GREAT NEWS: He is back

Neil Diamond made a rare appearance to perform ‘Sweet Caroline’ at the Boston Red Sox game over the weekend.

The 81-year-old music icon withdrew from touring in 2018 after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

He’s played a few times since, the most recent being at the 2020 Keep Memory Alive Power of Love event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

And just over two years later, on Saturday (18.06.22), he returned to the stage at Fenway Park in Boston to sing the Red Sox’s football song before their game versus the St. Louis Cardinals.

Diamond was joined by Broadway actor Will Swenson, who will play the renowned musician in ‘A Beautiful Noise, the Neil Diamond Musical’.

The ‘America’ singer announced his retirement from touring with “reluctance and disappointment” after being diagnosed with the degenerative ailment.

In a statement at the time, he stated: “It is with great reluctance and disappointment that I announce my retirement from concert touring.” I’ve been honored to present 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.”

Despite his decision to stop touring, Diamond promised to keep writing and producing music for a “long time to come”.

He went on to say, “I intend to continue writing, recording, and working on other projects for quite some time.

“I’d like to thank my dedicated and passionate audiences all throughout the world. I will always be grateful for your support and encouragement. “Thank you for making this ride’so good, so good, so good’.”

Earlier this year, Diamond sold his entire song collection to Universal Music Group.

The agreement covered 110 unreleased tracks, an unreleased album, and archive footage.

According to Diamond: “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 catalogue and future releases with the same passion and integrity that have always fuelled my career.”