Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London
Rejecting the hits to perform recent No 1 album Surrounded by Time in full, Jones explores its cover versions with bombast, heart and wisdom
“I just thought of something,” muses Tom Jones, halfway through a deft and moving set. “The last time I did a show, I was in my 70s. Now I’m in my 80s. How about that?” The roar of applause nearly takes the roof off.
He is, indeed, 81 now, but time has neither dimmed Jones’s lustre nor tamed his ferocious vocal cords. Having long ago secured national treasure status, this august showbiz icon now gazes out at a devoted crowd from a craggy visage that would not look out of place hewn from a mountainside.