Neil Diamond North America Tour and New Album, 'Home Before Dark'

Press release
Source: Wiredset

To the delight of his millions of fans, legendary singer, songwriter and performer Neil Diamond will return to concert stages this summer for a 37-city North America tour, promoted nationally by AEG Live. Tickets for the North America tour, scheduled to kick off July 19 in St. Paul, Minnesota, are on sale for shows in St.Paul, MN; Chicago, IL; Washington, DC; New York, NY; Boston, MA; San Jose, CA; Los Angeles, CA; and Dallas, TX. Tickets for the remaining markets will go on sale Friday, May 2. Fans should visit neildiamond.com and check local listings for updated information. The North American leg follows a series of European dates starting May 24 in Rotterdam, with new dates recently added to accommodate an overwhelming demand for tickets.

With a four-decade long career that has seen more than 125 million records sold worldwide, 36 Top 40 hits, a Grammy, a Golden Globe and thousands of sold-out shows all over the globe, Neil Diamond remains one of the most vital and innovative forces in modern music. The 2008 summer tour will deliver a familiar yet unique fan experience featuring amazing production, innovative stage design and, of course, an unparalleled set list of Diamond’s most beloved hits. In addition to classics such as “Sweet Caroline,” “I’m a Believer,” and “Cherry, Cherry,” Diamond will perform new, never before performed live songs from his upcoming, highly anticipated album, Home Before Dark, his second collaboration with renowned producer Rick Rubin, to be released by Columbia Records on May 6.

Diamond announced the tour in a surprise televised appearance at the Boston Red Sox season opener at Fenway Park on April 8. During the traditional eighth-inning sing-a-long of Diamond’s classic “Sweet Caroline,”—a longtime Fenway tradition—the singer appeared in a televised, big-screen broadcast, proclaiming to fans that he will be performing live in concert at the historic Fenway Park on Saturday, August 23, 2008.

Tickets for select markets are available now at www.ticketmaster.com. In addition, I Love All Access is proud to be the exclusive provider of VIP ticket package experiences for the tour. Fans should visit iloveallaccess.com for more information and to purchase VIP tickets.

Diamond’s prolific body of work includes “You Don't Bring Me Flowers” (the powerful duet with Barbra Streisand), “I Am, I Said” and “Cracklin’ Rosie,” as well as hits from his album and movie The Jazz Singer (“America,” “Love on the Rocks”) and from his acclaimed 2005 album 12 Songs. The album marked his first project with Rubin, which entered the Billboard Top 200 at No. 4 – marking Diamond’s highest-charting debut to date – and offered a stripped-down, emotionally honest and passionately compelling approach that continues on Home Before Dark.

Like all great Neil Diamond albums, Home Before Dark is a powerful work, crossing generational lines with an extraordinary range and level of songcraft. Imbued with the same style of inspired melodies that has made his music so enduring, the album’s highlights include the stunning lead single “Pretty Amazing Grace” and a striking duet with the Dixie Chicks’ Natalie Maines entitled “Another Day (That Time Forgot).” The new collection was written by Diamond and recorded in Los Angeles with guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers), bassist/acoustic guitarist Smokey Hormel and guitarist Matt Sweeney. The album will also be available as a deluxe version that includes two bonus tracks and a DVD with rare footage of Diamond in the studio.

NEIL DIAMOND 2008 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES

July
19 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
22 Sioux City, IA Tyson Events Center
24 Omaha, NE Qwest Center Omaha
26 Chicago, IL United Center
29 Indianapolis, IN Conseco Fieldhouse
31 Detroit, MI The Palace of Auburn Hills

August
3 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena
5 Washington, DC Verizon Center
7 Hartford, CT XL Center
9 Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center
12 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
14 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
18 Pittsburgh, PA Mellon Arena
20 Albany, NY Times Union Center
23 Boston, MA Fenway Park
25 Columbus, OH Value City Arena at The Schottenstein Center
27 Green Bay, WI Resch Center
29 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center

September
14 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre
16 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place
18 Calgary, AB Pengrowth Saddledome
20 Vancouver, BC General Motors Place
22 Portland, OR Rose Garden
24 Seattle, WA KeyArena at Seattle Center
26 Sacramento, CA ARCO Arena
28 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion

October
1 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
2 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
7 San Diego, CA San Diego Sports Arena
10 Phoenix, AZ Jobing.com Arena
12 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
14 Houston, TX Toyota Center
16 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
19 Oklahoma City, OK Ford Center
21 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
24 Tampa, FL St. Pete Times Forum
26 Ft. Lauderdale, FL BankAtlantic Center
28 Orlando, FL Amway Arena Orlando
30 Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena

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