Diamond Plays On the Diamond
Joan Anderman went to ye old ballyard last night to check out Neil Diamond and fired this review over to "Sound Effects":
Neil Diamond, the old-fashioned showman, and Neil Diamond, the contemplative songwriter, teamed up over the weekend at Fenway Park for a concert that split the difference between the two.
Backed by his longtime band -- a 15-piece behemoth brimming with horns and harmony singers, congas and keyboards -- Diamond’s concert was brassy, schmaltzy, and dated. It was also searching and rootsy and deep, and while the juxtapositions were sometimes striking, Diamond sold the whole package with a sense of real purpose and palpable joy.
Heart-sinking squareness (“Song Sung Blue”) went toe-to-toe with pop perfection (“I’m a Believer”). Easy-listening oompah (“Beautiful Noise”) sidled up to scrappy rock ‘n roll (“Thank the Lord for the Night Time”). Stripped-down meditations from Diamond’s last two acoustic albums were fleshed out and plumped up, not necessarily to flattering effect, so that they would fit more neatly alongside the spirited, strident selections. Considering the sharp contrasts built into a Diamond’s vast repertiore, and the fact that some 40 years in he’s circled back to his acoustic roots, it’s a shame he didn’t risk an unplugged mini-set, just a man and his guitar, which would have been a poignant window on his creative arc.
It’s not a question of fitness. At 67, Diamond’s voice is still supple and strong, and the passage of time has tempered his penchant for bombast. He delivered a powerfully restrained performance, pacing the stage in measured strides, and emphasizing storylines with a sweep of his hand or a fist in the air. Bells and whistles were minimal : a collage of vintage photographs accompanied the rousing immigrant anthem “America,” and a bottle of wine and a red rose languished on an empty table-for-two during “You Don't Bring Me Flowers.”
Whether they make you swoon or cringe, every one of Diamond’s songs is as well-built as the next. If corniness wasn’t considered a crime, it would have been simpler to marvel at the stunning economy of language in “Play Me” and “Love on the Rocks.” Were melodrama not an obstacle for some, the lost, poetic soul who sings “I Am, I Said” might be easier to identify with. Happily, a handful of songs required no aesthetic concessions: the retro-gem “Cherry Cherry,” the penetrating folk-rocker “Solitary Man,” and – for 37,000 fans at Fenway Park -- “Sweet Caroline.”
Here in Boston, “Sweet Caroline” isn’t a Neil Diamond song anymore; it’s a Red Sox song, part and parcel of this crowd’s beloved ball park and team spirit. T-shirts reading “So Good So Good” and “Ba Ba Ba” were everywhere on Saturday, and the moment was loaded with currency. But Diamond squandered it by opening the show with the song (he should have built anticipation by making us wait for it) and then performing it tw ice in a row later in the set.
But programming missteps aside, the concert was a gratifying reminder that coolness is far too often confused with quality, and that good songwriting stands the test of time -- even while barreling headlong down the middle of the road.
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Geez, even Dave Matthews Band did Sweet Caroline the right way at Fenway by waiting until the eighth song (like the Sox play it in the eighth inning).
I was at the show and Neil Diamond was FABOULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Opening the show with Sweet Caroline was the best it got us rockin and rollin.. Since it's a Fenway song he should've opened with that song... Twice more was awesome.. The 67 yr old still has it form the old to the new songs..... He can sink at Fenway or anywhere else and my husband and I will see him again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was awesome!!! So glad we went!
I disagree. "Sweet Caroline" as the opener was fantastic. It fired up an already fired-up crowd into a frenzy. I guess there's a party pooper in every crowd.
Joan--If you don't like an artist you don't have any business critiquing his performance.
I was at Fenway last night for the concert. Neil Diamond's performance was wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I brought my 10 year old son and he enjoyed his very first rock concert.
I went to one of his concerts about 20 years ago and this one was much better because he gave himself totally to the audience. Twenty years ago he was still trying to be everything to everybody. This time his performance demonstrated that he loves to perform and that he never wants to stop giving concerts.
I was there last night (I am a Red Sox season ticket holder), the seats were great but I still couldn't here the words, between the younger generation that drank up a storm and the sound system, but to here him in person brings me back 40 years ago.
I was at that concert last night and truly enjoyed it!!
From Sweet Caroline right down to the We're coming to America!
DIAMOND IS FOREVER!!!
We were at last night's wonderful concert.
Neil Diamond and band were.............FANTASTIC.
Opening with Sweet Caroline was the perfect start to a wonderful evening.
MD
I was at the concert last night and I have to say it was only so-so. He played about 20 minutes of music from his new album which no one around me know so everyone just started talking. And the fact that he played Sweet Caroline 3 times was ridiculous. Once is enough, and not to open with it. It was pretty lackluster performance in my opinion. Don't plan on going back to see him. Everyone I know that saw him in The Garden said that show was way better.
Totally awesome...Been to 3 of his concerts ...this was the BEST! So Good, So Good, So Good... Best seats on the filed, heard every word.
Must get the Fort Myers Red Sox crowd to play "Sweet Caroline!!"
Neil Diamond was fantastic last night................... From beginning to end . His band was wonderful and he can still belt out a tune. I saw him at the (Centrum) now the DCU and he was fantastic then.... The fact that he can do a concert for two hours was great. He is by far still a legend in his own right...... Hope he comes back to Fenway soon or anywhere else... I would definately see him again.
Caught the show and it was a better show than U2 at the Boston Garden on St. Patrick's Day. His voice was as strong as ever and he played for over two hours without so much as a break...unbelievable. The place was truly electric.
Neil Diamond was great; this show was much better than he last at the Fleet Center. He played to the crowd; "Sweet Caroline" was a great opening number as he was at Fenway. All around a fantastic concert", I Am I Said" is a beautiful and sad song and Neil signs it just right. Can not wait to see him again!
We drove from Western New York to the concert last night in Boston. It was awesome. Joan - as a concert reviewer sucks. I guess she has a bug up her ass for Neil - as so many shallow reviewers do. I am an aficiando of many types of music and thought this concert was great & Fenway was a fabulous venue. Too bad Joan had to voice so many negative opinions - does she do this for all the artists she reviews? The sound was clear and Neil Diamond was captivating & entertaining as always...with some interesting new arrangements & talented musicians. The people in our section listened attentively to the new songs & many in our group sang along - as you may not know, JOAN. the CD is a big hit and lots of us have it and know this music. I think you are a rather limited concert reviewer...keep your day job! Neil rocks!
I live in L.A. now and totally miss being in Boston for these things. There's such a buzz in that town for "event" nights. 3x better when it's in the summer. And so what if he played Sweet Caroline 3x.
Congrats on all the sports victories!
Hey Paul, it's a new album, so how's anybody gonna know the songs ? new means new. also I got a feeling that when you say "so everybody just started talking" you mean "you" started talking. if you can't respect a musician who's busted his butt for over 40 years, then do yourself a favor and just stay home. I would never trust anybody who doesn't like music. you might think you like music but being a musician I can tell you don't have a clue as to how to enjoy it. take up tennis.
I have been a fan for years...this was the first time I have seen him and I would definitely see him again! Great seats on the field, could see and hear everything.
From Sweet Caroline to America, couldn't ask for anything more. Thanks for a great concert!
This was our 10th concert of this tour and the first outdoor concert we have ever attended over the many years of being loyal Neil Diamond fans. This is a highly energetic show and Neil Diamond and The Band never disappoints. Opening with Sweet Caroline was a "no brainer", get that crowd up right away and keep them up. We had awesome seats 14 rows from basically center stage on the ground, the sound was fantastic. It was fun seeing lots of young people having a great time, singing along to most of the songs. There were some dead beats here and there but it didn't keep most of the crowd from enjoying this wonderful show. And, for the younger generation, it is not "Sweet Caroline Ba, Ba, Ba", but "SWEET CAROLINE, WHOA, WHOA, WHOA", take it from the man and his diehard fans. Thank you, Neil Diamond, for another fantastic performance.
Diamond is still a great performer.Went to my first concert, in the late seventies, and have been to about 4 before the Fenway (travesty, IMHO), disappointment, not Neil, but the venue.
1. Unless you were sitting in the megabucks seating on the turf in front of the stage, your view was poor.Even with binoculars, from the Grandstand, ($94.00 a seat, with a post support view) your view of him was small, and marred by the screening over the dugout. Then, having covered the playing field(wisely, I guess) the stage seemed miles away
2. The crowd seemed more interested in drinking beer. I have never witnessed that at any of his other concerts. The young *man* in front of us, was drinking steadily, those 16 oz cups of beer, getting 2 at a time, and singing loudly, Sweet Caroline, while Neil was performing OTHER songs, This guy was totally wasted before the concert ended,
3. The concert started late, because, I assume, they couldn't get the crowd inside, as they announced to them twice, over a 20 minute to half hour timeframe, to get to their seats, as the show was to start soon.
4. I thought, as some others have commented, 3 times for Sweet Caroline, and opening with it, was overkill.
5.Bottom line? LOVE Neil Diamond, the oldies, the new ones, a bit boring.Would go to see him again, but NEVER, NEVER at Fenway Park. Fenway park is better suited for baseball games,
Neil Diamond was fabulous on Saturday night. People that don't appreciate the atmosphere and talent that the performer brings to the stage should not attend these concerts. Some people do not appreciate what it truly means to be a fan. After all these years Neil Diamond can still cause a crowd to go crazy, too bad for those of you that get caught up in all the knit picky sarcasm. Next time just enjoy the fact that you are watching a talented entertainer in a ball park that is famous around the world!
It is Monday and I'm still in seventh heaven!
What a night at Fenway!!
LOVE YOU NEIL!!!!
Just a note to Brooklyn Roads - the "megabucks seating on the turf in front of the stage" was not actually megabucks as the tickets were the same as yours - $94.....
HI TREE PEOPLE ie hot august nite, My wife & I were @ fenway to see the show, it was great, people from 16 to 90 were danceing& singing, & new the words. We went 25 yrs ago to the wintergarden in ny, it is still a greatest show, we were glad we
johnny 5
Hey! My husband and I were at the Fenway concert and I have to say I thought it was awesome!! The only thing I found that was not so good, was the acoustics in the park .. there was an echo. We had grandstand seats and were to the right of the stage, just a few aisles from the top! I would have like to be closer .. but oh well. It mattered not, the music was awesome... new and old. I cried when he came on stage, I cried during "I am, I said" (for reasons of my own) and druing "you don't bring me Flowers" ... I was so happy to finally be at a Neil Diamond concert !!
Second Diamond concert I have ever been to. I am 36 and took my dad for his birthday. Loved every minute of it! It was very special for me and my father, we have been listening to Diamond's music since I was born and I am glad that I learned to love it an was able to share Fenway Park and Neil Diamond with my dad.
This was a show all about having fun! People of all genres were dancing and singing all night long and who better to lead that than Neil Diamond himselft. Yes the acoustics were tough at time...reverbing around the stadium, but my wife and I had the time of our life. What a nostalgic trip it was and Fenway will never be the same!!!!
I wished I'd bet my husband money that he was going to open with "Sweet Caroline"....that was pure genius that he did that and I'd called it 10 minutes before the show started. Definitely not a programming misstep!
What a great show!!! Diamond is forever!!!
My Wife and I were at that show and NEil Diamond was awesome and it was the right way to start the concert in Fenway Park because it got the crowd going and his selection of songs for thsi show was amazing mixture
Travelled from the UK to see this show. Absolutely fabulous and worth every penny spent. Danced for 2 hours in the amazing atmosphere. Saw Neil in Wales in June which was also fabulous but not quite as wild as the Fenway crowd. Hopefully the whingers and moaners will not bother going again leaving more tickets available to the true fans. Also loved Boston - will be back.
Guess I'm in the minority. Thought Neil Diamond's concert was awful. I was embarrassed for him. His voice croaked so many times.....he was actually miming in parts of "Sweet Caroline" I paid big bucks for my seat--$94.--and it was NOT worth $94. Was as far to the right of the floor as I could be....everything
was on an angle. PLUS he wore all black. With maybe three sequins on the shirt. Was so disappointed. He always says he wants the fans to see him. HA!! Someone from his team should have gone in the stand to see how much they couldn't see. Plus he looked skinny. And I'm a Neil Diamond fan. Have seen him 20 times. He should have retired five years' ago after playing in the Garden
It has been a week since the Fenway Concert and I am still in a Dream Stage,
He was Awesome and the BEST PERFORMER AND SHOW i EVER SAW.
LOVE YOU NEIL and your BAND AND CREW DID A AWESOME JOB TOO!
HOPE YOU ARE FEELING BETTER
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