Show & Venue Reviews, What's New, Pussycat?
Please share your Tom Jones shows with other fans. Setlist? Audience? Energy? What was it like being there? We’d love to hear from you.
And, while you’re telling us about the shows, please let us know what you think of the venues where Tom plays. Clubs, theaters, casinos — Tom Jones performs in all of them. Which venue do you think is the best? The worst?
So that other fans will know what’s in store when they buy their tickets, please tell us a little bit about the venues you know. If possible, try to use the format below so others can tell at a glance what you think. The best venue will merit ****. More than one review of a venue is welcome.
Tom Wraps Up 2 Weeks At MGM Tonight; It Was A Very Good Run
Wednesday, April 9th, 2008
Tom closes tonight at the MGM after two weeks. So many of you were here from so many places literally around the world and it was exciting.
We must say that attendance in Las Vegas at every show is way down. In New York, weekly Broadway attendance figures are published. Here they are not, but the talk and the evidence says ticket sales are hurting.
Spring vacation season in the US is over and the US dollar is worth less than other major currencies. With ticket prices topping $90 (not just for Tom, but for many shows here) it’s becoming more and more difficult for people to afford tickets. It was probably not a good time to raise Tom’s ticket prices from $75 to $92.40.
So, it seems, while the audience from other countries is up, what’s missing from local theaters and showrooms is the US audience. The absence of this audience is wreaking havoc with box office receipts. If you read the local papers in Las Vegas, you’ll see that even the biggest shows are giving locals 50 percent off ticket prices and are still not sold out.
That said, we still have to ask: How was Tom? How were his shows?
We’re thrilled to tell you that Tom looks and sounds great. Audiences loved him and he, as always, loved his audience. Some nights there was lots of interaction. Other nights, none. But it was always fun.
Have to say, too, that Tom not only looks good standing still (and sitting down), but he is really moving beautifully. Our only argument is still with the “better dance now” moves in Kiss. They’re from the 1988 video and could use some updating.
A special bonus for us was meeting fans from around the world. Some were new acquaintances and others friends we were so happy to see. At left is BeBe with Tom. Her story is in the comments below.
We believe that Las Vegas, more than any other place, is where Tom’s fans can come to meet each other. He’s usually here for two weeks and, within that time frame, people have latitude to plan their vacations. We cannot wait to see who will turn up in May (less than one month from now!).
All in all, we thought it a very satisfying sojourn in Las Vegas for Sir Tom and his audience.
What did you think?
Photo (top left) of Tom acknowledging the band taken April 2008, MGM Grand, Las Vegas. Photo (top right) taken April 2008 by Martha at the MGM Grand.
April 9th, 2008 at 9:35 am
I am still so overwhelmed with my last VEGAS Adventure that I think that I can not review any of his shows.
I did five shows in a row and honest to God TOM is the Tower of Power on the Strip and I do not know where he is getting his energy from!!!!!!
I think it was Thursday night April 3 when I experienced the best show in Vegas. TOM and his band were so relaxed and TOM was playing around with his band. There was a certain connection with his band and his VOICE was amazing. TOM was telling the audience that it was Frank Strauss’ birthday and that they will celebrate a little after the show -lol- I think they started a little before the show. Tony Curtis was in the audience one night and was introduced by TOM as a friend and Hollywood legend. Tony got a standing ovation from the audience and I was so thrilled to be in the same room with Tony Curtis
I must say that the encounter with TOM robbed me my last piece of mind. I am still flying and I am loving it
April 9th, 2008 at 11:15 am
Hi BeBe. Thanks for sharing your story and picture. When/If you ever come down, please let us know more!
April 9th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Oh my BeBe! You two look so cute! Take your time to come down but please tell us more! And thanks for sharing!
April 9th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Wow, BeBe! What a great picture! I bet you are still flying. Love that feeling! Please share more with us!
April 9th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Tom was great but I was concerned to see the last couple rows empty. Its good to know its more a reflection of the economy than Tom’s appeal. I had also noticed a lot more empty seats at Penn&Teller.
Saturday’s show was one of the most fun I attended. I sat next to 2 Tom Jones Virgins from Chicago (hello Steve & Julie). Although it was their first live show Steve is a great fan. He even called the MGM management to see if Tom could marry them (no, of course). The whole audience was charged and there was a lot of dancing in the aisle during the encore. Tom really feeds off the enthusiasm. He even echoed some of my catcalls and screams!
April 9th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
BeBe, congratulations on the great photo op!
April 9th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Bebe I am still flying, too…………….You are a treasure to know, and I am grateful to have met you at the shows. Yes, Tom was full of so much energy that he is still burning within me. All five shows were just amazing, being from canada we are still too cold, but I am proud to say that I am still burning with Tom heat!! Tom’s fans are amazing! all are so much fun to be with. — Katherine
April 9th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Thanks to all for sharing my joy
Katherine it was my pleasure meeting you and I will never forget our night with TOM - truly a (k)night to remember…..hope to see you again soon 
April 9th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
It was fun seeing BeBe’s photo with The Man but I’d really like to hear more about the shows themselves, so I appreciate what SusannePDX said and even more than the picture I enjoyed reading BeBe’s take on the show. I also like the photo of Tom acknowledging the band. Great shot. Where did you get it?
April 9th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
I really even hate to admit this, but 21 years had passed since I had the pleasure of watching Tom perform in Las Vegas. All I can say is, he made me smile - and he made me happy and smile some more! Tom’s voice is splendid and he looks marvelous! Loved the shows and I am so glad I was seated with appreciative fans who clearly enjoyed Tom’s performances. Can’t you tell that he appreciates his fans that truly enjoy his show? I’m astonished that there are some fans, some long-time fans, that sit right next to the stage and never crack a smile - don’t move to his music and simply look like goldfish coming up to the top of the tank for their food - you know the look - mouth slightly agape….I know that we all appreciate Tom in our own way, but, geeez. As SusannePDX said, he really feeds off the enthusiasm of the audience! Saturday night was a case in point! Lots of dancing in the aisles and I could tell he really appreciated the party atmosphere. I’m not saying that everyone needs to get up and dance to show their appreciation, but, maybe a smile!
I took my husband and daughter with me to one show - their first - and they both had a great time. My daughter is a teenager and she was quite expressive when certain things happened in the show - you know which parts I am referring to. I tried to cover her eyes at one point - just playing around - and from Tom’s expression, he thought that was funny. My husband appreciates Tom’s voice so much - he can’t believe that his voice is so strong after all these years.
Nice meeting you ladies and gents and hope to get to Vegas sooner than another 21 years!
April 10th, 2008 at 1:47 am
Nice to see the face behind BeBe as I know you post a lot to this site. I’m not surprised that ticket numbers are falling, the cost of living is so high. I’m sure, though, that Tom’s fans will continue to find the money to see him.
April 10th, 2008 at 4:20 am
It’s so good to read all your experiences at the shows: thank you. Great to hear Tom’s in such fabulous form!
April 10th, 2008 at 7:26 am
Gill: While we will not get into any kind of political discussion here, we must observe that it’s difficult for people who don’t live in the US to understand how bad our economy is. And, when it’s close to $100 a show, that makes a difference. To put it into perspective, as of April 10, the Euro is worth 0.63189 USD and the £ is worth 0.50474 USD. So, while it’s great for tourists, for US residents it’s not so good. And, while we admit we’re spoiled by having Tom in Las Vegas so frequently, we see that people who regularly went to several shows now go to one. Even the “goldfish” fans Holly talks about — fixtures here, regularly seeing about 10 out of 14 shows — are seen less and less. It’s kind of scary.
April 10th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Good to see all the great reviews, so pleased you all enjoyed the shows. I am looking forward to seeing five Tom shows in May. I first came to Vegas in 1990 and have visited almost every year since, I have always had a wonderful time and have seen Tom many times there, first at Ballys and then at MGM The cost of tickets for Tom for me coming from the UK works out at about £48-£50 with the current exchange rate, which is pretty good for me, but I understand how expensive this must be for US residents. I am also going to see Cher one night and I have bought 3rd price tickets for that show,what with Ticketmaster charges etc, they work out almost double the cost of tickets for Tom at MGM. So I can well understand why people just cannot afford these shows. Anyway see you there in May.
April 10th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
I attended five straight shows April 3 to 8th. I must say that every show from the 3rd on just got better. It seemed that tom sang his heart out each and every night, especially on I’ll Never Fall In Love Again & Grandma’s Hands. The singers were having a ball, dancing & clapping. Tom’s voice sounded stronger each show, he leaves me so weak when its all over. I tell you Tom’s fans are the greatest!! I met several fans from all over the globe. To name a few places: Las Vegas, Netherlands, Chicago, Boston, Germany, California, Australia, England.. I have truly enjoyed the shows for many years now, and Tom always gives me/us a show to never forget. I will always remember all my Tom friends forever.
April 10th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Holly! Please tell more!! I’ve been a fan since I’m three years old and Tom was just three hours from me, but tickets were $250. I’m a quadriplegic and can’t work ‘cuz the pain is so high. (I used to work a 60 hour week before I broke my neck.) So, I’m stuck living off Uncle Sam. I’d go back to 60 hours in a sec. So, please tell more of what happened! Would really appreciate it! Thank you all who shared.
April 10th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Hi Karla - from one long-time fan to another, I can tell you that even after all of these years, Tom has that magic sparkle when he walks out on stage. Can’t really describe it except to say it is pure charisma and “animal” magnetism. The audience applauds wildly and the women swoon. Even tho he hasn’t changed his set list in quite a while, I hadn’t seen it and I was happy with the song choices. I LOVE Grandma’s Hands soooo much. That song really shows off his soulful quality. I really got lost in the song, He Stopped Loving Her Today. I will never get tired of Tom’s rendition of that song. Even tho Tom has performed his hits for some 40 years, he still sings them with such feeling. Green Green Grass of Home will always have a special spot in my heart and I know the ladies at my table loved I’ll Never Fall in Love…..the 90 minutes fly by so quickly and with the last song, Kiss, he leaves you wanting more.
One side note — after one of the shows, I walked out of the Hollywood Theater and everyone was commenting on how wonderful the show was. There was a fella who hadn’t seen the show waiting outside with his wife and he was asking us how it was. He told us that he wasn’t going to buy his wife a ticket until he could ask folks if Tom could still sing! Still sing? Well, we told him not only could he STILL sing, but he is the best singer in Vegas! He was pleased because he and his wife “wasted money on performers who can’t sing” and he wasn’t going to do that again. He said he would certainly buy he and his wife a ticket!
Karla, I hope one day soon you can get to one of Tom’s concerts!
April 11th, 2008 at 3:20 am
Moderator; I think I do understand the economy of the U.S.A. I hear enough about it on the news here. It is just as bad here. Only yesteday an enquiry was undertaken why Wales is paying 10% more for it’s gas than England.When I seen Tom 2 years ago both at Cardiff(South Wales) and Dublin Ireland I noticed there were a lot of empty seats,which I was surprised at considering we don’t see him over this side of the Atlantic every year.So maybe it’s been going longer than we thought.Yes, it is good for the U.K tourist, but think of the expense for us to see Tom for just one night.
April 11th, 2008 at 8:59 am
I just loved the pic of you BeBe. It is so adorable. I think I would be hanging on like that also if I were to meet Tom. How did you get to run into him in Las Vegas? My mom has been waiting 40 yrs to meet him in person. She has seen many of his shows but had one chance to meet him at the Copacabana club in the 70’s and she chickened out. She had been given insider info to where he would be and she was three steps away and got scared. I think it was because of his bodyguard being there also. But when Tom had been performing earlier and my mom mouthed to him that she loved him he pointed to her and gestured for her to come up on stage. She couldn’t get to him because of the tables in front of her. I think she regrets this everyday and I would love to bring her to Vegas to see him and get a photo. Was he friendly about the whole thing? I wouldn’t want to seem like I was bothering him. Keep up the great posts!!!
April 11th, 2008 at 9:18 am
Laura W - We (a little group of TOM fans who are friends through TOM) met after the show for dinner and drinks - while we were enjoying our champagne (2 birthday girls in our group) at the bar TOM and Don walked into the restaurant. After dinner TOM came to the bar where we were. He was very gracious with us — I will never forget that night and will cherish our TOM family forever
April 11th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
BeBe do you mean that you were friends through Tom Jones himself or fans that became friends with each other? Anyway, did you call him over or did he just approach you all? How lucky that you were in the right restaurant. I will try to get my Mom to Vegas soon for a show. We just saw Tom here in Florida at the Strawberry Festival and it was fantastic. I sure hope to meet some of the fans including you from this site. It has been great hearing from everyone. Thanks for the feedback.
April 11th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Laura W - Friends through TOM - I mean of course friends I have made because of TOM’s music and his shows, hahaha - You went to the Strawberry festival in Florida??? I am Floridean and was there too
Great outdoor venue but pity that it started to rain ;(
April 11th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
I didn’t know there was a problem with ticket sales… you wouldn’t have known it at the show I just attended. I turned round and thought, “A Monday night (April 7th) and this place is packed! Wow! You go Tom!” So, BeBe, lucky you! You’re teasing us all with such little info…
His set list at the shows is starting to sound like the Reloaded album.