In 1973, Tom Jones was set to thrill Hong Kong – then he showed up late

“Pop singer Tom Jones will be under tight security during his 48-hour visit to Hongkong next month,” reported the South China Morning Post on January 14, 1973. “Promoter Pato Leung, of Just Good Productions, is acting in an advisory capacity for the show’s organisers. He said yesterday that the 32-year-old singer would be accompanied by four bodyguards. He would also have police protection, Mr Leung said.

“A Fee Lun Radio spokesman said yesterday Mr Jones would be surrounded by police and Civil Aid Service members as a safeguard. It was simply commonsense for a person as famous as Mr Jones to have protection. Otherwise, he would be overwhelmed by fans. The police will take action to prevent this, the spokesman added.”

On February 18, the Post reported that “all the $200 seats for the Tom Jones show next Sunday have been snatched up by pop music fans, leaving the lower priced tickets largely unsold”.

“A spokesman for the organising committee for the show […] said the sound equipment, specially imported for the show, at a cost of $500,000, would be the most sophisticated system of its kind ever used for an open air show in Hongkong. Everybody will be able to see and hear Tom Jones giving his dynamic act. The audience will have the impression he is sitting in their laps.”

On February 26, the Post wrote that “boos turned to cheers last night when Tom Jones strode on to the stage at the Hongkong Stadium – nearly an hour late. Mr Jones, who was due on stage at 9.30pm, did not make an appearance until 10.15pm. Thousands of impatient fans became restless as the minutes ticked away with no sign of Mr Jones. They started booing and kept it up until the singer arrived, 15 minutes before the show was scheduled to end. However, their anger was soon soothed by the crooning of Mr Jones. He sang some of his best-known ballads like I Will Never Fall in Love Again and old standards like The Impossible Dream and Frank Sinatra’s I Did it My Way. The Welsh singer’s dynamic and husky voice had the audience applauding enthusiastically during the hour he was on stage.”