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ONE love, blood, life
For 10 Years I Ran Glasgow Fruit and Veg Shops...Now I Tour the World With U2
WHEN U2 storm Hampden on their Vertigo tour tomorrow night, it'll be a homecoming for a key member of the rock band's crew.
Tommy Whitelaw, from Glasgow, is their global merchandising manager, and he'll be so busy he'll be around for hours after the band have left the stage. But, as he tells RUSSELL LEADBETTER, he wouldn't have it any other way.
TOMMY Whitelaw used to run fruit and veg shops but, as much as he liked it, it doesn't even begin to compare with his current job.
Tommy, 42, is in charge of the global merchandising operation for U2 - the biggest band in the world.
Tomorrow night, while U2 captivate 50,000 fans at Hampden, Tommy will be a constant blur as he speeds from one merchandising tent to another, making sure the supplies never run out, and ironing out any problems.
He will arrive at the national stadium at 5am, will be in charge of up to 140 people, and will still be around a few hours after the gig, balancing the books and doing the stock control.
Yet he wouldn't have it any other way. He adores U2, loves the way they view their fans, and he loves his job - full stop.
Tommy says: "I ran fruit and veg shops for 10 years, and you know what, this ain't that different.
"I was a passionate fruit and veg man and now I'm a passionate T-shirt man.
"I think I've got the best job in the world. It's nothing to do with money."
Back in 1988, Tommy was tour manager of Scots band Texas, and when they went off to make an album, Tommy was asked as a favour to help out with the merchandise for heavy metal band Iron Maiden.
"That's when I found my role in life - I never went back to tour managing," he says.
He's spent 15 years in rock 'n' roll merchandising. He was with Madonna last year, toured with the Spice Girls in the US, did two tours with Depeche Mode, and also worked with Sting, Pink Floyd, Elton John, Busted, McFly, Kylie and Primal Scream.
He's been with U2 for five years, and was with them on every gig during their last world tour, Elevation, in 2001.
"I watched that tour for 101 nights," he says. "We finished in Miami, and for the first time in my life, I was almost depressed because I thought, 'what do I after this?'
"It's like scoring a goal in the cup final. What do you do after scoring? You can't beat that feeling.
"I was really concerned about how I would be, going on tour again, because I seemed to reach all the different emotions on that tour that I hadn't reached before."
Now he's back with Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jnr and Adam Clayton for the Vertigo tour.
It kicked off in north America in March and is now taking Europe by storm before returning to North America.
By December 19, the tour will have stretched to 110 dates. Advance ticket sales ensured that sold-out notices went up months ago, and boosted U2's collective fortune, which has already been estimated at £440million.
However, considerable sums also flow in on the night, thanks to the huge range of merchandise, without which no self-respecting U2 fan's night is complete.
This is where Tommy comes in.
"America was really good," he says of the tour. "There's nothing better than doing a sold-out tour, and the atmosphere was just amazing.
"These guys are like my family, the only pals I've got. I go home and I'm bored.
"I think everybody on this tour is proud of the band.
"Without sounding corny, every day you think, 'I can't believe I'm doing this', as I'm sure the band themselves feel.
"I used to work with a young Scottish band called Slide. They were boys of 17, and the excitement on their faces, going on at Strathclyde University, is the same as watching U2 walking out on to these shows.
"You can smell it, you can feel it.
"I'm not that corny a person, but tours like this, I think, you only get once in a lifetime.
"I've done every kind of tour you can imagine, and I want this one to last as long as it can."
The one constant aggravation comes from bootleggers - the people who make a fast buck by selling unofficial, rip-off T-shirts and other merchandise. Tommy has called on police, trading standards and security men to crack down on them.
HE SAYS: "It's a lot nastier than people understand. They're not nice people. It's a real big business to them, and it's quite naughty.
"I've had a few run-ins with them over the years, and I'm not the most liked guy around. I think it's my Glaswegian side that makes me unable to stand for it."
One night, at 2am, he walked into a fast-food restaurant in Sheffield after a concert there.
"I walked in, and there were about 35 of them, sitting counting their money. It was the most horrific moment of my life. I turned grey.
"I hadn't noticed them at first but could hear a murmur in the background. I turned round and there they all were, and they were just like, 'Get him'.
"I had to run. My pal started the car and they chased us for about 10 miles. That was too close for comfort."
The one thing Tommy hates about his life on the road is being separated from his girlfriend Heidi, a touring chef with Coldplay. "It'll be Christmas Eve before we see each other again.
"She came to Chicago to see us, and Coldplay came down to the show. As Chris Martin walked in with Gwyneth Paltrow, Heidi was talking to me. Chris looked at us and was panic-stricken - he said to Heidi, 'Don't tell me you've gone to work for U2!'
"Heidi likes Chris so much and it was a great moment for us. For him to panic over the thought that the girl who cooks his food was jumping ship to work for U2 was quite funny."
Evening Times
WHEN U2 storm Hampden on their Vertigo tour tomorrow night, it'll be a homecoming for a key member of the rock band's crew.
Tommy Whitelaw, from Glasgow, is their global merchandising manager, and he'll be so busy he'll be around for hours after the band have left the stage. But, as he tells RUSSELL LEADBETTER, he wouldn't have it any other way.
TOMMY Whitelaw used to run fruit and veg shops but, as much as he liked it, it doesn't even begin to compare with his current job.
Tommy, 42, is in charge of the global merchandising operation for U2 - the biggest band in the world.
Tomorrow night, while U2 captivate 50,000 fans at Hampden, Tommy will be a constant blur as he speeds from one merchandising tent to another, making sure the supplies never run out, and ironing out any problems.
He will arrive at the national stadium at 5am, will be in charge of up to 140 people, and will still be around a few hours after the gig, balancing the books and doing the stock control.
Yet he wouldn't have it any other way. He adores U2, loves the way they view their fans, and he loves his job - full stop.
Tommy says: "I ran fruit and veg shops for 10 years, and you know what, this ain't that different.
"I was a passionate fruit and veg man and now I'm a passionate T-shirt man.
"I think I've got the best job in the world. It's nothing to do with money."
Back in 1988, Tommy was tour manager of Scots band Texas, and when they went off to make an album, Tommy was asked as a favour to help out with the merchandise for heavy metal band Iron Maiden.
"That's when I found my role in life - I never went back to tour managing," he says.
He's spent 15 years in rock 'n' roll merchandising. He was with Madonna last year, toured with the Spice Girls in the US, did two tours with Depeche Mode, and also worked with Sting, Pink Floyd, Elton John, Busted, McFly, Kylie and Primal Scream.
He's been with U2 for five years, and was with them on every gig during their last world tour, Elevation, in 2001.
"I watched that tour for 101 nights," he says. "We finished in Miami, and for the first time in my life, I was almost depressed because I thought, 'what do I after this?'
"It's like scoring a goal in the cup final. What do you do after scoring? You can't beat that feeling.
"I was really concerned about how I would be, going on tour again, because I seemed to reach all the different emotions on that tour that I hadn't reached before."
Now he's back with Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jnr and Adam Clayton for the Vertigo tour.
It kicked off in north America in March and is now taking Europe by storm before returning to North America.
By December 19, the tour will have stretched to 110 dates. Advance ticket sales ensured that sold-out notices went up months ago, and boosted U2's collective fortune, which has already been estimated at £440million.
However, considerable sums also flow in on the night, thanks to the huge range of merchandise, without which no self-respecting U2 fan's night is complete.
This is where Tommy comes in.
"America was really good," he says of the tour. "There's nothing better than doing a sold-out tour, and the atmosphere was just amazing.
"These guys are like my family, the only pals I've got. I go home and I'm bored.
"I think everybody on this tour is proud of the band.
"Without sounding corny, every day you think, 'I can't believe I'm doing this', as I'm sure the band themselves feel.
"I used to work with a young Scottish band called Slide. They were boys of 17, and the excitement on their faces, going on at Strathclyde University, is the same as watching U2 walking out on to these shows.
"You can smell it, you can feel it.
"I'm not that corny a person, but tours like this, I think, you only get once in a lifetime.
"I've done every kind of tour you can imagine, and I want this one to last as long as it can."
The one constant aggravation comes from bootleggers - the people who make a fast buck by selling unofficial, rip-off T-shirts and other merchandise. Tommy has called on police, trading standards and security men to crack down on them.
HE SAYS: "It's a lot nastier than people understand. They're not nice people. It's a real big business to them, and it's quite naughty.
"I've had a few run-ins with them over the years, and I'm not the most liked guy around. I think it's my Glaswegian side that makes me unable to stand for it."
One night, at 2am, he walked into a fast-food restaurant in Sheffield after a concert there.
"I walked in, and there were about 35 of them, sitting counting their money. It was the most horrific moment of my life. I turned grey.
"I hadn't noticed them at first but could hear a murmur in the background. I turned round and there they all were, and they were just like, 'Get him'.
"I had to run. My pal started the car and they chased us for about 10 miles. That was too close for comfort."
The one thing Tommy hates about his life on the road is being separated from his girlfriend Heidi, a touring chef with Coldplay. "It'll be Christmas Eve before we see each other again.
"She came to Chicago to see us, and Coldplay came down to the show. As Chris Martin walked in with Gwyneth Paltrow, Heidi was talking to me. Chris looked at us and was panic-stricken - he said to Heidi, 'Don't tell me you've gone to work for U2!'
"Heidi likes Chris so much and it was a great moment for us. For him to panic over the thought that the girl who cooks his food was jumping ship to work for U2 was quite funny."
Evening Times
