Proving that age is just a number, 83-year-old global star Tom Jones, stunned a capacity audience in Alicante Bullring on Tuesday night, a packed house that was reluctant to say goodbye to one of the most important musical sensations of recent decades.
The wait to see the Welsh icon ended when Sir Tom asked his audience if they were ready for the show, to which they responded with a resounding “yes.”
The lights were dimmed, and thunderous applause greeted the artist who, with his powerful voice full of nuances, sang ‘I’m Growing Old’, marking the beginning of a night full of magic and surprises.
He proved to be in top form and, what is more important, he immediately connected with his audience. With a radiant smile and his famous moves, he made everyone in the audience feel part of an intimate performance, as if he were singing directly to them.
His repertoire was a perfect mix of his greatest hits from decades past along with a number of his more recent songs. Classics like ‘If I only knew’ and ‘Kiss’ unleashed euphoria among the audience many of whom were on their feet dancing and singing along with their idol.
But the greatest excitement was unleashed with songs like It’s not unusual, Delilah and, of course, Sex bomb, going back to 1999, during which no one was able to sit still. A powerful voice and an undeniable charisma saw the public in complete surrender.
Considered an icon of British pop, ‘The Welsh Tiger’ is living through a second youth, conquering the new generations while showing the whole world that he hasn’t lost an iota of his vocal power.
The artist has consolidated his place in music history as one of the great idols of our times, becoming one of those versatile artists who doesn’t care what he sings, be it pop, rock, country, soul or gospel. Any style sounds good with his tireless spirit.
He is a living legend who in the 60s and 70s was a sex symbol of the time and who now treasures more than thirty albums having been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2006 for his major contribution to the music industry.
The display of lights and visual effects throughout the concert further enhanced the experience with Jones finally bringing his 2 hour show to a conclusion as he thanked the audience with a few words of Spanish.
He also had words of gratitude for his band, who “have been fellow travellers for many years”, and stating that he will not be parting from them anytime soon as he hopes that “he will be performing for many more years to come”.
