Neil Diamond: Which hits he'll sing, which he won't Friday in Wichita

The day that Intrust Bank Arena announced that Neil Diamond was coming to Wichita, I made a little bit of a scene in the newsroom.

I squealed, gasped and involuntarily popped out of my chair. Then I ran across the room to tell my best friend, Jaime, the big news. I’d made such a ruckus, though, she already knew.

I love Neil Diamond, and it really doesn’t make much sense. As a Gen-Xer, I’m hardly in his target demographic. But I’ve been a fan of his baritone voice and easy listening hits since I was a kid, and he’s always held a spot on my concert bucket list, along with Prince (too late), Bruce Springsteen (big disappointment) and Justin Timberlake (someday).

My fandom stretches back to the 1980s, when my dad had a cassette tape of Diamond’s “12 Greatest Hits, Vol. II.” When we’d take our endless summer vacation road trips through Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona, that tape would be permanently on play. I would sit in the backseat, gazing at the album cover that showed Diamond scrunched up on a couch wearing an all-white linen outfit, gazing sleepily into the camera. And I would savor every note of “Hello Again,” “Love on the Rocks” and my favorite, “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” his duet with Barbra Streisand.

Don’t even get me started on “The Jazz Singer,” Diamond’s 1980 film, which was played in constant rotation on HBO about this same time in my life. Was there ever a more glorious film finale than Diamond belting out “America” in his glittery blue shirt and sassy white scarf? “TODAY! TODAY! TODAY!”

No, there was not.

Diamond now is traversing the country with his 50 Year Anniversary World Tour, which will stop at Intrust Bank Arena on Friday. I’ll be there, and I’ll write a report from the concert.

Some reviewers who have attended previous tour stops say Diamond’s buttery voice is not what it once was. But he’s 76 years old, so I forgive him. This could be my last chance to cross him off the bucket list.

I’ve researched what he’s been singing and not singing at stops previous to ours in places like Philadelphia, New York and Baltimore.

Spoiler alert: I’m listing some of the highlights here. If you’re like me and you want to know what to look forward to, read on. If you’d rather be surprised, stop here and just go pop in your old Neil Diamond cassette tape.

Opening act: There isn’t one. Diamond will take the stage directly and play for at least two hours with no intermission.

What he sings: A long list of nearly 30 favorite hits, including “Sweet Caroline,” Cherry Cherry,” “Love on the Rocks,” “I’m a Believer,” “Song Sung Blue,” “Beautiful Noise,” “Red Red Wine,” “Forever in Blue Jeans,” “Skybird,” Holly Holy,” “I Am...I Said” and “Cracklin’ Rosie.” “America” is the final song, in the encore.

What he doesn’t sing: “Hello, Again,” one of my favorites from “The Jazz Singer” soundtrack. “Desiree” is iffy. At most stops, he sings “You Got To Me,” but at some, he tosses “Desiree” in instead. Also missing from the set list are a few of my favorites, including “September Morn,” “Longfellow Serenade” and “Yesterday’s Songs.”

The band: Diamond tours with a seven-piece band, four-man horn section and two backup singers. His lineup includes his longtime drummer, Ron Tutt, 79, who once played with Elvis Presley.

The highlights: Diamond performs “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” during the tour, but his saxophone player Larry Klimas performs Streisand’s part on his horn. And “Sweet Caroline,” which is the first song in the three-song encore, turns into a raucous karaoke singalong at every stop.

This story was originally published July 7, 2017 at 9:09 AM with the headline "Neil Diamond: Which hits he'll sing, which he won't Friday in Wichita."