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With a new opening — sound bites and bits from 24 Hours — Tom bounded on stage Thursday night to a terrific reception.
At our table of fans who closely follow his career there was a gasp when Tom came out….the first thought was that it was the light but, no, it was Tom himself glorious with gray hair. It was difficult to get used to, but nonetheless lovely. Dressed in a black tux with an orangy-red lining, he got right down to business with I’m Alive. (The full set list is at the bottom of this post.)
After the show, that fabulous super-fan from Florida, BeBe, said, “It was a shock to see him at first, but he looked great.”
As has been noted here many times, the first show in January (or any show following a long vacation for Tom) is the best show of the year in so many ways. Coming off a few weeks of not performing, Sir Tom is always eager to be back and in top form.
Aside from the new opening, of note in the show were a few problems with new lighting, a new opening for Delilah due to an electronic glitch and, when the band began to play If He Should Ever Leave You, Tom began to sing The Road,
The music stopped, a small conversation between Tom and his ace MD Brian Monroney ensued: “What is this? I thought it was The Road.“
“No, it’s this song, but if you want to do The Road now, we can.”
“That’s all right. We’ll do this one.”
Then, turning to the audience, Tom said, “We got in late today. They rehearsed. I didn’t.”
And the show went on.
It was a terrific night. As BeBe said, “I’ve never seen a show like this before. He was wonderful and cute.”
The crowd, as are crowds all over Las Vegas these days, was sparse. It’s a bad time in this city that symbolizes plenty and excess to many people. Shows and restaurants and businesses are closing. Some casino companies are on the verge of bankruptcy. So the fact that there were fewer than 500 people at a show in a room that seats more than 700 is not bad at all.
In the crowd, by the way, was singer Clint Holmes. He was with 25 people and thoroughly enjoyed the show.
The set list was: I’m Alive, In Style and Rhythm, Help Yourself, Seasons, Delilah, 200 Pounds, End of the Road, If He should Ever Leave You, The Road, Here’s That Rainy Day, Fly Me To the Moon, Ol’ Black Magic, Grandma’s Hands, Git Me Some, She’s A Lady, I’ll Never Fall In Love Again, Green, Green Grass of Home, What’s New Pussycat, You Can Leave Your Hat On, Sex Bomb, It’s Not Unusual and, for the encore, Give A Little Love and Kiss.
If you see Tom in Las Vegas, please share your experience with other fans.
Because of the intense interest — the original posting of the photo brought more comments than everything except one other post on the TJI website — the above photo at left was reposted. Again, thanks to the fan who sent it. At right is the cover of Neon, where Mike Weatherford’s article appeared Friday.
