Tom Jones live show full of swagger and swoon
By Rose Riot
When you hear the name Tom Jones, I can bet, you will develop an ear bug almost instantly. Whether it’s “What’s New Pussycat,” “It’s Not Unusual,” “She’s a Lady” or any number of hits he is known for, his songs have been part of the musical landscape of your life and are stuck in somewhere in your psyche.
When I was growing up, Tom Jones was ubiquitous with swooning ladies who often threw undergarments onstage during his performance to show appreciation. My mother one time, told me a story about being pulled up on stage at one of his Vegas shows and being coerced into dancing with him. My mother was a staunch feminists who blushed when ever she told the story.
Some artists are powerful enough to go by one name, like Cher or Madonna but Tom Jones has them beat, he can be identified by his sexy pelvic moves. The next time you are at a party, do the famous Tom Jones hip gyration, knees bent and hips thrusting back and forth and making wide circles. There will be no question to your friends who you are imitating (at least, not if they are my age or older).
I was very excited when I saw that Tom Jones was still touring, and coming to the Atlanta Symphony Hall April 28. I had never seen him live before and this was a chance to see a living legend who worked with and influenced so many artist like I grew up loving like Prince, Adam Ant and Morrissey. It was time for me to pay homage to the man who fine tuned the art of sex appeal from behind a microphone.
As expected, Symphony Hall was full of very excited fans, many of them ladies. My favorite part of the evening was seeing a group of ladies that could easily be classified as cougars, pull panties out of their purses that they brought with the sole intention of flinging onto the stage. I referred to these ladies as:
The Tom Jones Panty Squad
I was giddy when the show started but I was wearing stretch pants and cowboy boots so no panties would be procured from my body without a very clumsy effort not to mention, I was there to photograph. The show began with him singing a song I was not familiar with and the band was very low key. I guess in my mind, I was expecting him to jump onstage singing a classic hit from the 70s while go-go dancers on risers did interpretive dance. I had to remind myself that it’s 2014 and he is 73.
I stayed for aboutseven songs, not really recognizing any of them. He and the crowd were more subdued than I had hope forbut, let me say this, the man’s voice was amazing. I could close my eyes and Tom Jones sounded easily like he was 25 years old. Age had not cracked his vocal cords or interrupted his ability to control notes. His charisma was palpable. I could see and feel why so many people have melted at the sight and sound of him. He was also very charming, smiled a lot and told cute little stories and jokes in between songs.
Tom Jones is one of those bucket list artists like Lemmy; an artist that one should see live before they disappear from the stage.
