article written in 1999
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It's hard to believe that it's been
29 years since I saw Neil Diamond for the first time in concert on August 19, 1972.
It was so very special, for many reasons.
Because my junior college was near the city of Los Angeles, several
well-known performers stopped by and performed there. I was able to see Ray Charles and Judy Collins for probably just $1 right on our campus.
However, in my rather sheltered life, I had never been to any concert where I had to
pay a regular price and drive somewhere beyond the confines of my neighbourhood.
I had enjoyed Neil's earlier songs, but became a real fan of his in 1969. I did not attend the Greek Theatre concerts in August of 1971, and, when I
found out he would be performing again in August of 1972. I was determined that I was going to go see him, though I was insecure about driving myself
to the Greek Theatre.
I talked a high school classmate into driving to the
concert and she also brought her boyfriend. We planned to go August 19,
Saturday, the second night of a ten-night run.
Neil's album, "Moods," had recently come out. I bought it and listened to his newest songs several times. I wanted to be able to enjoy him singing
these songs as much as I would enjoy him singing his older songs. It seemed as though every album Neil did shared a new side of him and his musical
talents and growth.
I had read that he was an exciting performer to watch,
but I hadn't seen any video of him in concert (that was before such a thing!) and had only heard his "Touching You, Touching Me" album, recorded
at the Troubadour.
Though it's been 27 years since that concert, I remember so clearly how excited I was waiting for that day to come, and then, how unbelievably
excited I was all day Saturday while I was at work, at the candy counter of J. J. Newberry's, a dime store. I had never been so excited, and don't know
that I've been any more excited since that day.
As the day went on, I became more and more excited.
My next memory is of being at the Greek Theatre and buying our concert programs.
We walked into the Theatre itself and I saw it for the first time. I don't remember much about
the weather, but I think it was a nice evening, not too hot. It was a beautiful setting to have an outdoor concert.
I remember being quietly impatient for the concert to start. I knew that the sound would be excellent-I had read somewhere that there would be
quadraphonic sound-four speakers instead of the usual two, at that time. I looked back from our seats and saw the trees, where the "tree people" sat
and got to watch the concert without paying.
Finally, the music started playing, and I knew that it would be soon-the waiting would soon be over.
It was so very dramatic.
I remember it being so amazingly good-his songs and seeing him perform his songs with such feeling and energy. The night was filled with electricity.
Of course, I knew most of the words, and many of the nuances from his records, but he would often add or change something in the song. I remember bits and pieces here and there, and I wrote down some of his comments and the names of all the songs he did.
And who can forget the encore?
When you wait what seems like forever for something you're waiting for, and it finally happens, and it's even better than you imagined-well, I guess
that sums it up pretty well. It makes to realize that millions of fans over the years have enjoyed the experience in their own ways.
The most surprising thing, however, was that I honestly couldn't believe that I was there. It was so unreal. It seemed like I had been waiting
forever for this evening, and it came, and it went.
And then, it was over, and I went home, walked into the living room, and put on a couple of his
records. I think that it was only then that I really believed that I had actually been at his concert.
If you listen to the album (or CD), recorded on August 24, I think you can get a really good sense of what it was like to be there, except that you won't hear the audience singing back.
As I mentioned, Neil's recent concert was wonderful, too. (For many reasons, I had not been able to go to another concert since the Hot August
Nights concert.)
The two concerts really don't need to be compared, because
each is special in its own way. It was so heart warming to see Neil still performing at the same high level and to hear many of the songs he's written
and recorded since that HAN.
This concert was more special, though, because I was able to share Neil's live performance with my husband. I also loved the revolving stage, where we were also able to see the band and we could see that each musician was an important part of the show!
We're ready to go to another concert-we don't expect he'll be back here any time soon, so we'
re planning to fly to another city when the timing is right.
My dream now is to see Neil perform in a smaller venue (rather than in an arena). All I need is Neil and his band, and his songs. And, of course,
the ultimate dream, would be to meet him in person and tell him how much I love him and his music.