Tom Jones took the stage cautiously at age 84.
He then sang about how it feels to be that age.
“Well, my friends are gone, my hair is gray, and it hurts where I used to play,” Jones told a packed crowd at the Encore Theater on Saturday night. “I said to Hank Williams, ‘How much will you miss me?’ Hank Williams still hasn’t responded.”
Jones shouted, and cheers erupted. I was born with a golden voice. ”
you know it.
The song is Leonard Cohen’s “Tower of Song,” recorded in 1948 and covered by Jones in 2014. The song and its message live on through Jones’ two-night stand on the Strip.
Jones’ lyrics about his bushy white mane of hair are correct. The lines about him are also painful. “What’s New Pussycat?” The singer had attended a show at the same venue two years earlier.
The crowd wondered if the swivel mechanism in the waist was still there and what version they would see. Both have been replaced in the last 7 years.
Legends have one night…Tom Jones, 84, owner @WynnLasVegas Encore Theater… @Review Journal pic.twitter.com/ZSFmWM2oOP
— John Katsirometes (@johnnykats) September 29, 2024
However, Jones stood for much of Saturday’s show. His feet were firmly planted and the headliner held his place, swaying in the breeze like a sequoia with centuries-old roots.
Jones sang what he wanted, how he wanted, in his eerily sonorous voice. He was backed by a five-piece rocker band led by longtime drummer and music director Gary Wallis.
The Welsh superstar has been packing out Strip venues for decades, starting with the Flamingo in 1968 and then the MGM Grand before breaking out in 2011-22. But his time here goes back even further than his original reservation.
“It’s great to be back here in Las Vegas!” exclaimed Jones. “I came here in 1965. I came to see it!” That look lasted for generations, with sky-high hits and piles of underwear.
Jones performed most, if not all, of his biggest hits.
He boldly reworked “It’s Not Unusual” and “Delilah,” creating a fresh R&B style that deviates from the horn-based original songs. “Sexbomb” started out as an idling ballad, with Jones primed to get the crowd pumped up. He revived a cover of “Kiss,” which he called “an homage to the genius of Prince.”
Jones also produces a tight rap on “If I Only Know,” a cover of ’90s hip-hop artist Rise Robot Rise, showing off another moment of timeless verbal gymnastics. did.
His best-selling single of all time, “She’s a Lady,” which reached No. 5 in the U.S. in 1971, was absent. But the crowd didn’t care.
The women still threw countless people onto the stage, three times by my count. Even at age 84, Jones can’t seem to complete a show without a Victoria’s Secret cameo.
At the beginning of the show, the man sitting next to me, Gene Kilroy, a venerable hospitality executive and one-time manager of Muhammad Ali, leaned over and said, “He’s in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.” Can you believe it’s not in there?”
I never thought about it before, but British Elvis is a rock star who belongs in that hall.
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Jones concluded with a vintage Vegas tale from the lounge scene of a bygone era. Elvis asked Jones to come to the Hilton after he finished at the Flamingo.
“Elvis said to me one night, hey, hey, hey, ‘Hey, Chuck Berry is in the lounge, do you want to go see him?'” Jones recalled. “I said, ‘Yes!'” So we went to see Chuck Berry. As we were listening and watching him, Elvis turned to me and said, “You know something?” Now there’s the true King of Rock and Roll. Noda. ”
Jones performed all of his hits, plus some Elvis classics, before closing out the night with Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.” It was a rowdy performance inspired by The Two Kings and A Gift from Sir Tom Jones.
Entertainment night at The Space
“An Evening with the Entertainment Community Foundation” will be held at The Space on Monday at 7pm (reception) and 8pm (presentation). Led by Mark Shunock, founder of The Space, the event will feature music and keynote speakers from the nonprofit Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund), and will explore resources for all entertainment professionals. This is an event where you can learn more. Live music and valuable information will be shared here. Admission is free. Please contact info@thespaceLV.com to RSVP.
cool hang alert
On the theme of what a classic is, Myron will be screening Clint Holmes’ “Reimagining Icons” at the Smith Center on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Holmes spins classics from legends such as Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand, Dionne Warwick, and Lionel Richie. Holmes knows all of those people. Should be another dandy. For information, visit thesmithcenter.com.
John Katsirometes’ column appears daily in Section A. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Please contact us at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. to follow @johnnykats X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.