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TOMMY JAMES AND THE SHONDELLS IN CONCERT:
The bubblegum pop movement of the '60s wouldn't have been the same without the beloved tunes of Tommy James and the Shondells, whose prominent music took off during the height of the era. It's been almost 50 years since the release of their 1966 debut Hanky Panky, but the band is still impressing audiences across the nation with their expansive catalog of upbeat classics. His voice still on-point and smooth as ever, Tommy James and the gang hit the road once again for a nostalgia-heavy 2014 tour.
BACKGROUND SNAPSHOT:
After dabbling in several musical projects as a preteen, Tommy James recorded his first demo "Hanky Panky" under the formal name The Shondells in 1964. The song wasn't an initial hit, but it achieved popularity the following year when it was unearthed by a local dance promoter, launching Tommy and the Shondells onto the music radar. Their 1966 debut album Hanky Panky skyrocketed the title single to commercial success, landing on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and garnering the band national attention. Seven more successful albums followed as Tommy and the Shondells racked up twelve Top 40 hits and another chart-topper, "Crimson and Clover." James set out on a solo venture in 1971, attaining success once more with 23 gold singles and nine gold and platinum-certified albums. Reunited in 2014, Tommy and the Shondells are ready to turn back the clock on a string of highly anticipated tour dates.
FANS WHO BOUGHT TICKETS SAY:
"What a fantastic show full of non-stop entertainment. The men were sensational with all their hits. They had on-tune harmonies and were very lively on stage."
"What a voice –Tommy James can sing, and he's an amazing performer and guitarist."
"This show was excellent! The best concert I have been to in a long time. Will go see him again when he comes back in town."
Fantastic Show last Sat. one of my fave's at Rama.Saw TJ last time they were here.....and will go again.Their songs are timeless...Thanks for a few hours stepping in time.Rock on TJ
Anyone who loves the oldies will love Tommy James and the Shondells. Tommy still has it! His voice still sounds amazing and always puts on a good show. Have seen his show 3 times now and will definately see it again should he come to Toronto again.
I thought that this show was amazing! It was so great to see one the the biggest legends in my musical likes. Crimson and Clover is my moms most favourite song and she was floored when they sang it, although I wish it went longer withthe wahwah pedal!!! It was incredible, not only because we were front row (which helped) but we were also able to meet Tommy!! We got some pictures, autographs and he was very polite to all of his fans that were near him. It was a great experience for the three of us that went...although being front row helped alot. Unfortunately, they only played for an hour which was upsetting because I would have loved to have heard more! Overall, we were very happy. I have been to Casino Rama for 2 other concerts where I was sitting in the back rows and being in the front COMPLETELY changes the experience.
What can you say about a man with so much songwriting talent. This is the 3rd time I have seen him live (1st time I got to shake his hand) His latest show at Rama was basically the same tunes as his other shows , but his voice was bang on . Every song was a treat. I just can't get over how old the crowd was, then again I'm 60 (ouch). I will see him preform again.
For a brief moment, I relived my youth with Tommy James and the Shondells. Thoroughly enjoyed the show. Music was true to the original. Wonderful to see a legend in person.
very disappointed, Tommy only played for about 1 hr., which 15 minutes of that was while he was being mobbed in the audience for autographs while the bands tried to cover the time. Sad to say I will definately not go back to casino rama. It was too crowded, too short, not worth the money.
What an amazing show. It was worth the terrifying drive we had to get there. A terrible snowstorm was going on, it had a lot of the people worried. But Tommy James and the Shondells put on such a great show, you forgot about what was going on outside. Totally awesome that he comes down into the audience to meet his fans - not very many of them that do that. If you get the chance to go see them... go... it's well worth it ! ! ! We are already waiting for you to come back! ! ! ! Thank You for the wonderful evening! ! !
Held at Casino Rama, very reasonably priced. Show was just over an hour and at least 10 minutes Mr. James was in the audience taking photos, signing autographs, etc. The actual performance was good but short. It would have been much better if the group played a couple of songs while Mr. James was in the crowd - that was long, drawn out and quite boring. The camera man should have been filming the group - not the photo-ops.
This was my first concert at Casino Rama and, I was blown away by the sound. Tommy's voice was as I remember it from my records. The selection of songs were great. The night started off great and continued right through to the end. Tommy was able to interact with the audience, this is a nice quality in a performer. All in all I had a great evening and would recommend to anyone wishing to see a show at Casino Rama to do so, you won't be sorry. I wish I had seen Tommy and the Shondells in my younger days.
Overall not bad, but this time I thought the songs were missing some of the special touches, like the high notes at the beginning of Mirage, and the bass beats at the begining of Draggin' the Line were weak, for example. I think it may have been a different band with him. Also, Tommy messed up the words on a few of the songs, but probably only a fan like myself would notice. The show a year and a half ago was better. The 15 minute long "meet and greet" that he does during Mony Mony is great for the people who get to meet him, but a drag for those that are sitting and waiting for him to return to the stage, especially considering the show is only an hour long. I love that he wants to meet his fans, but honestly, if he wants to do that he needs to play longer. I've been to shows at Rama that have been an hour and a half.
I think that the show should of been longer. This was not a free show, and the money spent was not worth seeing the show since we had to travel for 1 1/2 hours to get there in a snow storm, and the time that Tommy took to speak to people and sign autographs for people in the front rows, what about the people in the back rows. Show was only an hour and 15 minutes and 20 of those minutes were Tommy off the stage meeting and greeting people in front of the stage.
Tommy James' performance was outstanding!!! He was at his best and his band were great, but the sound left a lot to be desired. There was a definite problem with the volume- it was way too loud and there was a feedback and vibration from the speakers which took away from the overall experience. We would have liked the performance to last longer as well- the whole thing was only just over an hour from start to finish, including encore, and he spent a good 10-15 minutes of that time walking around in the audience shaking hands and signing autographs while his band played the same piece over and over again.
The band played for barely an hour. Near the end Tommy James spent 10 minutes shaking hands (by itself not a bad thing) in the crowd while the band regurgitated Mony Mony. This was about the only interaction with the crowd. After each song the stage would go dark and then the next song would start. I could have stayed at home and listened to a CD.
All in all it was a good concert. I enjoyed hearing the hits that I grew up with. But I think they had sound/mixing issues. Overall it sounded a but muddy to me. The lead guitarist was talented but went a little overboard with his playing especially with the classic songs. Mony Mony was good and I was surprised to see Tommy James come out into the audience like that to meet the crowd. Again the lead guitarist should have used the less is more idea and cut back on his playing and let the other members of the band step into the limelight.
Tommy's voice is still wonderful, he sang all the songs he should have. But takiing 20 minutes out of the concert to shake hands and sign autographs while the show was still on was just horrible. It only benefited a small number of people in the front and left the rest of us in shock and disappointment. Overall would not pay to see him again, if that is how he treats his audience.
the show was very entertaining!! he went into audience, which was good although he was off stage far to long.
Unfortunately the show wasn't so great. It was nice to hear the hits and some other songs but it was a disappointed as far as the entertainment factor goes. Tommy went into the audience and as you can expect, he got mobbed. People wanting his autograph, have a picture taken with him, shake his hand, give him a hug, etc.etc.etc. It was ok at first but then it sort of dragged on and on. People started to leave. His band was playing during this time but this was not why we went to the show. We went out on a very snowy (snow squalls) evening and drove for an hour in this weather to see the show. My husband and I would not go back to see him again.
I was disappointed with it. I thought him coming down into the audience shaking hands and signing autographs in the middle of his show weird. I paid to watch him perform not that.. So the show seemed short to me. In terms of the performance fair/average. It just seemed to me that at points they were not tight. It sounded like two songs overlaping. But I did enjoy Crystal Blue Persuation, Crimson and Clover and of course Mony Mony even if it was over done.
Concert was really good while he was singing. Unfortunately that lasted for less than an hour, after which we were treated to background music from the band while Tommy did a meet and greet with the fans. He worked his way across the front of the room signing autographs, chatting, kissing and hugging people. After 10 minutes of this, people started leaving in droves. We waited a while longer and got another couple songs at the end, but the whole concert from beginning to end (including the meet and greet) was 1 hour and 15 minutes. Considering the weather conditions we went through to get there, and the 45 minutes we had to wait for our car at the "Valet Parking", it wasn't worth the effort.
The sound was terrible. I think he's too old to be performing. He missed lyrics; some songs didn't sound the same at all.
