On Thursday evening, Heidi, Tom, Christy and I went to the Hollywood Bowl to see Neil Diamond. All of us like Neil Diamond, partly from numerous trips to Utah when we would sing along with his tapes (or CD's). So we decided to go as a family, and build on some memories I didn't really realize we had been creating. It was a perfect night for a concert: not too warm, not too cool. And the Hollywood Bowl is a beautiful concert setting. We parked at the LA Zoo and took a shuttle to the Bowl (at $3 each round-trip, we heartily recommend it).
I have developed a sort of "bucket list" of performers I want to see---not before I die, but before they do. I can now check off another one.
Neil Diamond is now 67 years old, and hasn't lost a step, although he is performing a few songs in lower keys. He performed for nearly two and a half hours with no intermission. He is an awesome entertainer, and his band is great. It was an emotional evening for me, as I've grown up listening to his music, and our vocal ranges are the same, so I love singing his songs. From the opening notes of Holly Holy, to the final notes of Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show, we were thrilled by his performance. He is an amazingly personable performer, and he tells great stories. Many of his songs were very interactive, like Sweet Caroline. I will always love I Am . . . I Said the best, and Crunchy Granola Suite and Done Too Soon come in second.
One song we were introduced to at the concert was Man of God, which we really liked. He sings that he is a man of God, a man of faith, a man of song, and a man of peace. It is interesting to listen to many of his songs in light of that one, because he encapsulates a search for truth in his lyrics, and he seems to be really close. I wish I could meet him and share it with him. It is interesting that a Jewish singer does gospel so well.
We were also appreciative that Neil Diamond has kept his ticket prices reasonable. That made it possible for us to see him. We all had a wonderful time, and more great memories to add to our store of family memories.
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2 comments:
What a fabulous night! I don't pay any attention to who's coming, else I might have brought my clan along. Thanks for sharing the experience.
Since three of our children were living in Utah at the time, our oldest, Cathy, took her brother and sister and her aunt to see Neil Diamond in SLC in December. They had a great time as well. He does put on a great show. I especially liked Brooklyn Roads; he had a slideshow of his childhood to go along with it.
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