somewhere between impressive and admirable to see the beads of sweat fall to the floor, like rain from his body. Jones’ trademark is to be, above all, a highly extroverted singer. His way of dressing almost puts him on the verge of kitsch.

Everything is bright, the leather jacket that will be taken off, predictably, before singing You Can Leave Your Hat On, diamond cross that hangs from the neck and a purple silk shirt which will glisten with sweat, sensual gestures of the chorus girls-one black and thick, the other very blond and very pale — dancing more than singing.

For a newspaper photo from that show, the rest of this review and a snippet from another, click here (more…)

After his Dallas show the local paper reports tat Tom dined on curry. When he was last in Dallas he at the also-mentioned Club at the Centrum.Curry favor: Sunday evening, hip-swinging Welshman Tom Jones put in a visit to Charlie Palmer at the Joule hotel. He made the visit after his show at the Meyerson Symphony Center to get his favorite prawn curry and mutton curry from maitre d’ Enam Chowdhury. Their curry tradition began when Enam used to run the Club in the Centrum and Jones would stop by to see him there. Pushing 70, the What’s New, Pussycat? singer posed for pictures with other diners.

Below is a fan review from Bonnie in Dallas and we should be getting another in the next day or so. Bonnie did say she didn’t remember if Tom sang It’s Not Unusual, but as that seems impossible and I checked with someone else who said he did. Bonnie’s comments about the band and, especially, the singers are interesting. Her “frat house” analogy made her point perfectly! I am very grateful she took the time and trouble to share her experience with us. What do y’all think of her review?

We got into our seats on the front row very excited to get to hear Tom Jones again. The concert started a few minutes late – maybe 10 minutes. The band came out and started to play some very rhythmic music. This went on for a little bit and then Tom came out. The review from the Dallas newspaper posted earlier described his clothing. He looked fantastic.

Tom sang Sugar Daddy first and it had a very different beat than on the CD. It was much improved in my view. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had the set list that posted on TJI – didn’t want to pull it out and check it but I know there was some change. Before he got to the Green Green Grass section he said, “We will be singing three country songs.” He did Green Green Grass, Save the Last Dance For Me and added He’ll Have To Go. He continued on with Give A Little Love, Thunderball, In Style and Rhythm, If He Should Ever Leave You, Delilah, Mama Told Me Not To Come, Hard to Handle (one of my favorites), Too Many Lovers, I’ll Never Fall In Love Again, Green Green Grass of Home, Save The Last Dance For Me, He’ll Have To Go, What’s New Pussycat, She’s A Lady, You Can Leave Your Hat On, If I Only Knew Sex Bomb and It’s Not Unusual. The encore was Kiss and Take Me Back To The Party. If someone was there and has a different order – they are right. I was trying to remember what was on the set list printout in my pocket and could be wrong.

Tom truthfully was sounding amazing. When he did Hard to Handle and Too Many Lovers – wow! He put his heart into it. The entire night was just a concert of a man singing. He was feeling it.

After Sex Bomb he walked off the stage – did not sing It’s Not Unusual. I am sure he didn’t sing it because I always hate to hear that song start. It signals we are near the end. I would love to hear from someone else who was there to see if I am wrong about this. He came back for the encore and did Kiss and closed with Take Me Back to the Party.

Click here (more…)

Please remember to answer the Question of the Month in the post below.

News articles today in several outlets, including Dallas News reviewer, Joy Tipping, filed a somewhat weak, uninformed review in the print edition and she should have done her homework enough to know that Kiss and You Can Leave Your Hat On do not qualify as “new material.” She was very impressed with the band and, of course, Tom’s voice. Below is her blog post about the concert.

Tom Jones was feisty as ever Sunday night at the Meyerson, performing a two-hour show before a full house that left him drenched in sweat and any number of the women in the audience likewise. It seems that when Tom Jones is involved, normally circumspect (well, one assumes) Dallas women are more than willing to relinquish dignity for the cause. Yes, many lacy bits of underwear were tossed onstage. Yes, more than one declaration of love was shouted. And Jones took it all in stride, at one point bemusedly talking about his age (He’ll be 70 in June! Yes, 70!) as if daring anyone in the audience to challenge his sex-symbol creds. No worries on that one when you’re in Dallas, Tom.

Jones sang a handful of songs from his latest CD, 2008′s 24 Hours, including the show-opening rocker Sugar Daddy, written by Bono. The audience seemed to crave the old hits, though, doing that back-and-forth arm-wave thing to Delilah and finally coming to its feet for What’s New Pussycat, more than halfway through the concert. Jones’ versions of Joe Cocker’s sultry You Can Leave Your Hat On and Prince’s Kiss were also crowd favorites.

The music was great throughout — Jones’ gorgeous, rich baritone has just gotten better with the years, and his 10-piece backup band was superb. The lighting was odd at times — one rock number was supplemented with lighting effects showing yellow, purple and gold pill-shaped thingies that reminded me of bacteria in a petri dish.

To read the rest of this post that consists of a sensible plea to every venue and for details of Tom’s Bangkok gig, click here (more…)

The one facet of Tom Jones’ week in Las Vegas that was crystal clear is that Las Vegas missed Tom Jones. Yes, other places — places where he’s recently played or to which he’s going over the next two months — also missed him but Las Vegas has been a home-away-from-home for him since March 1968 and it’s a habit for all involved. The city loves Tom, loves to see him and, probably, he loves it, too. After all, where else can he stay in one place, so as he wishes during the day and then sing every night? And, along the way receive the accolades he gets from his audience here? An audience, by the way whose members travel literally from around the world to see him. So, let’s look back at a terrific week in Tom, at the show and the fans.

The Show: At any rate, this fans in the USA got to see the newest incarnation of Tom Jones’ band and singers and set list. Do I miss the old band? Yes! As both musicians and as quality people so many of us came to know they are missed The new band? It’s fine….got to talk to some of them and they absolutely know music, know what they’re reaching for. Like all of the musicians who have been with Tom over the years, they are very talented.They’re not the last band he had, but if you can get by that and be objective, they are certainly good. Most missed, according to the people who saw them this week (and as one person who already commented on an earlier post here) are the back-up singers. The trio who sang with Tom for the last several years were so strong as to be unmatched. You tended not to realize it until they were gone. The new singers fit very well with the new show, however, where the vocal requirements seem not to be as stringent.

Tom, as noted here several times by several people, looks and sounds amazing. He is in top voice and top shape. Many fans expressed concern about his rigorous upcoming tour schedule, but it appears that he can pull it off. Tom Jones is amazing.

This new show is enormous fun. It’s good to hear Thunderball (A completely ridiculous, meaningless song that is sung tremendously well) and Mama Told Me again. The closing song, take Me Back To the Party is a keeper — an absolutely perfect show closer, leaving the audience ready for more and on a terrific high.

The lighting designer is also to be congratulated. Lights are terrific and bring an element long missing to the show. From 2005 until this show opened, TJI always expressed a desire to see Tom onstage with a “real” set with evident thought and work put into it. We have that now and it is wonderful. The show, at last, looks glorious, as befits someone of Tom’s stature.

The Fans: As noted, fans came from all over and many stayed for seven nights. There were old friends of Tom’s who had been seeing him for 40+ years and there were lots of new fans. They generally had fun at the shows and, after the shows, catching up with each other. But there was some interesting stuff going on.

For example, late in the run a woman showed up, sat in the third row center and with great abandon showed off her — um — assets that seemed all shiny and very new. Tom couldn’t miss her and did nod and laugh. After the show she and the man she was with tried to get backstage (“Don’t you know who I am?” he asked. Obviously no one knew or cared) and failed. Walking by, I couldn’t help smiling at the abundance of what was before me. One of the ushers was also smiling at the sight. We caught each other’s eyes and I said quietly, touching my necklace (which was actually not new but I wanted to make a point), “Wow, this is all I bought to wear to the show. Look at what she bought!” and we laughed.

Then, as many of you know, there was The Stalker. She flies in like an ill wind from the southeast, stays at a nearby seedy hotel and bothers everyone. She tries to accost Tom and the people around him, she threatens people — other fans — whom she perceives as close to him and spreads a lot of filth about them. For example, she’s threatened to sue me or “get me” when I dared to post information about a TJ-related campaign I’m undertaking. She contacts people with emails filled with lies and posts these lies on myspace, facebook and various other places under a variety of names with avatars looking nothing like her.. You may well and rightfully ask why I am writing about this.

I know I am not alone in my belief that this woman is dangerous and poses a real threat to anyone she wrongly perceives getting in the way of her and Tom (as if there were or ever will be a “her and Tom”). She implies an intimate relationship (“we partied all night”) where none exists and reminds me and several other people of John David Chapman. So, please, before you respond to pleas under any one of her several names to help her get Tom into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or before you believe anything she writes under any name, take a second look. She has some computer facility and knows how to hide her identity in an email. She has several names on facebook and other websites. She lives on the east coast of the US (although she often claims to live in N’Orleans) and should be watched and avoided like the Swine Flu.

Of course, there were lots of fun fans who did their thing with Tom during the show. The Georgia Peach danced “with” him, that great gal from Florida danced in her seat and Miko, who came all the way from Japan, kept him sweat-free. It was a blast.

I also feel very fortunate to have met so many people who read this site. It is one of the real rewards of doing this and I thank you all for taking time to introduce yourselves.

As mentioned over the weekend, on Saturday night Tom did an unrehearsed version of the song Rip It Up, the Little Richard/Bill Haley/Elvis song. Someone sent me a recording of it (I do not ever record and had no camera this time because my camera’s in the shop) and, now, you can hear Tom’s version of Rip It Up. He sings this music like no one else today does and it is so good to hear.

Coming Up On TJI: Over the next several days there’ll be some news, some terrific video, some “Rumor or Reality” posted here. Please come back and continue to comment. And, if you are new at commenting, check out the rules at About TJI.com.

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RIP: JD Salinger.

One of the best writers in this city, John Kasilometes, was at Tom’s show Sunday night. As noted below it was a great show — great fun to go with the great music. While ordinarily I’d object to all the “Tommy” stuff he has in here, in this case, at this show, he was right. Tom was having a great time and he was, quite unusually, in a room full of friends. As for the size of the audience — again — it must be noted that this is the norm in Las Vegas today. One only hopes that the economy doesn’t enter into the decision to book him here again, although it wouldn’t hurt if it were considered when pricing tickets and the price were dropped a few bucks.

At 69, frost-topped Tom Jones still dropping sex bombs

By John Katsilometes · January 25, 2010 · 4:38 PM/Las Vegas Sun

The singer is fitted stoutly in a silvery suit and untucked purple shirt. His hair seems frosted white, except that it is not. Instead, the 69-year-old singer has allowed his tightly cropped mane to retain its natural, stately shade of gray.

This is hardly a just-for-men experience.

The venerable entertainer looks a little like Snow Miser, actually. At least, he looks like Snow Miser if Snow Miser wore a goatee, and he attacks the music with the same glee as the character voiced by Dick Shawn in the Rankin/Bass classic, “The Year Without a Santa Claus.”

But there is something amiss here, for Tom Jones, and it’s in his ear. More specifically, it’s what’s not in his ear: Music. He cannot properly hear his still-rich voice and music from his solid eight-piece band. So he has yanked out the ever-present in-ear audio monitors — if that’s the technical term — so they hang from his neck like strands of cosmetic jewelry.

Tommy needs help! Chop-chop!

“One is not working at the moment,” he says, holding one of the earpieces delicately between his thumb and forefinger as he effectively pulls the e-brake on the show in its early moments.

“I gotta have two working,” he says, arching his eyebrows. “You know what I’m talkin’ about?”

The women in the audience giggle — Tommy is so ribald! There are many women in this audience. The entire front row of seats at the MGM Grand Hollywood Theatre, the ones where woman can easily hit their target with a pair of knotted panties, are filled with women. One shouts, “Can I have them!?”

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Here’s the first, brief video and caption of Tom’s Sunday night show in Malta and an exclusive first posting anywhere of the full-length professional review from the show. Also, for (most probably) the last time, the LiveNation promo photo that, one might say, we all from TJI had a lot to do with being used instead of the other, original picture they were going to use. Now, it’s hopefully into the studio for more new product. This man is amazing, isn’t he?

The Times of Malta posted a brief video after Tom’s show there and wrote, “Described by some as a legend among legends, superstar Tom Jones is this evening pleasing the mixed age crowd which has filled the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre at Ta’ Qali.

“Renowned for a stream of classic chart-toppers like Sex Bomb and It’s Not Unusual, the veteran crooner opened the night with Sugar Daddy from his latest album 24 Hours.

“The concert was organised by NNG Promotions.”

Click here to see a brief video — including the opening moments — of Tom’s show in Malta

Below is a review of Tom’s Malta show written by journalist Justin Camilleri. He says, in response to my question about how many people were there, that there were “over 10,000 not to mention the standing concert revellers.” TJI thanks Justin for sharing this with us

The real spectacle that’s Tom Jones

As the crowd waited eagerly the concert kicked off with opening guitar riffs from Sugar Daddy, while the lights fired up from the stage out of nowhere the man himself appeared dressed in a cool black suit that fitted him like a glove, as he belted out those Bono penned lyrics from his latest album 24 hours we knew we were in for a real show.

Indeed those verses sum up Jones’ real-life virile persona that shows no signs of waning even after four decades as the roaring tiger has now morphed into an immortal Welsh dragon sprouting fire on stage. Despite showing his grey mane, Tom certainly does not look his age as he moves and exhumes the energy of a 40-year-old, more so in Give A Little Love.

For more, just click here to (more…)

There were newspaper reviews of Tom in Budapest, but translation from Hungarian to English is not my long suit, so I can only tell you that the reviewer said something to the effect of Tom’s arrival there was like giving bread to the starving. He couldn’t remember Florence Rawlings’ name and the photo caption translated as “Who’s the sugar Uncle.” What is clear that Tom was a huge hit and will surely be welcomed back.

The photo left is from an interview with Tom done prior to his appearance in Serbia. You can read it under Peter’s review of Tom in Budapest (below):

Here is Peter’s review from Budapest. It is so enthusiastic that the mood is contagious. Thanks so very much, Peter!

I’m still in shock, so I cannot go into small details, but let me tell you, he was amazing, he looks and moves like he’s only 40, and enjoys himself to the fullest. I loved the leather-like jacket and pants, it looked super-cool!!!

Well, first of all, Florence Rawlings was a lot better than I expected and I think she has some very good songs and a very cool voice. I was sitting in the 4th row right to center stage and when we went to our seats we were stunned just how close the stage is! Excitement was growing rapidly and we couldn’t wait until Florence has finished and the Budapest Arena filled to it’s full capacity. After a brief intermission while they rearranged the stage we were waiting with our breaths held back believe me.

For the rest of Peter’s review and an interesting Q & A from Serbia, click here (more…)

Herman Matthews, the world’s best drummer, also makes Li’l Herman’s Old-Fashioned Peanut Brittle, the world’s best peanut brittle! And you can get some. Just click the link on the sidebar at right (under the eBay link) and order. It’s terrific this time of year, makes a great holiday gift and you know the chef! What’s better than that? Give it a try! (For now, Herman tells TJI, sales are to the US only. That will change shortly.)

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Nathalie sent us the review below and it’s thoughtful, insightful and not at all cloying or gushing. She’s objective as a good critic should be. And her photos are terrific! Now, tomorrow, there’ll be some special video, too. Meanwhile, thanks again to Nathalie. Always love to read what she sends to TJI.

For a change I’ll start with the few negative things about yesterday’s show: First the audience. Tom could have played in front of a fish tank most of time and gotten the same reaction! Geez, those people were glued to their seats, no way to get them on their feet.

Martine, Jess, I and a couple of other people here and there were the only ones to try and get up. OK, security was also a problem as they kept jumping at anybody who tried to stand up but the people were also quite sleepy. I mean the man is singing his a… off in front of you and you just seat there motionless? Duh… Only when he got to Sex Bomb did they finally get up.

There were a couple of great ovations though, but seating ovations which is quite an innovation.

Then, the sound wasn’t the best I’ve heard recently with quite metallic high frequencies, a bit hard on the ears.

And, finally, Tom was looking a little tired and sounding a bit hoarse when he spoke — not when he sang though, his voice was wonderful then. I’m always amazed at that, by the way. He can be quite hoarse when he speaks and still sing perfectly. Amazing pro. He didn’t tell most of the little jokes he usually does, totally skipped the age one, for example, and interacted very little with the audience except to acknowledge a girl here or there (he can’t help himself, can he?) or a Welsh flag.

There were quite a few Welsh people in the room yesterday they must have been quite surprised at the quietness of the crowd. He also answered a man who asked for a song from Reload, I didn’t hear what the guy said but Tom said “Oh yes, but they don’t know it so…” talking about the band, I guess. Also when a girl called “I love you” he answered his usual “I love you too. Now stand up and let me see what I’m gonna love.” Always cute.

Now, the good parts and there are many of them. Again, Tom’s singing voice was really great and that’s only because I’ve heard him in out of this world shape recently I would say he was a little tired. There were some magical moments when you just feel how much of his heart and soul he puts in his singing you just can sit there and gasp and tear your hands apart clapping when he stops.

Never, 24 Hours, I’ll Never Fall In Love Again, He’ll Have To Go…. Absolutely beautiful.

Another change in the duet, Abbie was back front again and sounded more relaxed than in Cardiff. I don’t know if they have decided they would alternate between Janet and her or just play a little trick to Tom who seems to be wondering every time which one will be coming to sing with him.

There was a really cute moment in the end during Sex Bomb when two very little kids — a little boy around three and a little girl around two were carried up to the stage by their Dad and offered a “gift” to Tom. The little boy actually ran on the stage to get to him. You know Tom and kids. He visibly melted.

There were quite a few celebrities attending the show yesterday: Mireille Mathieu, Sylvie Vartan and I don’t know if you know him but also Dany Brillant. They were seated just behind us, 2 rows away and I spotted Mireille Mathieu dancing in the end, quite cute. So we were sort of in the VIP sector.

All in all it was a great show and again the few minor negatives were in relation to the other shows I’ve seen recently and were really minor. I certainly hope we won’t have to wait another six years to see Tom here again!