See Tom Jones live in concert at Málaga Forum in Málaga on 1 August 2026. Expect his unmistakable baritone, soul, pop and hits such as "It's Not Unusual", "Delilah" and "Sexbomb", alongside reflective songs from his current career chapter. Plan your visit and ticket purchase in advance
Tom Jones at Málaga Forum: an evening with a voice that connects pop, soul and blues
Tom Jones is coming to Málaga Forum as a performer whose concert power has rested for decades on two things: a baritone recognizable after only a few words and an ability to turn a song into a stage story. The concert takes place as part of the first edition of the Moonlight Málaga series, and the venue doors open at 20:00. The performance is scheduled to begin at 22:00.
For the audience, this is not merely an opportunity to sing along to "It's Not Unusual", "Delilah" or "Sexbomb". Jones's more recent performances show that he also builds his programme around more mature, slower interpretations, blues, gospel, soul and carefully selected covers. It is precisely this combination of early hits and the later, more reflective phase of his career that makes the evening interesting both to people who know him from the radio and to those who follow his newer albums.
Tickets for this event are currently on sale.
From pop icon to a convincing interpreter of other people's songs
Tom Jones has built an international career spanning more than six decades. His repertoire has never belonged to only one genre. In his early years, he relied on orchestral pop, soul and rhythm and blues, then moved through country, rock, funk and dance production, while in the later phase of his career he increasingly turned towards songs that require slower development, clear diction and interpretive weight.
The best-known part of his catalogue includes the songs "It's Not Unusual", "What's New Pussycat?", "Delilah", "Green, Green Grass of Home", "She's a Lady" and "Sexbomb". They explain his broad recognizability, but they do not describe his entire present-day concert identity. On stage, Jones relies less and less on nostalgia as his sole argument and increasingly on the contrast between the former energy of an entertainer and today's storytelling coloured by experience.
His latest studio album remains "Surrounded by Time" from 2021. The album reached number one on the UK Albums Chart, and Jones became the oldest male artist at the time to have an album at the top of that chart. The material features covers of songs by writers such as Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens, Terry Callier and Todd Snider, with production that places his voice ahead of ornamentation. This is important context for the concert in Málaga: the audience is not coming to see a performer who merely repeats his own history, but a singer who has transformed the latest period of his career into a new artistic chapter.
What can be expected from the live repertoire
The exact set list for Málaga Forum has not been published, so the order of songs, the duration of the performance and any encores should not be assumed. Nevertheless, the event announcements explicitly highlight "Delilah", "Sexbomb" and "It's Not Unusual", while reports from concerts during 2025 show a pattern that helps explain the current stage approach.
At those performances, Jones often opened the evening with more intimate songs, accompanied by simpler arrangements and an emphasis on the voice. Programmes included compositions such as "I'm Growing Old", "Tower of Song", "Not Dark Yet", "Lazarus Man" and "I Won't Crumble with You If You Fall", after which the concert would gradually open up towards better-known choruses and more rhythmic numbers. Such dramaturgy gives the band space to move from a restrained beginning into soul, blues rock, funk and gospel.
An important part of the experience is also formed by Jones's short stories between songs. Reviews of previous performances regularly mention humour, communication without excessive theatricality and the way he explains why he selected a particular composition. His concert is therefore not a conventional parade of hits. It is more like a cross-section of a life in music, in which familiar choruses alternate with songs about time, ageing, loss, faith and gratitude.
The audience can expect a full backing band and arrangements that leave enough room for the vocals. No special guests, support act or separate production effects have been confirmed for the performance in Málaga, so such elements should not be included in plans for the evening in advance.
A concert for several generations
Tom Jones naturally attracts long-time fans who remember his singles from the 1960s and 1970s, but the audience at his present-day concerts is not limited to one age group. "Sexbomb" and the collaborations from the period of the album "Reload" brought him closer to an audience that discovered him in the late 1990s, while albums recorded during his more mature phase attracted listeners of Americana, blues, gospel and singer-songwriter music.
For visitors who know only the greatest hits, the most interesting discovery may be how much more musically restrained and substantial his present-day performance is than the television image of the seductive showman. For long-time fans, the value lies in the fact that the old songs do not remain museum exhibits. The band adapts them to his current voice, tempo and manner of storytelling.
The concert is particularly attractive to audiences who appreciate a powerful vocal, clear lyrics and a band that can move naturally from a ballad-like introduction into rhythmic soul. At the same time, the familiar choruses create moments of communal singing that can connect audiences of different generations in an open-air venue.
Málaga Forum as the setting for a summer performance
Málaga Forum is located at Ctra. de la Azucarera Intelhorce, 7, in the Churriana area. The venue was created by redeveloping the former site of a drive-in cinema and was developed as an adaptable location for concerts, festivals and larger-format productions.
The complex covers 16,000 square metres and can accommodate up to 10,000 people in a standing configuration or up to 4,000 in a seated one. The layout is not always the same: the venue can be divided into the main stage area, Village and the covered Carpa zone. The exact configuration for the Tom Jones concert has not been published, but such adaptability allows the organizer to separate audience movement, hospitality areas and production routes.
An important fact for the concert experience is that this is a spacious complex, rather than a conventional theatre with fixed seats. The feeling of proximity to the performer will therefore depend on the ticket category, the position within the venue and the final stage setup. Visitors who wish to be closer to the front should allow for an earlier arrival, security screening and the time required to find their way around the event zone.
- Complex area: 16,000 square metres.
- Largest stated capacity: up to 10,000 visitors in a standing configuration.
- Seated configuration: up to 4,000 seats, depending on the event.
- Main venue sections: stage area, Village and Carpa.
- Address: Ctra. de la Azucarera Intelhorce, 7, 29004 Málaga.
It is worth securing tickets in good time.
Why the Málaga date matters within the tour
The performance opens the first edition of the Moonlight Málaga series, giving Tom Jones the role of the artist introducing a new summer concert format to the city's audience. This gives the event additional context: it is not merely another stop on the schedule, but the opening evening of a new programme at Málaga Forum.
The date is positioned within a busy European section of Jones's schedule. According to the published calendar, he performs in Madrid on 30 July before Málaga, followed by a concert in Mörbisch am See on 3 August. Málaga is therefore part of a short series of southern European summer performances before the tour continues towards other European cities and the later North American part of the year.
The city is a suitable stop for audiences combining the concert with a shorter stay in southern Spain. Málaga has an international airport, a railway connection with coastal towns and a developed urban transport network. Málaga Forum itself is not located in the historic centre, so plans for the evening should be built around transport to the Guadalhorce area and the return journey after the performance ends.
Practical information for visitors
- Artist: Tom Jones.
- Venue: Málaga Forum, Málaga, Spain.
- Date: 1 August 2026.
- Doors open: 20:00.
- Concert begins: 22:00.
- The ticket is valid for one day.
The two-hour interval between the doors opening and the concert beginning leaves enough time for entry, ticket checks, security screening and finding the appropriate zone. It should not be interpreted as confirmation of a support act or additional programme, because no such schedule is listed in the available announcements.
Arrival by train and bus
For passengers travelling from central Málaga and from the direction of Torremolinos, Benalmádena and Fuengirola, the C-1 suburban railway line is useful. The recommended station is Guadalhorce, from where the Moonlight Málaga series instructions indicate that the journey to the venue continues on foot. Passengers arriving on the C-2 line can transfer to the C-1 at Victoria Kent station.
Bus line 27 connects central parts of Málaga with the Polígono Guadalhorce area. Additional options include the A airport line and the M-110 intercity line, which stops beside Avenida de Velázquez. Because the evening timetable may differ from the daytime timetable, the return connection should be checked before departing for the concert, rather than only after the programme has ended.
Metro line L2 may be used for part of the journey. The nearest recommended stations are Puerta Blanca and Palacio de los Deportes, but the final part of the route requires a bus, taxi or another road connection.
Arrival by car and planning the return journey
Access by car leads via the MA-20 and MA-21 roads towards Carretera de la Azucarera Intelhorce. The available information does not state a confirmed number of parking spaces specifically allocated to this concert. It is therefore unwise to assume that parking immediately beside the entrance will be available without waiting.
Those arriving by car should leave earlier, determine a drop-off or parking location in advance and allow for heavier traffic before the doors open. Passengers using a taxi or ride service should arrange a clear return pickup point, because a larger number of vehicles may be directed towards the same access roads simultaneously after the concert ends.
Documents and admission of minors
The organizer requires visitors to carry a physical identification document. Additional rules apply to minors. Children and young people up to and including the age of 15 must have the prescribed authorization and be accompanied by an adult who holds an appropriate ticket for the same zone. Visitors aged 16 and 17 must also bring a signed authorization and their original identification document.
A photograph of a document on a phone is not a substitute for the original during an identity check. Families and groups with minors should prepare the documents before arrival so that the administrative check does not delay entry.
How to make the most of the evening
Arriving around the time the doors open makes sense for visitors who wish to enter more calmly, become familiar with the layout of the venue and take up their preferred position. The two hours before the beginning also reduce pressure if queues form on the access routes. Those arriving by public transport should save their return plan and check the final departures, especially if they are staying outside Málaga.
At the concert itself, changes of tempo should be expected. Jones's more recent programmes often begin more calmly, demand attentive listening and only then expand towards the hits that lift the audience. Such an introduction may surprise visitors expecting an immediate sequence of radio classics, but it is precisely there that his voice displays the most character today.
Tickets for this event are in demand. For audiences wishing to hear how "It's Not Unusual", "Delilah" and "Sexbomb" work alongside introspective songs from the album "Surrounded by Time", Málaga Forum offers a rare opportunity for several periods of one long career to meet in the same evening.
Sources:
- Moonlight Málaga - date, doors opening time, concert starting time, highlighted songs, rules for minors and arrival instructions.
- Málaga Forum - address, area, capacity, configurations and layout of venue zones.
- Tom Jones - tour schedule and reports from recent performances published on the artist's website.
- Official Charts - the result achieved by the album "Surrounded by Time" and the record on the UK Albums Chart.
- EL PAÍS - context of the first edition of the Moonlight Málaga series and the role of the Tom Jones concert in its opening.
- New England Rock Review - description of the concert approach and combination of repertoire on the 2025 tour.