# Neil Diamond Retires from Touring after 50 years **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 23, 2018, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-diamond-retires-from-touring-after-50-years/807269 "2018-01-23T03:38:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-diamond-retires-from-touring-after-50-years/807269/1 "2018-01-23T03:38:39Z")
[https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/neil-diamond-retires-from-touring-due-to-parkinsons-disease-w515759](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/neil-diamond-retires-from-touring-due-to-parkinsons-disease-w515759) Damn. I grew up on Neil Diamond and have, literally, all of his albums (the good, the not so good, and the, well, not bad, but really not so good). I finally got to see him live last year (thank you, wife!) and even at his age, he was incredible. Voice sounded great and he essentially did a Zakalwe’s favorites concert (he missed a few, but included some of the more obscure ones that are personal favorites). Hearing him sing “I Am, I Said” was…beyond words. Neil, you are a legend and you will be missed on stage. Take a bow and know you left music a better place for your presence. ---
**Author:** ![Sveltington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ab097/32.png) [@Sveltington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sveltington)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-diamond-retires-from-touring-after-50-years/807269/2 "2018-01-23T03:59:44Z")
I too have all his albums. Saw him in concert in 81 and it was wonderful. My all time fav is Holly Holy. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-diamond-retires-from-touring-after-50-years/807269/3 "2018-01-23T04:08:06Z")
I had always enjoyed ND’s music but was never a huge fan. In 1987 I let a girl take me to a concert (yaknow, like you do) and lemmetellya it was over 2 hrs of nonstop entertainment; hitting all the right notes, he knew how to work the crowd! - had a Sweet Caroline sing along of course … To this day, I still consider it one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen - and I’ve seen The Clash, The Ramones, Pink Floyd, U2, and most of the others who are considered great in concert. mc ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-diamond-retires-from-touring-after-50-years/807269/4 "2018-01-23T08:03:39Z")
Wow. I’ve loved his songs since I was a little girl, and also have fond if hazy memories of a barful of random drunks who didn’t know one damn word of “Sweet Caroline” until the jukebox got to the BAH BAH BAAAHHHHHH part and everyone sort of dropped mid-conversation to join in on just that part. Whole bar sort of laughed together, at each other. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-diamond-retires-from-touring-after-50-years/807269/5 "2018-01-23T08:32:03Z")
Grats to Mr. Diamond on such long and wonderful career and many thanks for all the good songs. You totally fucking rock! I’m gonna go watch his finest moments ever captured on film in tribute: I’m talking, of course, about _Saving Silverman_. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-diamond-retires-from-touring-after-50-years/807269/6 "2018-01-23T11:26:47Z")
> [@mikecurtis](#): > > I had always enjoyed ND’s music but was never a huge fan. In 1987 I let a girl take me to a concert (yaknow, like you do) and lemmetellya it was over 2 hrs of nonstop entertainment; hitting all the right notes, he knew how to work the crowd! - had a Sweet Caroline sing along of course … > To this day, I still consider it one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen - and I’ve seen The Clash, The Ramones, Pink Floyd, U2, and most of the others who are considered great in concert. > > mc You sound like my wife. She got the tickets for my birthday because I was a huge fan and went with me. After the concert, she said how great the concert was (and she too, has been to a ton of concerts over the years). ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-diamond-retires-from-touring-after-50-years/807269/7 "2018-01-23T11:38:06Z")
The man knows how to craft a song. Thanks Neil!! ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-diamond-retires-from-touring-after-50-years/807269/8 "2018-01-23T13:03:26Z")
I think he’s one of the underrated songwriters of all time. Not as deep or prolific as Dylan but certainly a better performer and he has a great voice. I regret never seeing him perform in person. Sad to hear of his illness. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-diamond-retires-from-touring-after-50-years/807269/9 "2018-01-23T16:11:58Z")
I suppose he’ll be able to focus on getting the chair to say something. But yes, he leaves the stage to much well deserved applause. ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-diamond-retires-from-touring-after-50-years/807269/10 "2018-01-23T20:06:30Z")
I’m a moderate Neil Diamond fan. I listened to the original Hot August Night album a lot, and am familiar with a lot of his other songs. Just recently, I got into a kick and listened to a bunch of his stuff on Spotify and youtube. I even played quite a few songs for my 23 year old son, who only really knew Sweet Caroline. He was impressed that Diamond wrote Daydream Believer and Red Red Wine, which were hits for the Monkees and UB40. He really did wright some terrific songs, even if some of the lyrics are pretty strange. Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show is a terrific story song, very compelling and convincing. Sad to hear he has Parkinsons. Really crappy for him. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-diamond-retires-from-touring-after-50-years/807269/11 "2018-01-23T20:50:29Z")
I guess he won’t be bringing us flowers anymore. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-diamond-retires-from-touring-after-50-years/807269/12 "2018-01-23T22:54:06Z")
Perhaps too soon, but I imagined the doctor telling him, “Sorry, Neil, but your test results weren’t so good- so good- so good”. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-diamond-retires-from-touring-after-50-years/807269/13 "2018-01-23T23:01:14Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Perhaps too soon, but I imagined the doctor telling him, “Sorry, Neil, but your test results weren’t so good- so good- so good”. Caroline Kennedy is about my age (actually, she’s a year younger), and when I heard he wrote that song about her, my first thought was: I think I was 13 when that song came out-- That’s downright creepy!! ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-diamond-retires-from-touring-after-50-years/807269/14 "2018-01-23T23:14:01Z")
My wife (then girlfriend) and I saw him in the mid '70’s in Chicago. A great show. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-diamond-retires-from-touring-after-50-years/807269/15 "2018-01-23T23:14:46Z")
I always shout out for an early record of his on Bang, called Just For You. > **[Just for You (Neil Diamond album)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_for_You_(Neil_Diamond_album))** > > Just for You is the second album by the American singer-songwriter Neil Diamond. Like his first, it has never been released on CD, though all but two of the tracks were made available on the Classics: The Early Years compilation. All tracks are also available on the compilation album The Bang Years 1966-1968. At some point or another, every single track on it was released either as an A-side or a B-side of a single, with many of them becoming big hits: "You Got to Me" (#18), "Girl, You'll Be a Wo... Take all those songs and add up all the chart success and I think it might be the most successful LP ever. Sorry about the link. I can’t make it work for one click.