I had a front row seat.
BJ Thomas used his original band of 30 years, which consisted of only 4 other musicians, the standard - guitar, bass, drums and keyboards.
It was the minimum backing band set up and probably was scaled down to save money. It would have been nice to have backup singers and a horn section, for instance. It would have filled out the overall sound and given the audience a fuller experience. However the ticket price was quite low, so one can't really complain.
He cheaped out on the band but the purpose of the tour is probably to generate maximum income - given that he is 70 years old now and still touring so frequently.
Apparently he uses a hearing aid. His singing and pitch was incredible.
His voice was the best I have heard from an artist his age. Paul McCartney, Gordon Lightfoot and Burton Cummings, to name a few, have all lost their vocal abilities with old age, but BJ Thomas has held on very well. He consistently hits all the notes. Amazing considering his age.
It was great to see him live.