Neil Diamond in Omaha, Nebraska on April 14th, 2017.
Neil Diamond performed on April 14th, 2017 and CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
As a child growing up listening to my mom’s 45 records on her little record player I remember two bands that were consistently listened to; The Beatles and Neil Diamond. When news came across the desk that he was touring and one stop was Omaha, I almost fainted. “I am going to go photograph Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Neil freaking Diamond!” Hard to comprehend that I have never seen a live show and that his 50th Anniversary tour would be the one I get to see and cover. As I write this very short review, bear in mind that as a concert photographer without a proper reviewer I get 2-3 songs to review. So without delay, this will be my best shot at reviewing the 2 songs that I got to enjoy by Neil Diamond.
When the show started there In My Lifetime as his introduction that featured a large, spinning diamond chronicling the life of Neil Diamond. From his childhood to present day. I hadn’t realized until then how illustrious his music career had been, seeing that he got to dance with Lady Diana dang near brought a tear to my eye.
The first song by Neil Diamond, as he made his grand entrance onto the CenturyLink Center stage was one of my favorites, Cherry Cherry. At couple of points during this classic I found myself dancing a bit. Even our escort, Kristi, noticed and asked if I was photographing or dancing to the song. My reply was, “yes”. It was fun to watch this song being performed live and the crowd and I sang along with the entire song. The second song I got to enjoy was 1967’s You Got To Me. I felt compelled to dance more, as did the audience, but I had to get some quality photos for The Pit.
Although my time with Neil Diamond was short, it was some of the most enjoyable 20 minutes of my span photographing and covering concerts. I would do it again several times. As a fan with my childhood memories of Neil Diamond, I say, “Thank you Neil for one of the coolest shows I have covered.”
Photos courtesy of Winsel Photography in Omaha, Nebraska. ©2017.
