Hot August Night

Brendan taped this for me last week - Hot August Night NYC - a recording of Neil Diamond's concert in Madison Square Garden. Basically the same concert as the one in Croke Park last year, with some of his old songs, like Cherry Cherry and Kentucky Woman (my personal favourite), and some of the brand new ones, such as Pretty Amazing Grace (which I can recognise from the first chord).

I enjoyed the few bits outside the concert - the scene where he goes back to his old neighbourhood in Brooklyn, which seems to have gone a lot more "ethnic" than when he lived there, I'd say, and he talks to some black kids who have no idea who he is and he starts mentioning some his top songs, like Sweet Caroline, and they don't know any of them. He finally thinks to mention Red Red Wine, and yes, they've vaguely heard of that one. It's just surreal.

And also the bit where he shows some of the glitzier shirts he used to wear!

Don't like to see him up too close - too much foundation I think! But he still has a good voice, and he puts his heart in it. We've kept the recording and I might watch it again!