Born Thomas John Woodward in Wales in 1940, known professionally for most of his life as Tom Jones, the iconic baritone vocalist has enjoyed seven decades of success in the entertainment industry. In the 1960s, he launched his career with several hit songs, a popular television variety show and an occasional acting career. Perhaps his greatest honor came later, when he was installed as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1998 and knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2006 for services to music.
Three weeks ago, controversy erupted when ITV dropped Sir Thomas Jones OBE as a full-time coach on The Voice UK. Jones informed the news media that he did not want to leave the show. He criticized the television network’s decision to seek fresh blood, stating on social media that "there's never a good time to fire an 86-year-old who's still pretty good at his job."
Despite bilateral hip replacements (left in 2017 and right in 2022) and a respiratory infection that hospitalized him last year, Jones remains as active as ever. More than 60 years deep into the popular music industry, Sir Tom Jones OBE continues to perform regularly, even without new product to promote. (His 41st and most recent album, Surrounded by Time, was released in 2021.)
Jones headlined two nights at the Beacon Theatre this week, powerfully belting 21 songs that touched on pop, country, blues and gospel. Although in the past he has performed a few original compositions, on night one of this engagement his repertoire consisted entirely of songs written by others. The catalog drew from his decades of charted hits, from 1965’s “It’s Not Unusual” to 1988’s “Kiss,” to songs he covered on later albums.
Onstage, Jones’ stage presence, storytelling, and stamina was impressive, even remarkable. The magnificence of his captivating, rich and robust vocals matched the theater’s brilliant sound system, such that his every nuance, every rasp, and every croon was delivered spectacularly. The musicians ably supported him, and kinetic visuals behind them supported the songs, even though these videos were unnecessary.
The sole weakness in the concert was that although Jones drew from prized composers (Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Burt Bacharach, Cat Stevens, among others), the selections were not all stand-outs. Jones’ husky, full-throated baritone enriched each delivery, but the concert would have been even more majestic if the songs had all been outstanding.
Setlist
I'm Growing Old (Bobby Cole cover)
Tower of Song (Leonard Cohen cover)
Not Dark Yet (Bob Dylan cover)
It's Not Unusual (Les Reed cover)
What's New Pussycat? (Burt Bacharach cover)
Sexbomb (Mousse T. cover)
You Can Leave Your Hat On (Randy Newman cover)
Pop Star (Cat Stevens cover)
One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below) (Bob Dylan cover)
Across the Borderline (Ry Cooder cover)
I Won't Crumble with You If You Fall (Bernice Johnson Reagon cover)
This Is the Sea (The Waterboys cover)
Talking Reality Television Blues (Todd Snider cover)
Delilah (Les Reed cover)
Lazarus Man (Terry Callier cover)
If I Only Knew (Rise Robots Rise cover)
Kiss (Prince cover)
Encore
Green, Green Grass of Home (Claude “Curly” Putman, Jr. cover)
One Hell of a Life (Katell Keineg cover)
Strange Things Happening Every Day (Sister Rosetta Tharpe cover)
Johnny B. Goode (Chuck Berry cover)
Related Articles
Tom Jones at the Beacon Theatre (2023)
Tom Jones at the Beacon Theatre (2016)
Tom Jones at the Bowery Ballroom (2013)
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The Manhattan Beat covers New York City's live music circuit. All articles are written by Everynight Charley Crespo. All photographs are taken by Everynight Charley Crespo, except when noted otherwise.
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