LIVE BY REQUEST: Neil Diamond
Tonight on A & E at 10 p.m.
WHEN my daughter was little, I’d play Neil Diamond’s “September Morn” until, even as a young child, she’d run screaming from the room.
In fact, I think that’s how she learned to walk.
I forgave her, because after all, what was the choice – she was too young to be thrown out.
I never did get over the fact that she didn’t get it. Neil, I mean.
Then this thing happened. She went to college and came back with more Neil CD’s than I’d ever seen. She got it. And I was so proud.
I figured she was a brave kid for bucking the crowd, but it turns out, Neil Diamond is cool. Again.
In fact, there are even bands that tour the college circuit just covering Neil Diamond songs. There- fore, I was beside myself when I found out that A&E’s “Live By Request,” already one of my favorite shows, was doing a full two hours with Neil Diamond – sparkly shirt and all.
First off, you should know that one perfect child and I were in the audience. Secondly you should know we were also in the audience the other night for Madonna. Thank God for middle aged rockers, is all I can say.
Here are two very cool people, each in their own way. Madonna because she made being a 40-something mother of two a cool thing, and secondly because she wears giant sparkly clothes and does karate.
When Elvis wore giant sparkly clothes and did karate, he looked dorky.
Neil Diamond is cool because he’s not cool, and has captured a market that shouldn’t relate to him at all – kids. But, hey – why should great writing, singing and performances account for anything?
You should also know that his audience – ranging from teens to 200-year-old grannies – go berserk when he’s on stage. And the reason is because he has the most tremendous rapport with the audience. It’s quite amazing, actually.
The reason “Live By Request” works so well is because they not only pick the best performers in the world – often performers who seem not to be the most popular at the moment – and let people call in requests.
There’s a live audience in the small venues. And then they leave them alone and let them do what they do best – perform. No, fake dialog, no skits, no nothing. They get it – and there’s never been a stinker of a show yet.
They aren’t looking for the newest rapper, boy band, or 16-year-old girl “singer” with a boob job. They pick the unexpected: the Bee Gees, Loretta Lynn, Reba McEntire, Eurythmics, Trisha Yearwood, Don Henley, Willie Nelson, k.d. lang. Everyone of them has blown me away.
The other reason the “Live By Request” always works so well is host Mark McEwen of “The Early Show.” This guy is just so good, he should be holding down his own show.
He asks the questions that you’d ask if you were LUCKY ENOUGH TO MEET NEIL DIAMOND, BUT NO, I WASN’T THAT LUCKY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!
If you missed Saturday night’s live “Live By Request,” then I request that you tune in Monday night at 10 p.m.
Believe me, it will be good for you. And if you don’t, well, hell, I know where you live buddy.
You should also know I fell madly, albeit temporarily, in love with Neil Diamond. Tragically, in real life I could never love a man with sparkles.
There was only one serious, very serious flaw with the show. For reasons I hope never to understand, not one yutz who called in requested “September Morn.”
Even my one perfect daughter was disappointed not to hear it. Far be it from me to point out how far she’d come.