Sometimes you’ve got to do something just because. It may seem dorky. It may cause eyes to roll. But there are just things that one must do in life. Things that one may only get the opportunity to do once.
And so it was that Mister and I found ourselves at L.A.’s Greek Theatre on a hot August night. A celebration was taking place. An anniversary. Mr. Neil Diamond was returning to the scene after a successful series of concerts there 40 years ago. And we decided it was our one shot to see him.
In 1972, Neil Diamond played 10 sold-out concerts at The Greek. He later released a live double-album from one of the night’s concerts and it was huge. I guess it came to define him really, and it launched him beyond star status to that of superstar.
Now, Mister and I love Neil Diamond. Always have. So we were tickled to go see one of the 5 anniversary shows last month. And friends, we were not disappointed. Were we among the youngest at the concert? Yes, we were. Did we sing along and marvel at the beautiful playing of every song? Yes, we did.
It was a truly magical evening, with so many shining facets. One cool thing about the night was just how many people in attendance had been there 40 years ago, for the original shows. Neil Diamond commented about that fact, made a joke and we all had a good laugh. Then he got back to the show and age didn’t matter. Not his, not the fans’, not ours. Good music – no, great music – has no age. It stands up no matter when it’s played. That seemed apparent to all of us there during this year’s hot August night.
I’m so glad we went. It didn’t fit into our schedule at all, and yet we went anyway. I may never get to see Neil Diamond again. But Mister and I will always have that one, spectacular, hot August night.