When Elton came calling
ELTON John couldn’t believe his eyes when he dropped by Wet Wet Wet’s dressing room to say hello.
The superstar was such a big fan of Popped In Souled Out he’d invited the band to open for him on a US tour.
The itinerary included legendary venues like The Hollywood Bowl and Madison Square Garden.
“Elton loved our music so he thought I can help these guys,” recalled Tommy.
“We arrived at the Spectrum Arena in Philadelphia after an overnight flight and were absolutely shattered. We ended up lying on the floor of this tiny dressing room trying to grab some sleep before soundcheck.
“Elton saw us and said what are you doing? He immediately gave us his dressing room with tables laid out with food and which was decorated with plastic trees and astroturf. It was the real five-star treatment. He said ‘you need it more than I do’.”
The Wets were promoted to the premier league as a live band on the back of the album’s phenomenal success.
They toured the UK with Lionel Richie and played the famous Budokan in Tokyo.
Another highlight was their appearance at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute at Wembley Stadium. The list of acts taking part – including Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Dire Straits, Simple Minds, Bee Gees, Eurythmics and Peter Gabriel – read like a Who’s Who of Pop.
“It was a wonderful day. I was walking around in an absolute daze at the sheer scale of the event,” recalled Tommy. “You looked one way and there was Sting talking to Bryan Adams, looked another to see Phil Collins.
“I felt like a wee kid in among all of that. Even though we were only doing one song – Wishing I Was Lucky – it was the biggest, most important single show we’d ever been involved in.
“Two minutes before we walked on stage, Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits gave us a little bit of advice. He said you’re going out there to play to 70,000 people but don’t forget there are another 600 million watching on TV in 67 different countries.
“That really put the fear of God into us. But we were honoured to take part. It opened a huge door for us.”
Now, the new-look Wets – fronted by singer Kevin Simm – are hitting the road again.
In October, they play gigs in Perth, Aberdeen and Edinburgh as part of a 20-date UK tour to promote The Journey, their first studio album since 2007.