It was sometime after the first notes of the Randy Newman cover “Mama Told Me (Not to Come),” the fourth song of the night, that the underwear began coming down from the upper decks. The scene was Boston’s Orpheum Theatre, the night was Saturday (September 24), and the concert in question was by none other than legendary crooner Tom Jones. From that point on, the long-standing tradition of undergarments tossed towards the stage — which began sometime in the late-’60s, during the Welsh singer’s early years — continued in waves throughout the nearly two-hour set.
Stripping down many of his hits to bare bones arrangements, the 76-year-old Jones was in fine form. Clad in a paisley blue and purple blazer, the talkative singer told stories about the songs in the set, including how he felt the Gillian Welch song “Elvis Presley Blues” was perfect for him to cover on his latest release Long Lost Suitcase, speaking briefly about his close friendship with the King. He also chatted up the audience, asking a lady in the front row what she was drinking, leading her to offer him some of her IPA.
“No, thank you, but I can’t drink during the show,” he said. “I don’t drink before the show, I don’t drink during the show. But after the show…” Jones then drew laughter from the crowd when he mocked being unsteady on his feet.
Jones’ repertoire has explored more spiritual themes in recent years, on display when he delivered the Blind Willie Johnson track “Soul of a Man” and Leonard Cohen’s “Tower of Song,” both from 2012’s lauded Spirit in the Room. And while those were well-received, he delivered a parade of favorites with “What’s New Pussycat?,” “It’s Not Unusual” and the cheeky “You Can Leave Your Hat On,” all in a row, followed by and encore which included dedicating his popular cover of “Kiss” to Prince.
The steady flow of undergarments was endless though, and at times awkward, like when a woman rushed the stage as Sir Tom Jones was talking about how much performing the song “Tomorrow Night” had come to mean to him since his wife passed away earlier this year. Meanwhile, the lady is standing oblivious to the moment, waving a pink thong at the singer while he’s trying his best to politely avoid making any contact with her. Eventually, security installed a staff member at the foot of the stage to prevent further moments of embarrassment to all parties on the giving and receiving end of the panties.
Still, for those on the lower level, it was warfare all night to narrowly avoid a cotton brief landing on their head — or worse — their drink.
