Neil Diamond hasn’t performed live in any capacity since 2018, when an unexpected Parkinson’s disease diagnosis forced the singer-songwriter to retire from touring life. Such a crisis, both psychological and physical, is the basis for Diamond’s new musical, A Beautiful Noise, where he spars with a therapist about how he can find fulfillment when he’s not getting a sonic high in front of thousands of adoring fans each night — a narrative that was inspired by his own therapy sessions over the past few years to figure out the next chapter of his life. (Hint: The musical is the next chapter.) That makes the following all the more wonderful: Diamond showed up to A Beautiful Noise’s opening night on December 4, commandeered a theater box, and sang the first verse of “Sweet Caroline” with the help of the cast and audience. You can practically hear the “ba ba ba”s from this paragraph.
Neil Diamond Gives Us One Last Performance and It’s So Good, So Good
