Review: Tom Jones, Bristol County Ground

Okay, confession time, this review might be slightly biased. As a lifelong Tom Jones fan, I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to see the Welsh legend perform in Bristol. Getting to see a performer of his stature is a rare thing and this gig certainly didn’t disappoint.

After the summer series of high-profile concerts at Ashton Gate, it was perhaps a surprise choice of venue, there had even been rumours of Sir Tom being told to keep the noise down by Bristol City Council, but you can’t keep a lid on this full-throated baritone.

The sunny weather set a perfect backdrop for the evening’s entertainment and it was a full house at the County Ground. The two support acts were perfectly picked, the Alt-County singer Megan O’Neil followed by indie-pop group Lottery Winners led by charismatic singer Thom Rylance, whose charm offensive won over a crowd that might have been otherwise sceptical to the Wigan-based band.

The sound across the ground was fantastic in all areas which made the queues for the bar and the toilets a little easier. On the whole, the staff and security on site were fantastic in dealing with the multiple issues that come from the combination of a large crowd, sunshine and afternoon drinking. Although drinks were limited and service slow, the food from the smaller Mexican wrap stall was delicious and it was a relaxing evening as we waited for the man himself to come on stage.

Finally, the moment we had all been waiting for. Sir Tom Jones hit the ground running with his first song Burning Hell from the Praise and Blame album. It was a slow warm-up for his voice as he followed with Gods Gonna Cut You Down from the same album and then the crowd-pleasing third choice, Mama Told Me Not To Come from his ReLoad record.

Tom Jones / Image by Tanya Hazell

The set comprised of songs from his extensive back catalogue with some nice surprises such as a slow-tempo version of Sex Bomb and a Latin-American influenced Delilah, but on the whole, the demographic of the crowd predictably cheered loudest for his older tracks. They were treated to a showcase of Sir Tom’s voice with a version of Solomon Burke’s Cry to Me as well as Chuck Berry’s Riding Along in My Automobile.

Watching Sir Tom Jones perform is like watching a heavyweight boxer prepare for a fight; not a note is wasted in the performance and the band were faultless in accompanying him. A shout-out also goes to the lighting designer who added a little something extra to the night as the sun went down.

In all a great night and a fantastic gig, you’ll not get much criticism of Sir Tom from me, there aren’t many of us who could command a stadium crowd at the age of 79. I will say, however, the rumours of the crazy antics at his last stop in Peterborough could well be true… having watched some of his more ‘mature’ fans, I’m only glad we got out of the ground when we did.

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