Neil Diamond’s current US tour gives Australian fans a sense of what to expect later this year.
Neil Diamond will tour Australia and New Zealand in October and November.
Neil Diamond’s career can be broken into a number of eras, the 60’s pop era at Bang Records (1966-1967), the singer-songwriter at Uni/MCA (1968-1972), the mature artist (1973-2001) and, now, the aged master (2005-today).
Each of those eras were featured in Diamond’s performance last Tuesday night at the United Center in Chicago but the album that was featured the most during the evening was the big surprise. Diamond performed five songs from his 1967 album Just For You, one that is on the lower end of those sets for which the singer is remembered yet it is filled with songs that are cannon in his repertoire. Neil opened the show with I’m a Believer, a huge hit for the Monkees that same year, and sprinkled others from the album throughout the first half of the show including You Got to Me, Girl You’ll Be a Woman Soon, Red Red Wine and Shilo. Now, consider that he DIDN’T play Cherry, Cherry, Solitary Man and Thank the Lord For the Nighttime and you start to realize that Just For You may be one of Diamond’s overall strongest sets.
Other albums prominently featured were The Jazz Singer, with its three major hits, and Diamond’s latest, Melody Road.
The other big surprise was the concert closer, Neil’s salute to E.T., 1982’s Heartlight. Until the current tour, he hadn’t performed the song in concert in sixteen years.
The set list:
Main Set
I’m a Believer (from Just For You, 1967)
Desiree (from I’m Glad You’re Here With Me Tonight, 1977)
Love on the Rocks (from The Jazz Singer, 1980)
Hello Again (from The Jazz Singer, 1980)
You Got to Me (from Just For You, 1967)
Girl You’ll Be a Woman Soon (from Just For You, 1967)
Play Me (from Moods, 1972)
Red Red Wine (from Just For You, 1967)
Beautiful Noise (from Beautiful Noise, 1976)
If You Know What I Mean (from Beautiful Noise, 1976)
Brooklyn Roads (from Velvet, Gloves and Spit, 1968)
Shilo (from Just For You, 1967)
Done Too Soon (from Tap Root Manuscript, 1970)
Nothing But a Heartache (from Melody Road, 2014)
In Better Days (from Melody Road, 2014)
The Art of Love (from Melody Road, 2014)
Forever in Blue Jeans (from You Don’t Bring Me Flowers, 1978)
Cherry, Cherry (from The Feel of Neil Diamond, 1966)
Holly Holy (from Touching You, Touching Me, 1969)
I Am … I Said (from Stones, 1971)
Encore
Cracklin’ Rosie (from Tap Rood Manuscript, 1970)
Sweet Caroline (from Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show, 1969)
America (from The Jazz Singer, 1980)
Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show (from Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show, 1969)
Heartlight (from Heartlight, 1982)
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