See Tom Jones live on 25 July 2026 at The Piece Hall in Halifax. Expect famous hits, soul, blues and reflective songs from his current touring era, with Stone Foundation opening the concert. Ticket sales are underway, so plan your purchase and arrival in advance
Tom Jones returns to the historic courtyard of The Piece Hall
Tom Jones returns to Halifax on Saturday, 25 July 2026, for another summer concert under the open sky. The gates to The Piece Hall open at 18:00, final admission is scheduled for 20:00, and the programme is expected to finish at approximately 22:30. The Welsh singer is performing as part of the Come Gather Round tour, while the evening will be opened by the British soul band Stone Foundation.
This date is not merely another stop on the schedule. Jones is returning to a venue where he already performed sold-out concerts in 2022 and 2024. His return confirms how well his blend of soul, pop, rhythm and blues, gospel and blues suits the monumental yet surprisingly intimate courtyard of The Piece Hall. The audience here is not separated from the stage by enormous stands and enclosed arena corridors. The concert takes place at the centre of a historic building, under the open sky and among stone arcades that give the entire evening a distinctive visual setting.
Tickets for this event are currently on sale. For visitors who want to experience Jones at one of his rare summer stops in northern England, Halifax offers a combination of musical entertainment, a powerful atmosphere and easy access by public transport.
Six decades of songs, but not an ordinary nostalgic programme
Tom Jones belongs to a small group of performers whose voices audiences recognise after only a few bars. From the early hits "It's Not Unusual", "What's New Pussycat?" and "Delilah", through "Green, Green Grass of Home", to later successes such as "Sex Bomb" and his version of Prince's song "Kiss", his catalogue connects several generations and several different eras of popular music.
However, his current concert phase does not rely solely on a sequence of familiar choruses. The album "Surrounded by Time", released in 2021, introduced a more mature and introspective repertoire and reached the top of the UK albums chart. On it, Jones approaches the songs as an interpreter who is no longer trying to reproduce the sound of the 1960s, but instead chooses material suited to his present-day voice and life experience. The production is contemporary and occasionally stripped back, while the themes of time, loss, endurance and memory play an important role.
That change has also clearly carried over to the stage. Reports from his performances during 2025 describe concerts that often begin more quietly, with songs such as "I'm Growing Old", Leonard Cohen's "Tower of Song" or Bob Dylan's "Not Dark Yet", before the programme gradually opens up towards more familiar hits and more energetic arrangements. Jones's classics are not always performed by the band in their original form: "It's Not Unusual" may acquire more acoustic colours, while "Sex Bomb" may receive a stronger blues rhythm. It is precisely this balance between familiarity and new arrangements that gives his performances more substance than a standard career retrospective.
The exact set list for Halifax has not been announced in advance, so individual songs should not be considered guaranteed. Previous concerts nevertheless reveal several clear characteristics of the current show:
- familiar hits remain an important part of the evening, but they are not the only focus;
- newer and more reflective material is given enough space for the concert to have a dramatic progression;
- covers of songs by writers such as Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan and Terry Callier emphasise Jones's role as an interpreter;
- the backing band shifts in style from restrained piano introductions to full-bodied soul, blues and gospel;
- communication with the audience is usually direct, warm and interwoven with short stories between songs.
Such a repertoire will particularly appeal to listeners who want to hear the major hits, but also to audiences interested in how a veteran of popular music now interprets his own catalogue. Long-time fans will hear the songs they grew up with, while younger visitors may discover a performer whose current concerts are not a museum display of the past, but a living combination of older material and a late creative phase.
Stone Foundation brings soul before the headline performance
The evening will be opened by Stone Foundation, a British band whose sound moves between soul, funk, jazz and rhythm and blues. Their eleventh studio album, "The Revival of Survival", expanded that approach with guest vocals and rhythmically rich arrangements, giving their performance a clear connection to the musical roots of the headline artist.
Stone Foundation were not chosen for this programme by chance. During their career, they have performed alongside artists such as Paul Weller, Mavis Staples, Jamiroquai, Madness and The Specials. Their repertoire can serve as a natural transition from the early part of the evening to Jones's blend of soul, blues and pop. It is worth arriving before the headline performance, not only for a calmer entry into the venue, but also because the support act is a distinct part of the programme rather than merely background music before the evening's star.
The organiser has not published a precise schedule for the individual performances. The gate-opening time and approximate end of the entire event are known, but visitors should not plan their arrival around an assumed time for Jones to take the stage. Arriving early reduces the risk of queues at security checks and leaves enough time to become familiar with the arrangement of entrances, bars and toilets.
Why The Piece Hall changes the concert experience
The Piece Hall is located in the centre of Halifax in West Yorkshire. The building opened in 1779 as a place for trading pieces of woollen cloth and is now described as the only surviving Georgian hall of its kind. After restoration, it reopened in 2017 and developed into a cultural, retail and concert venue.
For concert audiences, the large central courtyard is the most important feature. The stage, standing area and multi-level arcades are contained within the same architectural complex, so the view towards the performer constantly includes façades, arches and stone galleries. This is neither a neutral festival field nor an enclosed sports arena. Daylight at the beginning of the programme gradually gives way to evening lighting, while the historic walls remain visible around the audience throughout the performance.
The open-air setting means that the experience of sound and weather is not the same as in an indoor arena. There is no roof over the main standing area, and the event goes ahead in rain as long as conditions are not dangerous. Umbrellas are not permitted, so a lightweight waterproof layer that does not inconvenience other visitors is more practical. Sturdy and comfortable footwear also makes sense: the concert is standing-only, and the historic surface includes stone, uneven sections and sloping approaches.
Tom Jones's return after two sold-out performances further strengthens the connection between the artist and the venue. Audience members who have already seen him in Halifax know how mass singing of familiar choruses spreads through the courtyard, while for new visitors the sense of proximity between the stage, standing area and balconies will be one of the main differences compared with a standard touring venue.
It is worth securing tickets in good time, particularly if a specific viewing area is important. The standing area provides access to the main part of the courtyard, while balcony options offer an elevated view and covered sections. Availability of individual categories may change as the date approaches.
Practical information before departure
It is useful to check the basic rules before travelling because this is a standing outdoor concert in a protected historic building.
- Address: The Piece Hall, Blackledge, Halifax HX1 1RE, West Yorkshire, England.
- Gates open: 18:00.
- Final admission: 20:00.
- Expected finish: approximately 22:30.
- Event format: standing outdoor concert; chairs and portable furniture are not permitted.
- Age rules: persons under 14 years of age must be accompanied by an adult, and children under 6 cannot enter.
- Accessibility: the concert includes British Sign Language interpretation, and a raised platform is available for visitors with the appropriate type of accessible ticket.
- Bags: backpacks are not permitted, and other bags must not be larger than a sheet of A4 paper; checks are carried out at the entrances.
- Re-entry: once visitors leave the concert area, re-entry is not permitted.
Food and drink outlets and free water are available within the venue. Rules concerning the admission of sealed bottles and medically necessary food may be updated, so they should be checked immediately before arrival. Most sales points accept cards and contactless payments, which makes it useful to bring a functioning payment card or digital wallet.
Lockers near Square Chapel, close to the South Gate entrance, are available for visitors who need to store a larger item of luggage. The lockers cannot be accessed during the concert without leaving the event, and re-entry is not permitted, so only items that will not be needed until the end of the evening should be left there.
Arriving by train, bus or car
The Piece Hall does not have its own car park. Visitors arriving by car can use city car parks within walking distance, including locations near Woolshops Shopping Centre, Eureka! The National Children's Museum and Dean Clough, as well as on-street parking in central Halifax. From the M62 motorway, use junction 24, then follow the A629 and tourist signs towards The Piece Hall.
The organiser warns that roadworks in Halifax may affect journey times and access routes. Travelling by car should therefore be planned with additional time, particularly around the opening of the gates. Drop-off points are located in the Square Road and Charles Street area, but brief stopping should not be confused with a plan for parking throughout the concert.
The train is one of the simplest options. Halifax Railway Station is approximately a five-minute walk from The Piece Hall, and the town has direct connections to Leeds, Huddersfield, Bradford and Manchester. From the station, cross the road by Horton Street, then continue towards Blackledge and the South Gate entrance. Halifax Bus Station is approximately a seven-minute walk away, with routes from different parts of West Yorkshire.
The return journey after the concert should be planned before entering. A finish at around 22:30 may be close to the final evening departures on some routes, and temporary timetable changes are possible at weekends. Visitors relying on a train or bus should check the exact departure for 25 July and allow enough time to leave the courtyard after the final song.
Halifax as part of the concert trip
Halifax should not be viewed merely as the address of a concert venue. It is the largest town in Calderdale, with a strong industrial heritage and Victorian architecture. The Piece Hall is located right in the centre, so the area can be explored on foot before the concert without additional transport.
For visitors staying longer, the town includes Halifax Minster, Eureka! The National Children's Museum and Calderdale Industrial Museum, while Shibden Hall, outside the immediate centre, is one of the best-known historic sites in the surrounding area. During the day, The Piece Hall itself functions as a space for shops, cafés and restaurants, although on concert days some facilities close earlier to prepare for the event.
The best plan for the evening is therefore simple: arrive early enough, walk around the centre, enter before the longest queues form and make room in the schedule for Stone Foundation instead of timing arrival solely around the headline artist. Tom Jones is not bringing a completely predictable collection of hits to Halifax, but a concert that connects a powerful, recognisable voice with songs about time, experience and endurance. In an 18th-century courtyard, that combination of past and present gains a very tangible setting.
Sources:
- The Piece Hall - date, times, support act, return following the 2022 and 2024 performances, ticket types, age rules, accessibility and lockers.
- Tom Jones - biography, the album "Surrounded by Time", the Come Gather Round tour and reports from more recent concert performances.
- Cuffe & Taylor Help Centre - admission rules, standing format, bag policy, weather conditions, payments, accessibility and transport information.
- Stone Foundation - band biography and information about the album "The Revival of Survival".
- Visit Calderdale - context about Halifax and the main cultural locations in the town and surrounding area.
- The Guardian - the development of The Piece Hall into a concert venue and a description of the audience's proximity to the performer.