I just completed my review of Neil Diamond's concert for the school
newspaper, and I would like to include it here. However, since this is
Epinions and not the school paper, I’m going to exercise my right to
ramble. Wherever you see italics - except for song titles - you’re
getting additional insight of which my fellow college students were
deprived. Feel privileged. (Or annoyed. Take your pick.) P.S. If you opt
for the latter, just ignore the stuff in italics.
I've been a
Neil Diamond fan for a long time. I can trace my admiration of his
music back to the first days of our CD player, when we got our first
batch of Columbia House CDs. Simon and Garfunkel made it out of the case
first. And though I initially rejected them, within a day I had changed
my mind. I became an 8-year-old obsessed. I sang their songs all day,
listened to their music incessantly, dreamed I was performing with them.
My parents got sick of it. "Listen to something else!" they demanded.
And when I did not comply, Dad switched the CDs on me. And Neil Diamond
weaned me off of Simon and Garfunkel, bringing my fanaticism to a better
balance. I still enjoy his music, and his Christmas album is probably
one of my top three favorite Christmas albums.
Still, I have
noticed that I have impeccably good timing. Just as I happened to decide
to write Art Garfunkel a letter months before he happened to come to
Erie, so I happened to discover Cracklin' Rosie just a month or
so before Neil Diamond came to State College. My little brother's got me
hooked on Froggy (our oldies station), and I heard that song on the
radio frequently and fell in love with it. Why? Who knows. Now that I've
got it memorized I tend to think it may be a bit...I dunno, raunchy?
But I love it anyway. I happened to mention this on the way to school
one day as Cherry, Cherry was playing, just before they announced that Neil Diamond was playing three nearby locations in the next month.
So my birthday rolled around, and I should have taken the hint when my brother dedicated Cracklin' Rosie
to me on the radio. But I’m so determined to be surprised, I never pick
up on clues. So I had no inkling that I would be presented later that
night with the news that I was going to see Neil Diamond in concert at
State College. All I can say is...yay!!!! And the concert did not
disappoint...
"If it’s true, as they say, that music can
heal, let the healing begin." With this sentiment at heart, Neil Diamond
graced a 10,000 -member audience with an electrifying two-hour
performance on Tuesday at University Park’s Bryce Jordan Center. The
drama of the performance was greatly increased by the fantastic
lighting. In order for that to be possible, technicians had to climb up
to the light boards, at least 50 feet above the stage, on rope ladders.
Then they had to sit on the structures, which wobbled, for the duration
of the program. I tip my hat to crazy people.
Diamond
played without intermission, covering songs from all stages of his
career. In light of the events of Sept. 11, Diamond’s 2001-2002 tour is
decidedly patriotic in nature. The show began with a large flag hanging
down in front of the stage. As the flag was raised, Diamond burst into America, a hit which has enjoyed renewed popularity since Sept. 11. Fun Fact: I bought a t-shirt bearing the image of the American flag behind Diamond’s silhouette.
The audience gave roaring approval to the song, and when the lyrics
demanded "Stand up for America...today!" everyone complied. Fun Fact:
When I told my best friend about going to see this concert, she told me
her mom has always loved this song because it reminded her of coming to
America from England as a child.
Next, Diamond dug deep in his repertoire to sing Solitary Man and Cherry, Cherry.
He made a few comments about college life along the way and slyly
suggested that the administrators in attendance might see to it that the
attending students would be exempt from morning classes the following
day. His wit and charm kept his rapport with the audience going when the
music was silent. And while his stage presence magnified the impact of
his more energetic tunes, the slower songs such as Play Me and Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon flourished under his silky presentation.
The latter, in fact, turned out to be one of the show's greatest
moments. Halfway through the song, Diamond selected a young woman in the
front row of the audience by beckoning to her and urging her to, as the
song says, "come take my hand." For the remainder of the song, he
stretched out over the stage, clutching her hand, as she turned varying
shades of red and fanned herself with one hand to keep from fainting. As
the song ended, Diamond separated himself with an embrace and flopped
down on the stage as though he'd just gotten the wind knocked out of
him. Another woman in the front row offered him her handkerchief, which
he gratefully accepted before singing two songs from his new album, Three Chord Opera,
to "cool down." This complete lack of a barrier between performer and
audience thrilled the observers, and the unwitting participant in the
song got a nice round of applause. This incident prompted me to
wonder whether I would be willing to pay - just a guess - $200 for Neil
Diamond to kiss me in front of 10,000 people. Hmm....
I'm a Believer
was another big winner. The song that became a hit for the Monkees a
generation ago hit the top of the airwaves again last year with
Smashmouth’s version, which was featured in the movie Shrek, and middle-agers and college students alike knew all the words. Some songs required more audience participation than others.
Fun Fact: While we were watching Neil Diamond in State College, my
grandma was watching Anne Murray (a concert I wouldn't mind seeing
sometime myself) in good ol' Erie, PA. Although I have not yet confirmed
this, I feel fairly certain that Murray performed Daydream Believer. And so Dad and I were linked to Grandma by the Monkees. Diamond introduced Forever in Blue Jeans as an old familiar favorite and encouraged the audience to stand and sing along and even go solo in a few places.
Likewise, Sweet Caroline
was a stand-up-and-sing-along song, although when it ended, he quipped,
"Beautiful job, that was lovely...but...why are you still standing?
Don’t you know the song is...over? You mean you expect me to go out
there and do it again? I was just checking to see if I had any choice in
the matter..." He then took up the chorus yet again, this time with
great accentuation on each note and hand gestures to match.
Beautiful Noise
was one of the...well...noisiest songs of the night, making full use of
the extensive band backing Diamond up. Each section had a portion of
the song to itself, and by the time the song was over the audience
members felt like they had been transported to New York City, Diamond’s
hometown. Yet another highlight was You Don’t Bring Me Flowers, a
soulful duet in which Diamond shared the stage with Linda Press, whose
piercing vocals have contributed to this song for over 25 years.
One of the show's most poignant moments was the singing of Captain Sunshine, which was dedicated to Vince Charles, a member of Diamond’s band since 1977 who died last year. The other was the singing of He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother to honor the nation's true heroes: firefighters, policemen and servicemen. The show ended with I Am, I Said, one of Diamond’s defining hits. He was long gone long, however, before returning for an encore. A raucous Cracklin' Rosie preceded and electrifying Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show, and the show officially ended with the lowering of the flag over the chorus of America.
"It's a good feeling to know that I've been able to bridge generations
and still entertain such a varied audience," noted Diamond in his tour
book. Fun Fact: He also mentions in his tour book that Simon and
Garfunkel, along with the Everly Brothers and the Beatles, are his
favorite singers. Good form, Neil! That certainly proved true on
Tuesday night, and audience members young and old left the show assured
that good music never goes out of style.
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