HOWARD JONES - HOPE YOU FIND ME IN YOU

CONCERTS - Favorite Experiences

Add your story about your favourite show!

Sythe Tour '93

The last show he did in Utah was in Deer Valley. It was great. During "Tommorrow Is Now" he would stop singing for a few seconds and would keep turning around. At the end of the song he said "Sorry about that one the microphone kept shocking my bloody lips!" That just added to the great concert that it was. He played "Things Can Only Get Better" at the very end.. in salsa style! In fact many of his older songs were re-arranged into different version. All in all one of the best concerts and highest energy levels from a performer than I have ever seen. -Justin Utley Salt Lake City UT

Greetings Hojo fans - Lets just say that I haven't had the best luck with HoJo concerts. In 1996 I was able to get my girlfriend and myself tickets to the Live Acoustic America show in Cleveland. I was very excited as HoJo was one of those "must see " artists. Because of my work I arrived late to the show only to find that my girlfriend was sitting with her ex and another friend. Lets just say that she was paying a little more attention to him than I. I was however determined to enjoy the show! I ended up sitting with college friends and saving my arguement with my soon - to - be - ex-girlfriend for after the show. Flash forward to August of 1998 and HoJo is part of the Culture Club Human League Hojo Tour. Howard opened the show to a fantastic crowd. I heard it - from the ticket office while they were looking for the tickets they had lost or something. Finally after HoJo was done - I made my way to my seat. I figured "There is something preventing me from enjoying a Howard Jones concert...." I managed to explain to Mr Stopps of my ordeal and he arranged for my friend and I to meet with Howard in-between band sets. Howard was very generous he signed a few items and posed for pictures. We had a short but fun talk about reggae music and his hopes to record more songs in the future. Now in October of that same year I arranged for my radio show to have an interview with HoJo after his soundcheck. I arrived on time only to find the venue locked and the concert cancelled. I was notified by email - only my email was down that day.... Needless to say I look forward to any chance to see and hear HoJo play. Not to long ago - the official site mentioned Rhino Records producing an anthology for Hojo - anyone know whats up with that? All my best to you my fellow HoJo fans. Todd

This summer when HOJO played in Denver he appeared in a renovated show-halltheater. The intimacy was more than I could ever hope for! After the show he came out and as if being 3 feet away during the whole show wasn't enough he talked socialized and signed autographs. The 2nd show he REALLY kicked up the level and was jumping all over the stage. Anyone who hasn't tracked down his 2 new albums Working in the backroom and People you have GOT to find them.. they are some of his best work EVER!! Oh .. as an added bonus for anyone who caught the tour last summer ... Howards guitarist was none other than the former lead singer songwriter for the group Kajagoogoo!! What an incredible concert! With Love Always Charles King

Gabriela Cristo MEXICO I've seen Howard Jones only once but it was one of the best concerts I've ever been The Jazz Caf London on September 6th 1993 and was one of the first ones to get Working in the Backroom. I was standing as close as I could and I had my picture taken with him!!! First song Pearl in the shell... and I could go on.. I taped the songs in the concerts order.. I only wish that Howard could come to Mexico so I could see him again!!!

Colin Australia I remember the most amazing technologically advanced concert I ever witnessed was in Edinburgh Scotland. It was back in the mid 80s .I was second row from the front the whole stage levetated and gyrated out over the audience . AWESOME I was only about 15 years old and I have been a deticated fan ever since . Good on you howard Keep em coming.

Its been years since I saw Howard Jones play live... it was back around 1987 at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado. A marvelous show I'll never forget. I only wish I'd been able to see him again. He'll always be a part of my formative years a memory with me always... for that I thank him.

Howard just played a free outdoors concert for Riverfest in Hartford CT on July 3 1999. The last time I saw Howard was in Seattle WA back in 1985. While I some what prefer the synth-based music HoJo still puts on a great show. I was fortunate enough to arrive early and catch rehearsal during which he signed The Best of... CD liner for me.

My favourite show was the Brannigans Manchester concert on the 30th March 1999. I was right at the front only feet away from Howard. I got him to notice me and shook his hand twice. At the end Paul my husband asked for his set list. I got the one he had been standing on during the concert. I was like a teenager again. I have some very good photos of the night too. Dawn a Hojo fan since the beginning.

At the end of 98 I caught Howard Jones at a little place in NYC. The gig wasn't promoted well so there was only about 150 people there. Girlfriend opened. I've been a big fan for years but never saw him live. I'm glad I waited.
There he was 10 feet from me singing his wonderful songs. His bassist is great. You get the feeling that he's not
just a millionaire cashing in but a millionaire who really enjoys performing.

April 21 1987. How could I ever forget that date Colony Colliseum near Albany NY. It was the One To One tour. I still have the T-shirt! What an amazing show. Likely I will never forget it. After that I was hooked.

Howard we will see you on the 26th March at the shephards bush empire for a fabulous concert. Russell James

Manchester at the Royal College Of Music where he was a student In 94 he returned and I was there! He left the stage and walked within 10 feet of me and I was too shy at 25!!!! to rush over and shake his hand! If I had that time over again.......

Howard did a quickie gig at West One Four in W.Kensington on 28 September. Only did 4 or 5 songs with consumate professionalism and at the end of the set my girlfriend Lindsay and myself ran backstage to get my new copy of People signed. Howard not only signed it but had a chat mainly to Lins I was speechless and let us have a photo taken with him as well. Top bloke. Looking forward to many more gigs. I thought the version of New Song played at the Jazz Cafe in July was excellent.

I Have Seen Howard Three Times Now ..I Was Lucky To See Him The Third Time In Florida. My Wife And My Self Seen Him Proform In Tampa.He Proformed SoloJustHim And His piano.But The Best Was About Three Years Earlyer.I Had Seen Him At Pineknob In Michigan.It Was The Best Show I Had Ever Seen.One Of Your Biggest Fans Tony Doane From Tampa

August 10th 1998 - Saratoga Springs New York. It was the first time Ive ever seen Howard and it was during the Big Rewind Tour. He was the first one to perform that night and of course the most unforgettable one. His first song was "Pearl In the Shell" and I sang every word with pride. He sang every word so clearly to the people already sitting down and to the ones rushing into the ampitheatre to catch the rest of the set. He didnt disappoint either. He seemed to connect with us from the first second he was onstage. When the song was over we cheered loudly. But that wasnt enough for Howard - he ran to the edge of the stage and motioned us to cheer even louder. He was really using our voices to energize his own - using our energy to pump himself up. It was an amazing feeling! During "Life In One Day" we were encouraged to get up and shake our hips. Then the song was interrupted in the midst when he discovred most of us singing backup. He mustve really liked that because he had !
us do it again. The highpoint as you can guess was his stirring rendition of "No One Is To Blame." Every person in the place sang every word with precision from the very beginning to the very end where Howard breathes the final words. The place exploded into cheers!
It might have been a short time he was onstage but it was enough to fulfill a teenage dream. For now. Bout time you realized you are a specialty - there is no one like you!

Monica- I was so psyched that Howard Jones was coming to my area Aug 5 1998. I shocked all of my friends when I said I got tickets to see him. See I am 19 and a huge 80s fan and I love Howard. I can totally relate to the music. Everyone around me was shocked to see that I knew every song except for the new material. When he sang his last song I went numb. He ended with my fave song "Things can only get better" Attending the Rewind concert was awesome. While others were there to see Culture Club my friend Sarah and I were there to see Howard
July 18, 1998 Salt Lake City Utah. Howard was absolutely fabulous! The second song he played was one that hasn't even been recorded yet but I can't think of what it was called. Anyone who was there remember it?
I just flew down to Utah last weekend to see Howard at The Canyons in Park City. Needless to say it was an excellent show not to mention I was in the front row! He played about half of the songs off his new album "People" including Tomorrow is Now Everything Let The People Have Their Say Sleep my Angel dedicated to his three children Wedding Song and Nothing to Fear. The crowd was going crazy especially when he sang NO ONE IS TO BLAME. I hope to catch Howard in Boston or New York as well. Lori -Bellingham WA
Hi great page on Howard Jones! I just saw Howard Jones perform yesterday 26/7/98 in virginia. He was part of the big rewind tour with Human League and Culture Club. He only had an hour to play so it was a rather short concert. Well I haven't seen Howard Jones perfrom before though I first saw the him in the New Song video in 1984 on MTV so this was a good opportunity for me to see him. Well it was quite different from what I expected there were hardly any keyboards an organ though one drummer one guitarist and one bass player. It was a very rock oriented show every song was redone to play like an acousticrock version. He played the following songs Pearl In The Shell, You're The Buddha, We Make The Weather, Things Can Only Get Better, What Is Love, Life In One Day, No One Is To Blame, a new song from the album, Everlasting Love. His voice was great and he looked a lot older he has really dark hair now too!...I guess I should have known the songs were going to be really different from what I expected but they were still well done. Anyway the crowd liked all the slow songs and Howard Jones was very active and got the crowd to sing along with every song ... overall Im glad to have seen him but maybe he will tour for the new album and have more time to sing more songs and have more original versions of the songs...later - raj
Eric - Fort Lauderdale FL - I have 2 very memorable experiences. The first was when I saw Howard live during the "Acustic Tour" 1993 at the Carefree Theatre in West Palm Beach Florida. It was a relatively small venue about 400 people. I had gotten tickets for my girlfriend it was our 1 year anniversary. We had 4th row isle seats on stage right - just in front of Howard with Carol Steel spelling to the right. It was a very memorable evening. That night inspired me to study the piano. The second experience was just last week the week of 72098 when Howard was on LiveConcerts.Com for an interview. I submitted a question to Howard "Your music has inspired me to study piano what were your influences and when did you start" If you were logged in that evening you know that my question was one of 5 read from the hundreds submitted!!!! It was unbelievable that my question was read and that Howard as well as presumably thousands of people heard my name. It is something I will never forget. Howard is a lyrical genius and a master composer. Many of his songs have helped me see many things in a different light. Thank you for providing an area for people to share their experiences.
I've seen Howard Jones in concert only twice. They were both fantastic events. I do remember missing his Cross That Line tour my sister got tickets for herself and her friends but not for me I cried for days! I just went to his "People" concert in Salt Lake City last night! What a great show! The audience was very responsive and Howard performed eveything perfectly. It couldn't have been more wonderful. Well it could have if it hadn't ended so soon! One memorable moment was when he started up "No One is to Blame" Personally my favorite HoJo song not to mention my favorite song of all time EVER everyone in the audience went wild. I think it must be on everyones Favorites List - we all recognized it at once and the cheering became so raucous that Howard and his band just stopped playing. He was so amazed by our response. He just stood in the middle of the stage and threw up his hands as if to say "I'm playing a song here!" But I think he was flattered though. He came back onstage for 2 encores which was not enough for me! My first Howard Jones concert was 2 years ago -- Live Acoustic America the Salt Lake City concert was recorded for video. I have been anxiously and impatiently awaiting the release of this video. I want to relive it and I think that everyone should be able to witness one of the best concerts of all time! Howard Jones is so wonderful! As we all know! I was fortunate enough to get his autograph and shake his hand at a "meet-and-greet" held at a local record shop the day before both of his past two concerts here in Utah. I cannot describe how terrific he is but you all know that don't you? Please if anyone has news about that Live Acoustic America concert video keep me posted! I'm dying to get my hands on it! Cheers! Liz
I have seen Howard four times and will see him again on August 1, 1998 I've seen him at Jones Beach twice and at Madison Square Garden but my favorite was at the Academy in NYC. It was very intimate and I sat right near the stage. Howard talked to the small audience a lot. I got one of his best albums while at that show. It was "Working in the back Room" Jill
I first saw HoJo in Salt Lake City in 1989 at ParkWest. I have been a fan since I was 12 and really regretted not being able to make any of the earlier concerts but Im making up for lost time now by going to every show I can. I will be seeing him play for the 5th time come July 18th in Salt Lake at The Canyons. The 2nd time I saw him play was at Kingsbury Hall on the University of Utah campus. I had arrived several hours early and had watched Howard warm up from above in the Balcony no one knew I was there. And then shortly after that I had been walking around outside and from around the corner here comes Howard! I was so shocked and totally speechless. Here was my idol and all I could say was "Howard!" I felt stupid. But that soon passed and I went in and absolutely adored the concert. I had 5th row seats and no one stood up in front of me and this is very rare for SL shows. Everyone always gets in to it. This was the Acoustic Tour with Carole It also sold out but there was only 1500 seats. Howard later returned in October of 94 for The Synthesizer Tour and since it was GA I had front row for that one. He was fantastic as usual. The following year August of 95 he did a special show at Wolf Mountain Which was formerly Parkwest but is now The Canyons as part of a local rdio stations birthday bash. I had heard about it only a week before and I really wanted to go but at the time I was living in Jackson WY and had to travel almost 4 hours to get to it. I got the tickets and was on my way but got in a car accident and never made it. I was more upset about missing the concert than I was about totalling my car. I went to the Live Acoustic America concert at the Huntsman Center and had 4th row seats for that one. They videotaped that particular show but I haven't heard anything about when that will be available. Earier on that day Howard made an in-store appearance at the Media Play in Orem. I felt very lucky to get his autograph because they cut the end of the line only two people behind me. David Stopps was talking to everyone in line and when he got to me he had asked me how far I had come to be there. I live in Logan so I had travelled 150 miles to Orem and I guess thats why I lucked out.
My first HoJo concert was in 1989 at ParkWest which is now The Canyons. He played "Assault & Battery" and had a slide show with it showing all sorts of farm animals and the horrible conditions they are raised under on Factory Farms. Howard fights for such noble causes!
I couldn't resist adding my favorite concert experience to the collection. The Synthesizer Tour was announced maybe a week before it happened. My husband and I arrived over an hour early and were surprised to find Thelma and John selling cds and T-shirts! The venue was a small nightclub. We talked Thelmas ear off for at least an hour until the place filled up and the concert was to begin. Thelma promised that if we waited Howard would talk to us after the show. I'd only been to one HoJo concert before and I'd never met him but I was hoping to meet him this time and Thelmas words made me so happy! The show was fabulous. Working in the Backroom is my favorite cd of all time! Well we waited in the cold November air for an hour. Many of the less faithful left. I tied Howard a friendship bracelet with the word "HOJO" on it. I was determined to give it to him in person! Finally Howard came out of the tourbus. He looked fabulous in a red velvet smoking jacket. I told him most of what I meant to say and I gave him the bracelet. That night changed my attitude toward Howard. I no longer doubt that he loves his fans and that he is as good a person as he seems. I no longer think of him as a friend I've never met just one I dont see often!
I think I must be privileged to have witnessed four of the greatest HoJo concerts of his career so far. The first was the day Look Mama entered the UK charts around number 15 if I remember correctly. We were all on a coach trip from Ipswich to Wembley Arena. Must have been 84. Next was the Last World Dream. After Wembley I just had to be there! It was special for me because my brother a Status Quo fan who hated smoothies conceded that Howard was actually quite good and came too. He loved Howards guitar solo in the middle of Always Asking Questions. "This is nearly as good as a Quo concert" he shouted across to me - I took it as a compliment! I'm so glad Howard videoed that concert - keeps the memories fresh! The One To One Tour at the Royal Albert Hall was fantastic. The best modern artist in the best venue singing "A Day in the Life". Who could ask for more And more recently the Angels and Lovers gig at the Bloomsbury Theatre. This time I was able to share the wonderful talent of Howard with my wife. If you're a parent when the album comes out I know you will be moved by "Sleep My Angel" as I was. I'm glad my wife could finally understand where the fanaticism about Howard comes from. He may play synths but unlike so many others he brings them alive! This man is in touch with people in a way that constantly amazes and unlifts! He deserves another 15 minutes in the limelight ref. Nik Kershaw
June 3rd tomorrow is the ninth anniversary of Tiananmen Square. Shortly after that event in 1989 HoJo came to Mesa Arizona in support of Cross That Line. My sister and I attended and it had been a really good concert even if not all of the technical equipment worked! At one point while they were trying to get mikes back on or whatever Howard sat down and wailed out a version of House of the Rising Sun. We were blown away. At one point in the concert he had everyone holding hands and singing in support of the students at Tiananmen Square. It was touching. We don't even remember what song we sang - just that we sang it. We do definitely remember everybody knowing all the words to all the songs! The way we see it the Accoustic Live album came about because of the technical difficulties of that Arizona concert! Linda
Seen Howard many times but the first will always be the sweetest. It was at Jones Beach Theatre on Long Island for the Dream Into Action tour. This is an ampitheatre on the water and is always a great place to see a show. Well during the intermission between Animotion and Howard remember "Obsession" the audience started to do the wave. We were all having a lot of fun killing time before he came on stage. Little did we know that someone had told him that we were doing this. Well he came out and put on an incredible show but towards the end he asked us if we could do the wave for him because he had never seen it before. The crowd went nuts and willingly obliged. The best part was that HE was having fun watching us. He loved every minute of it. A moonlit night on the water great music and the wave. I've actually heard him mention that night in interviews. I've seen him many many times since then and the only thing I think that could top that is if I ever heard him play ! "Specialty".-Lisalou
Fran Salt Lake City Three quick memories come to mind Being 2nd in line of 11000 fans in 1985 for the Dream into Action concert. We waited ALL DAY in the hot summer sun to be in front of the stage but the massive crush of fans made things pretty uncomfortable. Howards performance made up for all inconveniences. Its the first time I really remember singing along to all the songs at a concert. I love the way Howard includes all the fans! Then the Acoustic Tour... My friends and I got great seats even though the concert sold out in 2 hours. I loved the smaller more intimate venue. The crowd was on its feet the entire time. We love our Howard Jones in SLC! My friends who were maybe not the enthusiastic fans as I am talked about how great the concert was for days afterward. Then a few months later I was on a business trip in Atlanta and coincidentally Howard was in town with the tour so I went again this time by myself. I was disappointed that the crowd didn't seem as into the concert as I was feeling. The hall was maybe 12 - 34 full and everyone sat down most of the time. The contrast with the SLC concert was very evident. Finally the One to One tour - I am such a big Migde Ure fan and I couldnt believe that Midge was going to open for Howard. I couldnt have constructed a better concert in my dreams. However I got to the concert late and missed Midge altogether--a sore point to this day-but again Howards performance had me spellbound and I was able to briefly get over it and sing along with Howard for the rest of the show. Thanks for letting me reminisce! Fran
It was his first tour of the states back in 80-something. He was supporting the Eurythmics on their tour but I caught him in a solo show at the Palace in Hollywood. He was singing "What is Love" and these girls ran up on stage and kissed him on the cheek. He totally lost his place and seemed quite embarrassed at the attention and he started to laugh. It was very cute. - I've seen him 10+ times since then and every show is absolutely amazing. -Suzie
Julie here! I have seen Howard many times but I think I was most excited at the El Mocambo in Toronto. It was the kick off to The Acoustic Tour. This was going to be the first time I was going to see Howard at such an up-close and personal venue. I had seen him years before at a bigger venue but I knew this was going to be just my scene at a club. We were sitting so close to Howard we could watch his every movement. We were watching his fingers slide over the piano keys his head moving back and forth to the beat of the music the way his leg is always bouncing up and down to the song he is playing whether its fast or slow and the way he plays on the piano in between songs while he is telling us a story about the next song he will be performing. I knew this was the best way to see Howard. He even took a surprise request from the audience. Someone yelled out "Look Mama" Howard was a little surprised and said he hadn't done that song in so long that we would have to sing the words for him! No Problem except that Carole didn't know that song. She picked it up real fast though when Howard started in on the piano and we all started singing. It was halarious even Howard was having fun with us! I have seen Howard 3 more times since then and in that time I have met his parents and Howard himself. I think its a nice thing for Howard to come out after a show and sign autographs and answer questions we all know he must be tired of signing his name by now! Thank You Howard
I saw Howard in concert in 1986 in Los Angeles on the Dream Into Action tour. It was my first concert ever and one of the best I have ever been too. He was great and had the whole stadium screaming and singing. My friend and I screamed so much my friends boyfriend got jealoug hehehe. Love that Howard!!!!! Also saw him with Carol in Live Acoustic America tourI don't know how he does it but just seems to keep topping himself
Hi again ! I saw Howard in 1993 on the Synthesizer Tour in a small pub in MunichGermany. There were only about 30 people but Howard did the greatest show I've ever seen. It was much more intensive than the concert on the Dream into action tour I saw with more than 3000 people. Go on Howard you're just the best !
Steve here again!! Saw Hojo on the One to One Tour at the Royal Albert Hall...when Howard and Jed came out in the "Ninja" masks..... Halfway through the gig Howard stopped and said we were in for a surprise...He flicked a few switches and he played drums via his keyboards and Trevor Morais the drummer played Howards keyboards via his drum pads!!! Can't remember what they played...but I was very impressed!!...the same show Jed did the tap dancing bit to "Step into these Shoes" to Trevors drum playing - Superb!!! Steve Reading England.
Roz - One good one was at a One to One concert at an amusement park in Virginia I think and it RAINED! Most of the folks didn't want to tough it out in the rain but we stayed and stood on our chairs in the 2nd row and had a great time. Plus there was the time during the Live Acoustic America tour at the Bayou Club in Georgetown Wash. D.C. where the audience sang the Aphrodisiac part to Life in One Day and Howard stopped right in the middle and told us no one had every done that before and that he was touched.... Plus there was the time at the last tour when me and this other fan in the front row opening night of the last tour sang the backing vocals bits to Will You Still Be There and afterwards David Stopps said that we'd done a great job!
Steve - Went to see Howard at the Ronnie Scott club in Birmingham England. I got chatting to a really nice person called Helen. Helen used a wheel chair but it certainly did not stop the pair of us from "getting on down!!" Howard was as usual absolutely superb!! He played a lot of his new stuff and some of his old stuff - a great mix !! After the gig had finished my wife and I were chatting to Helen when Howard came over !! I could not believe that the person I looked up to for so much was actually less than 2 meters away... HJ said "Hello Helen..how are you..." It turned out that the lovely woman I was chatting to kinda knew Howard!! We all talked and I asked him if he was doing any gigs in London at which point he told me all about the Bloomsbury gig, the orchestra and the fact that it was being recorded by VH-1! The next day I booked my ticket and went to that gig too!!! Superb Christmas!! 2 HoJo gigs in 2 weeks. I feel like a spoilt kid!! I got exactly what I wanted!! Steve. Reading England.
Lynda Stauffer--I guess my favorite show was from the Synthesizer tour 93 when there were so many surprises first the show itself which I found out about two days beforehand, meeting Howard and Thelma, the new album, and most of all discovering that he has so many other fans in Florida! There was a huge line at the door before I even got there! I've been to shows in other places NC and Canada but it seems the fans in Florida really know their stuff and get super excited at shows!! Woo hoo!!!
Kirk Ferguson - I first saw Howard live on his first Acoustic tour with Carol Steele. It was in Toronto at the El Mocambo 1st gig of the tour just Howard on a grand piano and Carol doing percussion. We had great seats right in front of Howard and he amazed the audience with all his great songs. The crowd was singing along with all his hits and taking in some of his newer material from "In The Running". I think Howard and Carol had an amazing time I wish they could have recorded that show it felt like a once in a lifetime gig. I met Howard and Carol after the show which was the best as I had been a fan for so long. Howard is one of the few performers that I would make a huge effort to make sure I see him live on each tour his live shows are not to be missed.
Fumio Watanabe - I can tell you one memory that I went to HOJO live in Tokyo when I was 18. At the concert, he used an interpreter on the stage! I was surprised and moved. Most musicians come to Japan to play the music. But they seemed to play the music only! And they looked like they need no audience. But Howard didn't give up to tell his message to us in Japanese. He told us the meaning of the song before he sang it, not only using an interpreter but also by himself in Japanese. I know he made many efforts to do so. I was very happy to see his kindness and thoughtfulness.
Christine Robinson - Do you remember the first time you heard your favorite song LIVE?? I do...WOW!!! It was 1987 and it was the One To One tour. Guess what song....no not Hide and Seek. Assault and Battery. I was near the back of the Amphitheater and Howard was only 3" tall...but that didn't matter. I heard it. After the first note...(Name that Tune) I was toast. Every note just hits you. You have to sit down, and just hear it, and it's all around you, and the crowd is screaming, and the music is bursting out of the speakers, and it's EVERYWHERE! He always includes the people at the back too! Howard makes every note count. He lives every song. And that's what makes him the best. From a single word to a complete piece, Howard is there. Each album gets better than the last. Songs will linger, and always be special. Hide and Seek is definitely one of them. It's a masterpiece. This is the best reason to see Howard Live...he always gives his best.