TOM JONES – “AGES & STAGES” TOUR LIVE AT MOHEGAN SUN

By Ralph Beauchamp

What’s new pussycat. Sir Tom Jones (he was knighted in 2006) brought his “Ages & Stages” tour to a sold out Mohegan Sun on 9/5. I last saw Jones about 30 years ago in Atlantic City and was totally blown away. So, how could I not attend this icon’s Mohegan Sun performance. My wife was extremely excited as she is a huge fan and this was her first opportunity to see him perform live. Off we went, not knowing how this 84 year old crooner would sound. As it turned out, Tom Jones‘ voice was as strong as ever and his stage banter was truly endearing. He hasn’t missed a beat.

Tom Jones may not have the gyrating moves he once had but who cares. His singing was spectacular and the stories about his life were entertaining. Everyone at the arena felt his warmth and the pure joy he exudes on stage. In addition, my wife still found him sexy. To tell the truth, so did I. Age just made Jones ripen like fine wine. As I scanned the crowd, I couldn’t find an empty seat. Speaking to a woman and her mom at dinner before the show, she informed us it took her 3 hours to acquire her comped tickets. That has to be a record for Mohegan.

Photos Ralph Beauchamp

Appropriately Jones opened with “I’m Growing Old,” which is a Bobby Cole cover. Right from the start he had the house firmly in the palms of his hands. From there, he went on to a Bob Dylan song, “Not Dark Yet”. Jones then talked about his first trip to New York and his fondness of Jerry Lee Lewis. Right afterwards, he hit his huge hit, Leo Reed’s “It Not Unusual” and of course the audience reacted with tons of cheers. It was followed by a great rendition of “What New Pussycat” written by Burt Bacharach. More bedlam ensued. Jones was killing it right from the start.

“The Windmills of Your Mind” was succeeded by a damn seductive “Sexbomb”. All the while, Jones was telling his stories. He spoke of meeting Willie Nelson and mentioned that he was 91 and therefore he had a lot to look forward to. Cat Stevens’ “Popstar” came off massive. “Green Grass Of Home”, which brought fond memories to my wife Jenn, led to another Dylan cover, “One More Cup of Coffee”. This wasn’t even half way of his 22 song set. The man has stamina. Also, Tom Jones‘ band was amazing. Each musician was masterful and filled the arena with perfect musical aromas.

“Across the Borderline”, “Talking Reality Television Blues”, “I Won’t Crumble with You If You Fall” all flowed into a monumental “Tower of Song” by Leonard Cohen. “Delilah” was next and the panties began to fly. It’s awesome that this good humored tradition continues. It brought a chuckle from both my wife and I. Throughout the show, there was a gentleman sitting in the floor seats that was standing and dancing from the very first note. He definitely put a smile on my face. He was so into it.

Jones continued with a trippy “Lazarus Man” from Terry Callier. “You Can Leave Your Hat On” and “If I Only Knew” ran into the final song of the main set, Prince’s “Kiss”. By this time, everyone was on their feet enjoying the groove. His oncores were just as impressive. “One Hell of a Life”, “Strange Things Happening Every Day” and Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” led to a triumphant “Great Ball Of Fire”. Finishing with a Jerry Lee Lewis song seemed quite befitting.

The entire night felt like a magical journey that Sir Tom Jones wove for his devoted fans. Hopefully, it won’t take another 30 years to witness his greatness again. If you get a chance, I recommend you catch this dynamic personality while you can. The man is a beast.

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