Neil Diamond Concert Review - NOLA Smoothie King Center 5.2.17

So I've been a Neil Diamond fan pretty much my whole life. My parents kept the Jewish Elvis on permanent rotation in my house growing up, so I've always wanted to see him live. I finally got my big chance last night.

The crowd was not surprisingly very gray. At 46 years old, I was definitely one of the youngest faces in the crowd. There was a smattering of the under-30 crowd here and there, but... pretty rare. The crowd of about 9k to 10k, while not so energetic, clearly LOVED their entertainer, however.

Neil's voice is still legit. In fact, I was taken aback by how consistent it is with his younger years. He doesn't move around too fast anymore, but there's no reason to, honestly.

Highlights: I thought his best song live in this concert was September Morn, which was executed well by his very capable backup band, Cherry, his opener, was also rock-solid. Desiree was also a great composition on a song that's really kind of so-so. His treatment live elevated it. Of course, Sweet Caroline is a great crowd-pleaser, if a little over-long with "one more time's!" Brooklyn Roads was a great combo of song and multi-media.

Not-as-good moments: Love on the Rocks wasn't done as well as I hoped... he changed up his vocal performance on that one a little too much. Same with America, where the lyrics seemed jumbled... not sure what was going on there. I thought there were too many lesser-known songs from his catalog stringed back-to-back. It kind of led to long periods of little energy between crowd and performer.

Speaking of which, I felt privileged to see a music legend. He's an old school entertainer, and he doesn't veer from his stage "persona" one bit. I think I would have liked it if he talked to the crowd a little more, and let his personality out. But that's just me. He knows what works for him a lot better than I do!

Notable missing songs: Kentucky Woman, Hello Again, Solitary Man, Longfellow Serenade, Song Sung Blue.

Overall, a good concert. Not a triumphant experience, but I enjoyed hearing that amazing voice, and watching a real pro. His songwriting ability tough to match. He has few peers there, and it's a real treat to see someone on that level live.