Neil Diamond is one of the best-selling musicians of all time. Neil is associated with Rock, Pop, Folk, Country, and many more genres to this date. He is one of the most influential musicians who had ten No.1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts.
Neil announced his retirement from touring in 2018, and it was after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. And recently Neil Diamond made a rare public appearance and sang his 1969 hit song, ‘Sweet Caroline’. The beloved singer came out of his retirement to sing his classic.
On December 4, Sunday night A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical debuted on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre. Diamond was also in attendance. Before the show kicked off, Diamond appeared on the balcony and sang ‘Sweet Caroline’ with fans.
This Neil Diamond appearance at 'Beautiful Noise' & his impromptu performance/singalong of "Sweet Caroline" — despite his Parkinson's diagnosis and career retirement — has me in my feelings right now. Join me. pic.twitter.com/u1ejYDYGbW
— Checkmark Wahlberg 💯 | mas.to/@loudersoft (@loudersoft) December 6, 2022
Back in 2018, he issued a statement that mentioned his retirement from touring. The statement stated, “the onset of the disease has made it difficult to travel and perform on a large scale basis but will allow Mr Diamond to continue his writing, recording and development of new projects.”
On the news, he revealed, “It is with great reluctance and disappointment that I announce my retirement from concert touring. I have been so honoured to bring my shows to the public for the past 50 years. My sincerest apologies to everyone who purchased tickets and were planning to come to the upcoming shows. I plan to remain active in writing, recording and other projects for a long time to come. My thanks goes out to my loyal and devoted audiences around the world. You will always have my appreciation for your support and encouragement. This ride has been ‘so good, so good, so good’ thanks to you.”
This was not the only time this has happened. He also sang the song at the Boston Red Sox game in the US. The song had been the sports teams’ anthem since 1997 and the crowd also sang along. The song was also popular with England football fans during the Euro 2020.
Check out the moment down below.
Neil Diamond singing "Sweet Caroline" at Fenway Park is incredible 🎤 🙌 pic.twitter.com/P1yRDJR5ho
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 19, 2022
According to Rolling Stone, Universal Music Group will handle future Neil Diamond music. Diamond had things to say about it and commented, “After nearly a decade in business with UMG, I am thankful for the trust and respect that we have built together and I feel confident in the knowledge that Lucian, Jody, Bruce, Michelle, and the global team at UMG, will continue to represent my catalog and future releases with the same passion and integrity that have always fueled my career.”
