And the Truth of the Matter is………..

July 3, 2008, Dallas was all dressed up with everywhere to go . . . . One check on the Dallas Crowd Events Calendar crowds to events ranging from Ghostbar's Two-Year Anniversary Party & 4th of July Sleepover, to Cinema in the Circle in Addison, LaCondesa's Happy Hour in Victory Park, Cool Thursdays at the Dallas Arboretum and a select few to Tom Jones at Nokia Theatre.

I started the evening at a favorite stop of mine, N9NE Steakhouse, for Ghostbar's anniversary pre-party. The champagne was flowing and the hors d'oeuvres were a perfect sampling of N9NE's wonderful collection of food. After a bit of food and drink my companion and I were off to the Nokia for an evening of Tom Jones.

The concert crowd was an eclectic group. It included diehard female fans who have been following Mr. Jones their entire life (panties in hand ready to throw on the stage), younger females who seemed excited but were still trying to figure out the exact hype for the event, and a few males, most of whom were in close tow behind excited females.

Kudos to Mr. Jones: he was a bundle of energy and gave the crowd the "old style" Vegas concert feel. The crowd responded with intense fervor and sound decibels that rose dramatically when Mr. Jones lifted his shirt to reveal his bare chest. The view of his bare chest also set of a chain reaction of panties flying. Once we had been entertained with songs such as It's so Unusual, What's Up Pussycat and Sexbomb, we were off to the second of three stops for the evening.

If you love or even just like fine cigars, you are probably acquainted with the cozy, lodge feel of our second stop, Javier's Gourmet Mexicano, located on Cole Avenue. This spot is a must for anyone who enjoys a smooth cognac, a snifter of brandy or any other drink of your choice, with a relaxing cigar. Even I, who have been described as anti-relaxed, found myself peacefully absorbing my surroundings.

 The last, stop of the evening was The Club, located on Oak Lawn in the Centrum Building. I can often be found at The Club with some of the usual suspects; however, tonight was like no other. As my companion and I walk through the door we are greeted with the customary excitement and enthusiasm of the magnificent staff. But my eyes quickly travel to a large circular table in the center of the room. There, in the midst of the prestigious crowd, was none other than Mr. Tom Jones himself. My ability to not be star struck vanished when Mr. Jones walked up to Lou, The Club's entertainer for the evening, took his microphone and began to belt out tunes so deep from his gut you would have thought they were piped through the most high-priced surround sound system. I was truly in awe at his ability to produce deep, rich tones with nothing more than a small microphone and a keyboardist. I am sure few of today's artists have that capability. I was fortunate enough to meet Mr. Jones and found him sincere and most pleasant. He is a true gentleman. The small crowd started to breakup around 2 am. I was among those who stayed and talked until around 3 am. I cannot report when Mr. Jones left, but rumor has it the last time he was in town the party went until after five in the morning.

The Truth of the Matter is . . . Tom Jones still has it after all of these years. Thank you for a memorable evening, Mr. Jones.

 

- Sara E. Schlobohm, VP of Dallas Crowd