Sir Tom Jones made it through 20 shows of his North American tour before his body called time. On Monday afternoon, a few hours before he was due on stage at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, the 86-year-old told fans he had been “hit with a bad case of the flu” and that, on his doctor’s advice, both that night’s show and Tuesday’s date in San Diego were off.
Neither show is canceled outright. The San Diego concert at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park moves to Tuesday, November 3, and the Greek Theatre show moves to Wednesday, November 4. According to KTLA, tickets for the original dates will be honored, and anyone who cannot make the new dates can get a refund from their original point of purchase.
What Jones said
The announcement came on Instagram, and it was short and very much in character: grateful first, apologetic second. “I’ve had a great time these last few weeks, completing 20 shows and singing for wonderful audiences across the USA,” he wrote, as quoted by Parade, before explaining that he had “unexpectedly” fallen ill. He closed by saying he was “truly sorry for any inconvenience caused” and that he looked forward to seeing fans soon.
The California Post reported that the statement opened with the line every ticket holder dreads on the day of a show: “Following doctor’s advice, I unfortunately have to reschedule tonight’s show in Los Angeles.” The Greek Theatre show had been set for 7:30 p.m.
There has been no suggestion from Jones or his team that this is anything more than the flu, and nothing in the statement points to a longer break. The language is about rescheduling, not stepping away.
A long road and a difficult autumn
The timing is what makes the news land. The Come Gather Round tour started in England in June, and its North American leg opened on September 18 at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois. From there, the published schedule had him crisscrossing the country at a pace that would test a performer half his age: Milwaukee, Windsor, Atlantic City, two nights at New York’s Beacon Theatre, the Ryman in Nashville, the Saenger in New Orleans, and a stretch of casino stages through Texas, Oklahoma and Arizona.
The run that came right before Los Angeles was a three-night stand at Wynn Las Vegas on October 21, 23 and 24. That is a demanding run of shows for anyone. Two days after the last Vegas night, on the day the tour reached Los Angeles, he announced he was ill.
Accounts differ slightly on what the change does to the end of the tour. The original schedule had the North American leg finishing in San Francisco at The Masonic on November 1, after stops in Highland and Wheatland. The Mirror, via AOL, reported that his three remaining California shows are unchanged. KTLA and MyNewsLA both noted that, with the new dates, Los Angeles now becomes the final stop of the tour rather than San Francisco. Both can be true: if the Highland, Wheatland and San Francisco shows go ahead as planned, Jones would finish the run with the two make-up dates on November 3 and 4.
The flu is the second public setback for Jones in a matter of weeks, and British outlets were quick to frame it that way. In early September, he went public about his exit from ITV’s The Voice UK, where he had been a coach for 13 of the show’s 14 seasons. Speaking to Gold Radio, he said he “did not want to leave” and that he was “not thrilled” with what he described as an offer of a much-reduced role. He said ITV had cited “a financial difficulty with insurance.” ITV, for its part, said at the time that it loved working with him and was in talks with him. The departure set off a fan petition and a lengthy debate in the UK press.
That fight happened while he was preparing to take a two-month tour across North America. Whatever anyone thinks about the TV decision, the tour itself was a clear statement that he still wanted to work, and 20 shows in, he had been delivering on it.
It is easy to forget how long Jones has been doing this. “It’s Not Unusual” was a No. 1 hit in the UK in 1965. He has sold more than 100 million records, won a Grammy for Best New Artist, and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2006. He turned 86 in June. Most performers with that record would have retired years ago. Jones, instead, put together a tour of theaters and casinos with a schedule that called for a show every other night for most of the fall.
Seen that way, a bout of flu after 20 shows is less of a surprise than the fact that it took this long. Postponing two shows on a doctor’s advice is the sensible call at any age, and especially at his.
What happens next
For now, the plan is straightforward. San Diego ticket holders should hold on to their tickets for November 3, and Los Angeles ticket holders for November 4. Anyone who cannot make the new dates should go back to wherever they bought their tickets for a refund. The next scheduled stop is Highland, California, on October 29, and fans there will be watching his social media closely over the next couple of days.
Jones’s own message ended the only way it could: he is sorry, and he will see everyone soon.
