London So Lucky as Smooth Diamond Serves Up Second Sensational Show! 

 

 

23rd June, 2008

 

The O2 Arena, London, England

On stage; 8.18pm
Off stage; 10.19pm
Concert time; 2hr 01mnts.

Neil wore; Black jacket, Black sparkling shirt with Blue sparkling design on front & collar – Superb!

                             

On a beautiful night in old London town Neil Diamond continued to weave his magical spells with another super-show before a 2nd SRO crowd. Present at the show tonight were the very special friends of Neil’s, the Tavistock’s of Woburn.

 

That special ambience that seems unique to these wonderful gatherings was again evident long before Neil stepped on stage. Once more there were hugely encouraging signs of a brand new army of fans as the vast arena was liberally sprinkled with younger excited and enthusiastic fans, joining in with the many long timers that have made this extraordinary journey so many times before.

 

 Neil’s appearance, as if from nowhere, at the rear of the imposing stage brought many sections of the audience to stand and cheer wildly, and he was able to say simply “Hello London” as the cheers grew ever louder before he started tasting that One more bite of the Apple; the noise certainly didn’t abate as Holly Holy whisked us back to our more youthful times, and how that walk with attitude really gets everyone up, it is as if Neil is saying “this is how it’s going to be” and it works perfectly, with the place instantly on fire! The gutsy Street Life followed and most of the floor and many of the riser sections were still dancing and cheering along to the high quality already on show.

 

Neil talked, as he has done frequently, about wanting to give the best show possible, and leaving his heart on the stage for everyone, then he compared London to New York City and joked that the main difference between the two cities was that in New York they don’t appear to speak English too well because of the strong accents, but he spoke with passion as always about his home town before giving us the warm familiar instantly loveable Beautiful Noise and another musical adventure was truly under way.

 

Love on the Rocks highlights Neil’s great stage presence as he works the audience so well, and they respond in kind to one of his many Jazz Singer favourites, then he talked about people in the riser seats right by the stage and said how he had to sing for them and delivered the wonderful Play Me, a song that still has a zillion ladies screaming in all the right parts with Neil admonishing them gently with a “calm down here”!

 

Some songs are just made for energetic dancing and the everlasting appeal of Cherry Cherry provides the perfect moment for Neil, the crowd, and for this magnificent band, all veterans of hundreds of such shows, but each and every one the consummate professional as ever, as they display their unique talents and make it look so easy while having such great fun delighting us all!

 

Thank the Lord for the Nighttime is the perfect partner to continue the high energy start and combines nostalgia 60s rock with the mood of today, the crowd making the connection as Neil leads the charge, dispensing with his jacket on the way to show off that great shirt!

 

 

Home before Dark has confirmed itself to be an album of high quality and durability, having just celebrated a 6th consecutive week in the top 3 of the UK charts, no mean feat in today’s fast paced world, and the beautiful title track portrays the sensitive side of Neil that has had such great appeal over the decades, just him, his guitar and stool, and an appreciative audience! Don't Go There is almost like the Street Life of its day and hits the right spots for this crowd, many dancing in time to this and to Pretty Amazing Grace, a song that is simply that, pretty amazing!

 

The definitive Hot August Night album is revered by fans around the world, so the decision to recreate the opening sequence for this tour has proved to be a masterstroke of epic proportions; how can anyone do anything but love Crunchy Granola Suite; On the day that the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament begins it is the strawberries and the cream is Done Too Soon. I never thought I would hear this song again after 1972, and with every listening there is confirmation that here is a song that was ahead of it’s time and remains in the vanguard of Neil’s academy of excellence.

 

Then a surprise once more as, for the first time on the tour Neil sang the classic Girl, you’ll be a Woman soon and it was simply sensational!


How often over the years have people from all walks of life begged to learn more about Neil. Yet in the stunning trilogy he next delivers he encapsulates a great deal of his early life and his personal experiences as he journeys on; his heartfelt and informative description of his early family life, and the “24/7 love” he experienced from his parents, brother and “a few cousins, aunts & uncles” led into Brooklyn Roads, supported by the wonderfully candid home movie that tells so much, while the majestic I Am..I Said.. that brings such an outpouring of love and affection from the crowd that Neil as often before, has to stop to receive acclaim before he can finish, surely provides insight to the many emotions he continues to feel and Solitary Man talks of the sadness of love found then lost; certainly the most poignant element of this superb show, and the loud applause is confirmation of the esteem bestowed by this audience.

 

Forever in Blue Jeans brings the quiet reflective section to a close as everyone leaps up to party again, and if there WAS anyone still sitting it was hard to see among so many joyful faces, and that was a very tasty appetiser ahead of the banquet that is Sweet Caroline; Swaying, singing, blissful, excited people just abandoning themselves to the wonderful experience of unashamed happiness, in fact SO GOOD, SO GOOD, SO GOOD that Neil decided, with a teeny weenie bit of help from the now delirious crowd, that he would reprise Sweet Caroline and what is better than replicating that which makes you feel so good as he filled it up with “just about 15,482” and had the audience sing the penultimate chorus alone, which we all did really well, but nothing like Neil’s mastery of the great song!

 

Eventually a kind of order was restored and Neil sat at his little table by the side of the boulevard and sipped some wine before he gave us You don’t bring me Flowers, then listened as the graceful Linda responded, before they joined together to reach a stunning pinnacle that brought waves of applause cascading down from all parts of the arena as they bathed in the well deserved success of a superlative duet.

 

The chance to sit and breathe normally was again brief as Linda again remained up front to support Neil, and together they instantly had the crowd up and dancing again with Song Sung Blue, being joined in their pleasurable endeavours by the effervescent Maxine and Julia, and the talented trio remained for the fun as Neil tapped hidden reserves of energy to give a supercharged performance of I’m a Believer that saw the 3 ladies and the Horn Dogs in particular perform an exhausting looking kind of musical aerobics, simply fantastic!

 

Neil then talked again for a while about his and the band’s travels around the world, and by the look of pleasure on Neil’s face he not only enjoyed these times, but maybe even found hotel pillows that were comfortable! The mission, he concluded, was worth it all simply because he saw so many smiling faces when he performed, and he promised that he would keep coming as long as audiences showed up! Then Man of God arrived, a song that has, in my experience, and from the great crowd reactions, grown hugely with each performance and been a stunning success on this tour; with its gospel feel and clever lyrics it is a rising star in the galaxy of greatness.

 

And then……….. Hell Yeah!  A quality creation that perhaps hid its light under a bushel on the 12 Songs album, but has burst forth to reshape the musical landscape of this tour, and talking to as many fans as possible at all the venues to date these sentiments are shared by thousands of folk who have been captivated by the dramatic genius that Neil brings to this dominant superbly crafted giant.

                                                                                                           

The ovations are as long and as loud as any that have gone before, yet you just instinctively know that Neil while cherishing every second, never takes them for granted and, as he has always done, is as appreciative of his adoring audiences as we are of him, if such comparisons are possible! And the atmosphere as he left the stage was as amazing as when he arrived.

 

But he was gone for only as long as it took him to change into another great plum coloured wet look shirt and then we all enjoyed a glass or several of the potent Cracklin’ Rosie and once more this spectacular arena felt as though it was bouncing along the waters of the nearby river Thames, such was the outpouring of sheer exuberance that this greatest of all chart toppers produces.

 

Another great treat next as Neil re-introduced America and again the superb video footage, climaxing with the USA and UK flags together on the huge screens; the whole stunning package caused the decibel level to grow enormously!

 

And finally, the ragged tent was filled to overflowing as the awe inspiring, scary, exciting preacher gathered us all in and endowed us with the sermon of love that only Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show can possibly offer. And the blaze of lights as the climax approaches is thrilling beyond mere words.

 

Every single believer remained to cheer Neil as he took his final farewells and then stood back from the pulpit to allow the superb band to bask in the huge acclaim that was theirs by right! The cool night air was pleasant as we hoped for a smoother journey home than previously, but again, we had those memories and dreams to sustain us long into this, or any other night!

 

                   

Tonight's play list;


#1;One more bite of the Apple/Holly Holy; #2;Street Life; #3; Beautiful Noise; #4 Love on the Rocks; #5; Play Me; #6; Cherry Cherry #7;Thank the Lord for the Night time #8; Home Before Dark; #9; Don't go there; #10 Pretty Amazing Grace; #11; Crunchy Granola Suite; #12; Done Too Soon; #13; Girl, you’ll be a Woman soon #14; Brooklyn Roads; #15; I Am.. I Said..; #16; Solitary Man; #17; Forever in Blue Jeans; #18; Sweet Caroline; #19; Sweet Caroline (Reprise) #20; You don't bring me Flowers; #21 Song Sung Blue; #22; I’m a Believer; #23; Man of God; #24; Hell Yeah; WALK-OFF; #25; Cracklin’ Rosie;  #26; America; #27; BROTHER LOVE'S TRAVELLING SALVATION SHOW; Final walk-off Band Walk-off

 

 

Next Review; The O2 Arena, London, England, 3rd Show;

 

*This will be Neil’s 50th London concert (excluding private functions & limited access TV & Radio performances)

 

Hadley, we can see you too, keep on rocking!

 

For the benefit of the fan who thought I might be on the Diamondville payroll, since I don’t offer any criticism of the performance, as to the first part of the observation…. Hell Yeah, I wish! And to the second point, I simply prefer to enjoy the amazing experiences that Neil and his band bring to us.

 

Rather than talk about this or that minor glitch I would prefer to focus on things like the quality of Neil’s amazing catalogue of songs, the superbly constructed play list, Hadley’s outstanding guitar play and energy, Doug’s superb complimentary guitar work, the quality of Linda’s singing alongside Maxine & Julia with their great rhythm and sense of fun, the phenomenal performance of King, The Heartbeat drumming of Ron, the quiet elegance of Reine, the wit, creativity and wisdom of Alan & Tom, and the stunning individual and group brilliance of the Horn Dogs!

 

I repeat what I have said many times before; do the minor glitches that may occur in any show at any time affect my enjoyment of this outstanding performer and his multi-talented friends? NO! So I prefer to focus on the superb things we do see and hear that give us enormous pleasure. Tonight was my 180th show, and I enjoyed its passion and energy, and was excited by it in the same way, if maybe for different reasons, as I was when I saw my first Neil Diamond concert back in 1971, and each and every show between. And I will still keep coming for as long as this amazing performer keeps on touring!

 

Everyone has a different outlook, and I respect those who take an alternative view to mine, but I am NOT a critic, I am simply another fan and try to tell it how I see it for the benefit of those not able to share the experience of the moment, from my little snow globe in the arena, wherever that may be. My opinion may be different to some, but just look at all the radiant faces as we leave the arena, bathed in the sheer light and lustre of the genius who has just given us, in my humble opinion, another life enriching experience! How can anyone not enjoy such happenings? Let’s leave any critical talk for the trips to the Dentist!

 

Ian Graham