If You Know What I Mean

So last night I went with my mom, her husband, and my best bud Eggie Baby to see Neil Diamond in concert. It was fucking awesome! He is amazing in person, just an unbelievable showman, plays real well to the crowd, and still sounds great after all these years. Now, you can laugh about Neil Diamond if you want to...I think that there are two kinds of people - those that love him and those that don't. For me, I grew up on Neil Diamond music. Both my parents loved his music and it was played in our house all the time. The happiest moments of my childhood have "Beautiful Noise", "The Grass Won't Pay No Mind", or "If You Know What I Mean" and so on as the background music.

I also believe that he is one of the most prolific and successful songwriters of all time, particularly if you consider songs he wrote that other people have made famous - Red Red Wine by UB40, I'm a Believer by both the Monkees and Smashmouth, and more. What was so amazing about the concert last night is the age range of people there. You had people who were in there 80's standing next to kids in their 20's. There were groups of kids dressed up in sparkly outfits or shirts, as a tribute of sorts to when he used to do that all the time. (One guy even was a dead ringer for Wirick...he was wearing a red Lame' shirt with sequins all over it...so hysterical. I wish I had gotten a picture!)

Anyway, I had a blast. He opened the concert with my all time favorite, Holly Holy. He then did Beautiful Noise, and a few more old songs. Then he did a set off his new album, then he did his get the crowd going and dancing part where he has the Sweet Caroline number...bahm, bahm, bahm...so good, so good, so good! It is amazing to see a sold out Energy Solutions Arena all standing up and singing to that song together...incredible. Then he did a set off his 12 Songs album, then his personal set "Brooklyn Roads","I am, I Said", closing with "Hell Yeah". For the encore he did "Crackling Rosie", "America" (today!), and finally another favorite of mine as the last song "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show". The concert was about 2 and half hours and worth every minute. This has been the 5th time I have seen him and hopefully is not the last.

For those of you who think he is just some hack or wimpie pop star, here is my evidence to the contrary:

Rock and Roll Neil


































He is a great lyricist as well, here a few of my favorite lines:

Young bird flying
And a soft wind blowing
Cools the sweat inside my palms
Close my eyes and see the flowers growing
As you lay sleeping in my arms
And the time will be our time
And the grass won't pay no mind


It's a beautiful noise
Made of joy an of strife
Like a symphony played
By a passing parade
It's the music of life


Look at the way I glide
Caught on the wind's lazy tide
Sweetly how it sings
Rally each heart at the sight
Of your silver wings

And each one there
Has one thing shared:
They have sweated beneath the same sun,
Looked up in wonder atthe same moon,
And wept when it was all done
For bein' done too soon

Dry your eyes and take your song out, its a newborn afternoon.
And if you cant recall the singer you can still recall the tune.
Dry your eyes and play it slowly like youre marching off to war;
Sing it like you know he'd want it, like we sang it once before.
And from the center of the circle to the midst of the waiting crowd,
If it ever be forgotten sing it long and sing it loud and come dry your eyes

When the night returns just like a friend
When the evening comes to set me free
When the quiet hours that wait beyond the day make
Peaceful sounds in me
Took a drag from my last cigarette
Took a drink from a glass of old wine
Closed my eyes and I could make it real and
Feel it one more time
Can your hear it babe? Can your hear it babe?
From another time. From another place.Do you remember it babe?
And the radio played like a carnival tune
As we lay in our bed in the other room
When we gave it away for the sake of a dream
In a penny arcade
If you know what I mean