In December 2023 I bought myself a ticket to see Tom Jones in concert in the Bullring in Murcia. Today, I finally went to see the singing legend when I travelled to Murcia and stayed overnight there.
Travel to Murcia.
I no longer drive, so I caught the bus to Murcia from a bus stop 350 m from my apartment. I left my apartment at about 12:15 in the afternoon and quickly arrived at the bus stop, where I sat down. As I sat waiting, an Indian man asked me if it was the bus stop to catch the Murcia bus. I told him it was the Murcia bus stop and I was also going there. A short time later, 4 Dutch ladies standing at the bus stop opposite approached me and asked me which bus stop the bus to Murcia would be going from. I told them it was the bus stop I was at, and they changed bus stops to get on the bus with me.
We made one stop at Torre Pacheco bus station and then continued to Murcia, where we all left the bus. I took a slow walk to my hotel, the Hesperia Murcia Centro. I managed to get there relatively quickly. Having done the short walk a few times, I am beginning to remember my way. I always stay there when seeing a show in Murcia as it is close to the bullring and the bus stop and is very clean, comfortable and affordable.
Photos of my room at the Hotel Hesperia in Murcia.
Bedroom, Hotel Hesperia in Murcia.
Toilet and bidet, Hotel Hesperia in Murcia.
Sink and shower, Hotel Hesperia in Murcia.
Once I had checked in, I went to my room, put the air conditioning on and took a short siesta. When I woke up I had a message from my friend Donna. She was also going to the Tom Jones concert with her brother and his wife. She asked if I wanted to join them for a drink and something to eat. I had planned to go out for food anyway, so I messaged her back and said I would join them.
Mercado de Correos.
A short time later, I had got myself ready and was on my way to a food hall type complex that Donna, Chris and Sarah were already at. I hadn't been to the Mercado de Correos before and was very impressed with it. We all had different food, and although Sarah didn't like her carbonara, the rest of us enjoyed our meals. Chris had a steak skewer, Donna had a cheeseburger, and I had Mango chicken with fried rice. We all had several drinks, and during our visit, we heard music playing in the courtyard area.
The place inside is large, and I guess because of the name, it was an old post office sorting office. All around the sides and in the middle are different food venues with seating available throughout the area. You can go to each venue separately if you wish, but I have to say I loved the online ordering via your phone. When I met Donna, Chris and Sarah, I joined them at the table and scanned the menu via my phone. It had all the different menus, and you could order via your phone or through the waiters buzzing around. We ordered through the waiter, and after eating our meals, Donna showed me a neat way for people to pay their bills without waiting to get them. When you scan the card on the table a live bill will come up on your phone and enable you to pay all of it with a credit card or to partially pay some with a credit card and pay the rest in cash. It was a great idea. I paid for my bit of the bill via my phone, and Sarah and Chris paid there bit the same way. When we checked the updated bill, it showed our payments and a new total. Donna was then able to pay the remaining bit of the bill in cash. Before we left, Donna's friend Marina arrived, and we all left to go to the concert together.
Tom Jones in the Plaza de Toros de Murcia.
We separated as we arrived at the bullring. I had a seat in front of the stage, and the others were a bit further back. I had to enter through a different entrance with the other VIPs ?. A paper VIP bracelet was attached to my wrist as I entered and went straight to my seat in the front row, directly in front of the stage. The seat was ideal for me. I had room to stretch my legs out, no one in front of me and a perfect view of the stage. I had trouble seeing the seat number, and the lady next to me told me it was the seat I was looking for. She and her friends were also English, and we had a quick chat before I went to the bar and got myself a beer.
Tom Jones on a giant video screen behind his band.
Tom Jones singing on stage at the Bullring in Murcia.
When the show started, I had just returned from the bar with my beer and taken my seat. The timing was perfect, and I quickly asked the security staff if it was okay to place my walking stick below the front of the stage so I didn't have to worry about knocking anyone with it or holding it the entire show. The security man said that was fine, so I threw it in front of the stage, took a big gulp of my beer and enjoyed the show.
Tom Jones voice was fantastic, and I enjoyed the show. I have always been a big fan of Tom Jones and loved his song list tonight. Some of the songs had a personal connection to me and my life, and two or three times, I could feel a tear welling up in my eye. He did many of his early songs, a few later songs and songs that he loved that other singers had made famous. He did songs by Dusty Springfield, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and Chuck Berry, among others. I was delighted to hear him sing The Green Green Grass of Home, Its Not Unusual, Sex Bomb, and everyone's favourite Delilah.
After the show finished, I made my way back through Murcia, and after the short walk, I arrived back at my hotel and went straight to bed.
The Morning After.
I had a good night's sleep, and after having a wash and putting on clean clothes I took my small bag with me and went to the buffet for breakfast. I hadn't thought much of the breakfast buffet the last time I was here and wouldn't have it this time, but because I had booked my stay through booking.com, I had been given a complimentary breakfast. The buffet hadn't changed. The cheese and cold meat selection was good, and there were a few pastries and cereals I could have, but the only hot food was the scrambled egg and miniature hot dog sausages. I think the scrambled egg was powdered as it had no flavour, and the sausages were so small you would have had to have had seven or eight for a mouthful, and both were cold.
I had a small selection of food, a hot chocolate and fruit juice and then checked out of the hotel. I walked the short distance back to the bus station, and as I was early, I sat in the bus terminal cafe and got a coffee. The coffee was very nice, and the cafe was air-conditioned, which was great as the temperature outside, at 10 am, had already hit 30°c. Just before my bus was due to arrive, I went outside and joined the queue for the bus. There were around 30 teenagers all waiting to get on to go back to Los Alcazares but everybody got on, just. We had only gone a few hundred yards on our journey when a car pulled in front of us, and the bus driver did well not to hit him. Our driver waved his arms at the vehicle driver and shouted something in Spanish at him. I didn't understand what he said, but I got the gist of it. We were soon on our way again, and after a few stops on the way home at a couple of small villages and Torre Pacheco, we arrived at the Town Hall in Los Alcazares. On previous trips, I had got off the bus here, not knowing if the bus stopped nearer my house. I knew there was a bus stop opposite where I caught the bus to Murcia, but I hadn't ever seen anything stop there. I decided to stay on the bus and see if it did stop closer to my apartment. As we approached the bus stop near my apartment, I stood up and asked the bus driver in my best Spanish if he could stop there. He looked at me and my walking stick and pulled up at the stop to let me off. I still don't know if the bus does stop there officially or if he stopped because he could see I had trouble walking. Either way, I only had a short walk home, and a short time later, I was unpacked and resting in my apartment.
In Summary.
I had a great time on this trip. It is always good to visit Murcia to see a show, and the buses and relatively low prices of hotels there make it affordable. Tom Jones voice sounded fantastic. It is the best concert I have seen him in, and I have seen him around ten times now. I will continue looking for shows to go to and may go there for a night out and a meal again soon. I hope to see Tom Jones sing again. Maybe next year, if I know he is performing somewhere, I can get to or want to go for a break.