Review: Tom Jones at Kings Park and Botanic Garden

Tom Jones at Kings Park and Botanic Garden
w/ Germein, Ullah
Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Tom Jones rolled into Perth this week with a sellout show on Wednesday and another to follow on Thursday. With over 60 years in the industry and more than 100 million record sales to his name, Jones’ worldwide Ages and Stages Tour is a testament to his remarkable staying power, and people of all ages converged on Kings Park to witness the 83-year-old Welshman’s famed live show.

Local singer-songwriter Ullah provided gentle sounds for the opening, perfect for settling into a nice patch of grass on the hill. With a gig at Port Beach Brewery supporting Jack Davies to follow in the week, she’s gracing a wide range of stages.

The competitive real estate market in the natural amphitheatre resulted in a healthy turnout for the second support act, South Australian sister band Germein. The three-piece immediately took to highly danceable grooves and sailing harmonies. From the bassists flailing hands in-between punchy lines on her instrument to the drummer rising from her kit during an extended intro, no spot in Kings Park was spared their chirpy energy.

A sound collage featuring snippets of newsreel footage referring to the year 1940 began playing in the faint evening light. This gave way to the sounds of sombre piano before Tom Jones cheekily stepped out to centre stage. Sporting slim-fitting trousers and a flowing, blue button-down shirt, he brought a hint of dapper to the performance before he'd even taken the mic. The show started earnestly, with the singer taking his place on a stool to perform I’m Growing Old from 2021’s Surrounded By Time. With the microphone a noticeable distance from his mouth, his voice still filled the surrounds with vibrations, probably creating waves in the lake covered for reserved seating.

After the early new material, the set quickly entered more familiar territory with It’s Not Unusual and What’s New Pussycat? While delivered in a relaxed, striped-down fashion, with drums swapped for congas and the keyboardist strapping on an accordion, the famous melodies still roused seated swaying from the audience. Both songs came with detailed introductions filled with fun triva. At eighty-three, his mind is still sharp. Returning to his stool for The Windmills of Your Mind, a new level of power came upon his voice. His haunting vibrato rose above the driving song while he gripped the mic stand tighter as if shaken by his own voice.

Some raunchy free-time riffing from his backing group was revealed to be the intro for Sexbomb, one of the songs that revived Jones in the early 2000s. Building into a shuffling showtune-like arrangement that conjured thoughts of Las Vegas, the song showcased the incredible skills of the keyboardist and lead guitarist before Jones ended the song on a high with a final, soaring note. Stories in between songs about his time in the City of Sin with Elvis Presley gave this rendition context.

A story about buying a Jerry Lee Lewis record in the mid-sixties led into Green, Green Grass of Home, with brush drums and twangy guitar taking the song back to its country roots. Welsh pride was present with several flags popping up in the crowd, with the Wales native pointing out and speaking kindly of the flagbearers and even expressing some humour about his accent.

Bob Dylan’s One More Cup of Coffee was smoothly crooned out with the sincerity that a Dylan song deserves; its slow backbeat and whistling synth brought a modern eeriness. This continued with Talking Reality Television Blues, where the slight croak of old age complemented the spoken word about our new age of madness. In a rare moment of social commentary, his delivery was accompanied by the facial expressions of a wise old man, staring at the stage floor and swaying in the instrumental sections, while its double-time finale was surprisingly fast-paced for such a concert.

Delilah was another reworked classic, this time a hip-shaking samba with twanging country guitars, matching the fiery emotion of the lyrics. The audience members caught on quickly enough to the new arrangement to sing along with the cries of the title. After performing and discussing the writers of his songs, he came to one of his most famous and surprising renditions, Prince’s Kiss, another song that helped his popularity resurgence.

After the crowd expressed their desire for his 'extra time', Jones and his band returned for an encore. The final song, Johnny B. Goode, continued the history lesson that had been running throughout the show.

Tom Jones’ vibrancy during the performance showed everyone why he's maintained his popularity for such a long time. No secret was made of the years passing, but they have clearly not stopped him from enjoying the here and now. He may be a long-term Vegas performer, but Jones transcends stereotypes with his ability to make the songs and the audience his own.

AJ MAHAR

Photos by Stu McKay