Neil Diamond came out of retirement this week to sing ‘Sweet Caroline’ during the curtain call of a new Broadway musical about his life.
The singer announced his retirement from touring in 2018 after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and made a rare appearance earlier this year at a Boston Red Sox game to perform his biggest hit.
On Sunday night (December 4), new musical A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical debuted on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre, with Diamond himself in attendance.
Before the show began, Diamond appeared on the balcony and was handed a microphone to sing ‘Sweet Caroline’ with fans.
See footage of the performance below.
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
— Andrey Daddano | mas.to/@loudersoft (@loudersoft) December 6, 2022
Announcing his retirement four years ago, a statement issued on the singer’s official website said that “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”.
Diamond said of the news: “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.”
In addition to his publishing and masters, the deal includes 110 unreleased tracks, an unreleased album and archival video footage.
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