Neil Diamond made a rare appearance to perform ‘Sweet Caroline’ at the Boston Red Sox game at the weekend.
The 81-year-old music legend retired from touring in 2018, after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
He’s performed a handful of times since, his most recent gig being at the 2020 Keep Memory Alive Power of Love gala at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
And just over two years later, he returned to the stage at Fenway Park in Boston on Saturday (18.06.22) to sing the football anthem adopted by the Red Sox for their match against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Diamond was joined by Broadway star Will Swenson, who is set to portray the legendary musician in ‘A Beautiful Noise, the Neil Diamond Musical’, for the performance.
The ‘America’ singer announced that he was retiring from touring, with “reluctance and disappointment”, after being stricken by the degenerative condition.
In a statement at the time, he said: “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.”
Despite quitting touring, Diamond vowed to continue writing and recording music for a “long time to come”.
He added: “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.”
Earlier this year, Diamond sold his entire song catalogue to Universal Music Group.
The deal included 110 unreleased tracks, an unreleased album and archive videos.
Diamond said: “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.”
