Sir Tom Jones played Derby Summer Sessions in 2024
see a video of Delilah on my tiktok here
In the centre of England, Derby hosted its second TK Maxx – Summer Sessions Festival on the weekend of the 12th – 14th of July. It ran Friday to Sunday with Sunday having the times rescheduled as revellers (and acts) were clearly going to be torn between music and football. The venue for the festival is under the big top in Markeaton Park, which really made a great venue for a selection of the charts biggest acts.
Sir Tom Jones aged 84 started in 1964, and is still going strong in 2024. How many artists can say this, I don’t think that many. He now embraces his age, and you can tell this by opening number ‘Growing Old’. Where he almost jokes, in a clever way about being on last segment of life. Singing alone on the stage with a single spotlight on him as he sat on a stool, Tom Jones doesn’t need all the glamour. His voice stands out on it’s own, he is a legend in his own right. As he said during his performance, “The oldest person in Great Britain to have a number one album!”.
I wondered if this was to set the tone for the evening, but he was on his feet and treating us to stories, cheeky winks and his amazing voice. He is a handsome older gentleman and he knows it, and he can still excite the ladies. With bars of ‘What’s new Pussycat’, the octogenarian will never disappoint you with classics such as ‘It’s not unusual’ and ‘Delilah’ and also giving us the song all women think he is ‘Sex Bomb’ which was a hit for him and Mousse T and the ‘Full Monty’ inspired ‘You can keep your hat On’. Another nice moment is ‘Not Unusual’, which is stripped back and a little bit acoustic. With bongo drums, and a killer guitar solo. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand, and I can confirm that while photographing the show I was struck by underwear. So he must still have the ladies in those hands too, Not many people can keep the crowd entertained with anecdotes from his sixty year career, including meeting Elvis and Chuck Berry in Las Vegas and the fact Willie Nelson is ninety years old and he is only eighty four, so he at least has another six years. Well after seeing him perform we really hope he has many years to come, because it was a fun set full of great songs and banter. So if you love the music of the Welsh crooner, we recommend you go and see him when he comes to a town near you.
Setlist
I’m Growing Old (Bobby Cole cover)
Not Dark Yet (Bob Dylan cover)
It’s Not Unusual (Les Reed cover)
What’s New Pussycat? (Burt Bacharach cover)
The Windmills of Your Mind (Noel Harrison cover)
Sexbomb (Mousse T. cover)
Pop Star (Cat Stevens cover)
Green, Green Grass of Home (Claude “Curly” Putman, Jr. cover)
One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below) (Bob Dylan cover)
Across the Borderline (Ry Cooder cover)
Talking Reality Television Blues (Todd Snider cover)
I Won’t Crumble with You If You Fall (Bernice Johnson Reagon cover)
Tower of Song (Leonard Cohen cover)
Delilah (Les Reed cover)
Lazarus Man (Terry Callier cover)
You Can Leave Your Hat On (Randy Newman cover)
If I Only Knew (Rise Robots Rise cover)
Kiss (Prince cover)
One Hell of a Life (Katell Keineg cover)
Strange Things Happening Every Day (Sister Rosetta Tharpe cover)
Johnny B. Goode (Chuck Berry cover)
Great Balls of Fire (Otis Blackwell cover)