The inside story why Jones cancelled show

MANILA, Philippines - It may be third time lucky for Ovation Productions to bring in Welsh singer Tom Jones for a show in Manila but at the moment, concert promoter Renen de Guia said he would wait for the dust to settle before reaching out to the pop legend after two unsuccessful attempts to put him on stage.

In 2010, Jones cancelled a gig at the Araneta Coliseum due to laryngitis before even stepping foot here. Last Saturday, April 2, he backed out of another show at the Big Dome, this time on a few hours notice. The cause for the cancellation was a “serious illness in his immediate family” but no details were disclosed as to who was sick and of what.

Jones flew in from Los Angeles via Singapore last Friday afternoon and declared himself fit to perform. His back-up band of at least six musicians did a sound-check at the venue about 4 p.m. on Saturday but Jones was nowhere around. Before 5 p.m., the band was advised to pack up. The show was supposed to start at around 9 p.m.

“I was summoned to Novotel where Tom and his group were billeted at 4:30 p.m. for a meeting with the tour management,” recalled De Guia. “I didn’t think there was a problem. My son Bogie, who is my production manager, was at the sound-check and told me everything was in order. In fact, Bogie was quite impressed with what they prepared on stage. It was going to be a major fantastic performance with an elaborate production design. I was looking forward to a great show.”

De Guia said more than 6,000 tickets had been sold for the show and he expected sales to get a bigger boost on the night of the concert. “Advance sales were higher this time than in 2010,” he said. “It’s probably because Tom is now more current. He was recently on a TV reality show as a voice coach so he’s known even by the younger market. He’s also been more active as a recording artist and stage performer.”

When De Guia was informed of the cancellation during the Novotel meeting, he was in shock. “It’s a promoter’s nightmare,” he said. “We were just a few hours before the show. Phil Bowdery, Tom’s tour director out of London, broke the news in an audio call from a computer. Tom’s son Mark (Woodward), his manager, Mark’s wife Donna and tour manager Abigail (Potter) were in the meeting. Phil confirmed the show had to be cancelled as Tom was totally distraught and affected. He wouldn’t be able to perform. In fact, Abigail had already arranged for Tom, Mark and Donna to leave Manila that night on Philippine Airlines to Los Angeles.”

De Guia tried to save the show. “I asked why not do the show then fly out on the first available flight,” he said. “But they told me the decision was final. Tom was too devastated to perform. Then I suggested if we could announce a postponement so ticket holders could keep their tickets until Tom comes back. The management couldn’t make a commitment so I decided to arrange for refunds. What a pity. It would’ve been a wonderful show, everybody would’ve enjoyed.”

De Guia brushed aside speculation that Jones backed out because of voice issues. “Not true,” he said. “There are singers like Jack Jones who sound even better now than before. Tom’s pipes are still strong. He may be 75 but Tom hasn’t lost his touch. I’d like to try to bring him over again. I hope the fans will continue to support the show if we’re able to swing it.”

Manila would have been the first stop of a seven-leg, two-week Asian tour for Jones. He also cancelled shows in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, Osaka and Abu Dhabi.

De Guia wouldn’t confirm how much Jones was paid but the dollar fee had to be in six figures. “No problem with Tom sending it back,” he said. “These days, foreign performers get paid in full in advance. The practice of wiring half before arrival and half upon arrival or after the show is long gone. In 2010, Tom returned his talent fee in full when his show was cancelled. Unfortunately, I’m not covered by insurance because the premium is so high for shows so I just take the risk. In this case, ticket buyers will get their refund but ticket sellers retain their commissions. I’m absorbing a big loss but I’m disappointed not because of that. Our group worked hard for this event. It’s tough to see the effort go to waste. It’s also difficult for a promoter to disappoint the fans. I would’ve wanted to treat the fans to a great performance.”

A source said it’s the first time a show was cancelled just a few hours before the scheduled start at the Big Dome. “(Coliseum owner) Mr. (Jorge) Araneta’s main concern was the buying public,” said an insider. “When he heard about the cancellation, his first question was about arranging a refund system.” Araneta had invited Jones to a get-together at the Owner’s Circle in the coliseum before the show but that, too, was cancelled.

Former Nestle executive and music fan Levi Castillo said he watched Jones perform at the Folk Arts Theater over 20 years ago in his only Manila performance ever. “The show was sponsored by Nescafé and I recall traffic was so bad that when I got to the venue, Tom was already on his third song,” said Castillo. “At the time, Tom’s hair was still black. I enjoyed his performance. I’m an Elvis Presley fan and I know when Tom and Elvis first met, Elvis asked, ‘Where did you get that voice?’ They became close friends and after Elvis died, Tom would sing a few Elvis songs as a tribute on his shows. I would have enjoyed watching Tom again.”

De Guia said he couldn’t be sure which relative was stricken to cause so much concern on Jones, his son and daughter-in-law. “I’ve been in the business for 37 years,” he said. “My first project was three shows with Leif Garrett at the Folk Arts Theater in 1979. My biggest solo projects were the outdoor shows of Bon Jovi, Metallica and Sting. On a good year, I would do about 20 shows. But I’d never experienced a cancellation at short notice like the one that happened last Saturday. Eventually, we’ll all know what really caused the cancellation, who got sick and why Tom left in a hurry and cancelled his entire Asian tour.”