Legendary Sir Tom Jones “Surrounded By Time” in Chicago Theatre roots and soul revival

Photos by Andy Argyrakis

The only indication that legendary Welsh singer, Sir Tom Jones, was advancing in age came when he entered the historic stage of a full Chicago Theatre with a walking stick, then pulled up a chair.

Of course, he was quick to quip the limitation was merely temporary until he got another hip replacement, though other than that, he appeared much younger than his 82 years with a pristine voice that may as well been cryogenically frozen in the 1960s.

If anything, remaining seated, rather than having room to swivel, allowed the focus to be exclusively on his impenetrable baritone, which sent chills through the crowd moments into “I’m Growing Old.”

However, he continued shattering expectations with surprisingly early editions of “It’s Not Unusual” and “What’s New Pussycat?” as the five-piece band brilliantly refreshed each arrangement for today, especially considering they originally came out ages ago on the heels of Elvis Presley.

In fact, with recordings spanning a whopping seven decades, Jones is one of the few remaining stars capable of matching a similar magnitude, who for two solid hours, rattled off such convincing reasons as the swingin’ “Sexbomb,” Cat Stevens’ cheeky “Popstar,” the smoldering “Talking Reality Television Blues” and the reflective “One Hell Of A Life.”

The latter pair were from the new and quite excellent rootsy album, “Surrounded By Time,” which finds Jones, now the oldest ever U.K. chart-topper, contemplating mortality and sharing wisdom earned along the way.

Even so, there were many purely light-hearted moments, such as when a load of women stormed the front for their requisite panty toss during “Delilah” and a steamy take on Randy Newman’s “You Can Leave Your Hat On.”

Other masterful interpretations included Leonard Cohen’s folksy “Tower Of Song,” Prince’s funky “Kiss,” Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s African spiritual “Strange Things Happening Every Day,” Chuck Berry’s early rocker “Johnny B. Goode” and Jerry Lee Lewis’ fellow groundbreaker “Great Balls Of Fire.”

No matter if it was personally popularized or merely covered, Jones aced them all, leaving the audience spellbound to be in the presence of such a monumental personality whose record-shattering longevity will likely never be surpassed.

For additional information on Tom Jones, visit TomJones.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at the Chicago Theatre include Father John Misty (Sept. 29); Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets (Oct. 3); Diana Krall (Oct. 6); The B-52’s (Oct. 7-8); Regina Spektor (Oct. 9); Joe Satriani (Oct. 12); Metric (Oct. 18); Ryan Adams (Oct. 20); Jeff Beck & Johnny Depp (Oct. 23); Marcus Mumford (Oct. 24) and Trey Anastasio Band (Oct. 28-29). For additional details, visit TheChicagoTheatre.com.

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Legendary Sir Tom Jones “Surrounded By Time” in Chicago Theatre roots and soul revival

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