The Sir Tom Jones Harvest Moon concert was held at McLean Park in Napier on Saturday. The show was hailed a success despite a few scammers approaching fans afterwards.
The Sir Tom Jones Harvest Moon concert was held at McLean Park in Napier on Saturday. The show was hailed a success despite a few scammers approaching fans afterwards.
A pair of baggy undies, a new friendship, a delighted crowd and an incompetent attempt to scam people followed Sir Tom Jones’ only NZ concert this year at the weekend.
Supporters who attended Sir Tom Jones’ only New Zealand concert were giving satisfied reviews of his performance at McLean Park online when they got a titillating response from a social media account claiming to be the man himself.
Hawke’s Bay Today’s review of Saturday’s showgarnered hundreds of comments on Facebook, but many of them were from pages impersonating Sir Tom Jones.
The most prolific, a fake account with just over a thousand followers and no blue tick, reached out to commenters wanting their details and urging them to get in touch, using some terrible grammar in the process.
Some realised it was a scam and didn’t engage - after all Sir Tom’s official account has 2.9 million followers.
But other concertgoers were taken by the offer from the man himself and replied before Hawke’s Bay Today blocked the profiles outright.
'Massage me directly': A fake Facebook account with name Tom Jones official tempts a fan to make contact, with the aim of extracting money or personal information from them.
While Netsafe chief online safety officer Sean Lyons said the organisation hadn’t received any reports of scams related to the concert or Tom Jones specifically, the fact that this behaviour was occurring didn’t surprise him.
“Scammers will use any event, any significant point in time and actually anything that collects people together in one place online to try and extract money or personal information from them,” Lyons said.
“We see similar activity after significant weather events, natural disasters, significant sporting fixtures, and, unfortunately, even funerals. All these things have in common that they attract groups of people into the same places online and allow scammers to target them with convincing stories that they hope will trick people into parting with their money or their details.”
He said in this case, the promise of exclusive access to a venue, or even to the performers themselves, might appeal to people who have already indicated their interest or excitement about the show.
As for what people can do, as fans, we need to make sure we don’t put aside our usual cautious self when faced with potential contact from the “official” artist account.
“We need to take a minute to breathe and ask ourselves some questions. How likely is this scenario I’m being faced with? Does this account have links to any other parts of the artist’s infrastructure? Is social media authorised by the artist making these claims, too?”
Lyons said if the answer to these kinds of questions was making the scenario look less and less likely, then perhaps it’s time to walk away or limit your interactions until you can get some third-party confirmation.
If you feel unsure, reach out to friends and family or contact Netsafe for advice on how to deal with the potential scam.
Harvest Moon Festival ‘really positive’
Napier City Council events manager Kevin Murphy hailed the McLean Park event as a success, echoing similar sentiments from promoters Endeavour Live.
“Just about all of the feedback has been really positive. We know a few operational things could be tweaked for next time, but overall, the venue and having the crowd on the ground worked really well. It was really good from a delivery review.”
An Endeavour spokesperson said Jones put on “a show to remember at Harvest Moon, delighting the lively and energetic crowds”.
“We’re proud to have brought the first ever international artist to McLean Park, and we look forward to many more shows in this great venue.”
An NCC spokesperson said no one was ejected from the park, and “about six pairs of undies” made it onto the stage.
Baggy undies and a friend for life
One of those pairs of undies belonged to local Niki Tee, who ended up making a lifelong friend as a result of her knicker-throwing experience.
“I somehow got given a packet of some of the biggest undies I’ve ever seen and thought I needed to do something with these,” she told Hawke’s Bay Today.
Tee wasn’t anywhere near the front, so her chances of flinging the garments at Sir Tom were slim.
But from out of the darkness came a shining Welsh light of hope. Charlotte Watts, who was in the VIP section near the front, offered her husband’s VIP pass to do the deed.
Charlotte Watts (right) and husband Simon helped one eager fan complete a "Welsh duty" at the Sir Tom Jones concert at McLean Park in Napier.
“No one got in any trouble, and everyone was willing to help get the undies on stage. It was like the parting of the ocean, and people just let us through,” Tee explained.
Watts said it was her “Welsh duty” to get Tee up the front to throw the undies, and after tracking her down afterwards on Facebook said she’s found a “friend for life.”
“I’m so happy we could give Sir Tom a homely Welsh/Kiwi welcome to Hawke’s Bay. Throwing underwear at Sir Tom is a long-standing tradition, and I feel like I have now lived my life to the fullest by being part of said tradition!”
She confirmed they were “granny undies” that were brand new, clean and not hers.
“I’d like to thank my husband who refused to help me throw said underwear at Tom but agreed to kindly lend his VIP pass.”
She called the concert a “great success” and said it proved that music can unite us and empower us all.
Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
