Tom Jones International

TJI has reviews and the random story from Brighton and Dublin (and of the incident — not involving Sir Tom — at the VIP party after his Dublin show) but I thought the story below was more newsworthy and I’ve been so anxious to tell you about it since Friday. So, tomorrow we’ll go back to reviews and we also have an audio interview for the next few days.

First, some background: As a journalist, I’ve wanted to interview Bono for a very long time. When I knew he would be in Las Vegas, I put in my request and his PR people — like those of so many other celebrities — didn’t deny the request, they just didn’t respond. Now, Bono’s is not alone….lots of PR firms do this to all sorts of writers and media outlets. The lesson for a journalist? Expect nothing and be surprised if you even get a denial. (And, I want to make it clear, I am not referring to Tom Jones’ people. If they deny an interview, they inform the journalist. As far as I’ve heard, they may not grant it, but they don’t just ignore a media request.)

Anyway, if I’d gotten the interview with Bono I’d have asked him about his major world issues, the Nobel Prize, the work he and The Edge are doing on the Broadway show Spiderman and, of course, about Tom Jones and Sugar Daddy. But I didn’t get the interview so I couldn’t ask all that.

Until Friday afternoon, October 23, that is, when I got to ask one question. The others I’ll save because I live in hope to get that “real” interview.

When entering a concert venue, Bono has a practice of generally stopping to greet waiting fans. Now, the fans don’t always know where to wait, but they try their luck and, sometimes, they get lucky.

So, there I was Friday at about 4:30 in the afternoon, outside of Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas standing with my daughter, Ruth, and her friends. There were crowds of fans scattered around the vast grounds. Behind a chain link fence across the access road from where we stood, about 200 fans were waiting. The gate in the fence was open to the access road where the car was likely to come in. Looking back, I realize the spot where all those people were standing was directly behind the stage, so it was logical to wait there. Being somewhat illogical, I guess, Ruth, her friends and I — about 15 of us — were behind a simple barricade.

For the rest of this post, two exclusive sound bites and a couple of worthwhile links, click here to

After awhile a mini-caravan of chauffeured cars came in. They didn’t stop but, as they contained members of the Black-Eyed Peas, the opening act, along with U2 members Adam Clayton, Larry Mullin, Jr. and The Edge, the people awaiting Bono were considerably cheered. And, sure enough, about 10 minutes later, he arrived. His car stopped, the door opened and Bono emerged from the passenger side of the back seat. That’s the side of the car where our group was waiting.

He spent a considerable time talking to Melissa and Mathew, friends of my daughter’s, who met outside a U2 concert at Irving Plaza in New York in 2009 and were married here Wednesday night. You can read their story here.

The happy couple was standing to my right. We were separated by two people My daughter was just to my left. Bono finished talking to them and then moved to their right to take more photos. As he finished those photos, he turned to his left and spotted my daughter. Now, he’s known Ruth for several years and she has taken photos and covered various events in which he’s participated for the website U2log.com. One photo she took of Bono with Brandon Flowers of The Killers onstage at the MGM Grand in 2005 was in Rolling Stone in January. (For the record, I am proud of each of my children. I’m talking about Ruth because this story directly involves her. If you want to know about the others, send me an email and I’ll tell you.) So, over the years he’s seen her frequently, spoken with her on a variety of subjects and, clearly, gotten to like her.

When he saw Ruth, he ran over and engulfed her in a big bear hug. They said their hellos and she introduced me — “this is my mom, Ellen” — and muttered quietly to me, “Don’t embarrass me.” Bono was lovely, well-mannered and was happy to meet “Ruth’s mom.” I told him about TJI and and asked him about Sugar Daddy.

Here’s what Bono said about the song Sugar Daddy and the singer for whom he wrote it. (I know the audio is slightly out of kilter, as something happened to the file during the download, but you’ll get the point quite clearly — even if you have to listen to the 25-second clip twice — and, as noted above, this is the first time he’s ever spoken publicly about Tom Jones and Sugar Daddy.)

[It is not news that Bono admires Tom Jones. Just check what Bono said to Rolling Stone in 2005.]

Bono next got on the phone with my daughter’s friend, Jill. Having just spoken to me about Tom, he must have been inspired to introduce himself as he probably never has before and to sing a bit.

He was really very nice, warm and just so lovely to his fans. It was a pleasure to see especially when, over the years, I’ve seen so many performers who aren’t quite as famous as Bono do their best to avoid fans. (Of course, that latter group does not include Tom Jones!) After greeting the larger crowd behind the fence, he went into the venue and we could all hear the sound check loud and clear.

The pleasure went on, all the way through this stop of the U2 360º Tour. During the show* Bono did his best Elvis imitation and sang Viva Las Vegas just before he introduced a man he called “another Elvis — the 42nd President of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton.” Later, introducing the members of U2, he said nice things about bass guitarist Adam Clayton, drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. and to lead guitarist (and co-writer of Sugar Daddy) The Edge.

Of The Edge Bono said, “He’s got more sleight-of-hand than David Copperfield, more mental agility than David Blaine and more Welshness than Tom Jones.”

I doubt The Edge does possess “more Welshness than Tom Jones,” but it was nice to hear a mention of Sir Tom before a sold-out crowd of almost 40,000.

*Notes on “the show:” If you’ve never seen a U2 concert you should try to do so ASAP (or, on their next tour, as this one ended last night in Vancouver). Even if you are not a fan — and I am a fan of both U2′s music (because Ruth played it incessantly when we lived together so I couldn’t help it) and, even more, of Bono’s causes — it’s an amazing experience. The show employs bridge-like ramps that swing out over the audience so that even those on the far end of the outdoor venue — and this tour was all outdoor venues — can get reasonably close to Bono, The Edge, Adam and, even, Larry, at some point during the show. It is a technological marvel and combines great music with ONE, Bono’s great cause.

Other Notes: First, many thanks to Nico! Photo of Bono performing on October 23 © Ruth Barohn. Photo of Bono above above left talking Tom is from Ellen’s iPhone. If you look real closely at that photo, you’ll see someone in a red t-shirt talking on the phone in a reflection in Bono’s shades. That “someone in red” is Ruth and, a bit later, he signed her t-shirt. It was one of the Red Campaign shirts sold here at the Gap that has on it one word written like this: “DESI(RED).” Above that word he wrote “Bono” and below he wrote “me, 2009,” so it came out to say “Bono DESI(RED) Me 2009.” Very cute and original….Wish I could show you, but Ruth asked me not to post the photo of her. But it’s in my iPhone so, when we meet…..