THREE CHORD OPERA TOUR |
Linda Pollard's USA Concert Trips, The shows I attended in October were wonderful, but a long stretch of time had passed since then, so I was more then ready to head off once again, on the road to Diamondville. During this leg of the tour, I headed to the cities of Pittsburgh, State College, and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania; Providence, Rhode Island and Hartford, Connecticut. I would like to share some highlights of those travels. On Saturday, February 23rd, I had a brief 90-minute flight to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which is located in the far western portion of the state. Due to the cost of flights, it was best to fly on Saturday, which meant arriving two days before the show, scheduled for the following Monday. This also meant, many other fans arrived on Saturday as well, which lead to sharing the adventures of touring the area, sharing meals and shopping expeditions. The city of Pittsburgh is built on the tip of land where the Alleghany and Monongahela rivers merge to form the Ohio river. The city has a wonderful skyline, and the sunsets are beautiful, reflecting off the three rivers and surrounding bridges. The first night, several fans gathered at a restaurant on the side of Mt. Washington, overlooking the city, where the rivers meet. We had a wonderful meal, while enjoying the sunset reflecting off the city's tallest buildings. Pittsburgh's Mellon Arena is conveniently located in the heart of the city, with many hotels within walking distance. Directly before the (Monday, Feb. 25th) show, 53 fans gathered at The Igloo Club, inside the arena, for a wonderful buffet dinner. Our host, Kirk Fellabom, did a fantastic job organizing the event. Everyone received commemorative items, including very unique personalized nametags, place markers and USA flags. Finally, after waiting since October 27th, it was showtime once again. Neil looked fabulous in a bright red shirt, with glass beads forming a triangle from his shoulders to the middle of the shirt. His bright red shirts are always among my favorites. He is still opening with "America," closing with "Brother Love..." and choosing a woman (or more than one) from the front row to serenade (and smooch) during, "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon." This night's "girl" was about 25 years old, and loving the attention. She played along with Neil's amorous antics very well. The only changes to the set list since October was the addition of "Play Me," and removing two songs from the new album--"At The Movies" and "I Believe In Happy Endings." As with the previous shows, this one was a sell-out. The audience of about 17,000 was very receptive, and Neil and the band seemed to really be enjoying themselves. Far too soon, the show was over, and many of us gathered at a local hotel lounge to reminisce about the show and share mostly Neil-related stories until the wee hours of the following day. Among our group was Tom Sadge, a Neil Diamond impersonator from eastern Pennsylvania. He led us through many Neil Diamond songs, which added to the fun we had that night. Luckily, the lounge is far away from the hotel rooms, so we were able to enjoy ourselves without disturbing others. After a few hours sleep, and a trip back to the airport to pick up a rental car, it was off to the State College, Pennsylvania, show that was scheduled for that night. It was a 3-1/2 hour drive from Pittsburgh on winding roads through the mountains. There were three cars full of fans traveling together; somehow we all found our way through the mountains. After a quick dinner at a local restaurant, it was showtime once again. Bryce Jordan Center is part of a multi-building sports complex on the grounds of Pennsylvania State University, sitting next to their enormous (American) football stadium.
Bryce Jordan is a bit smaller then Pittsburgh's Mellon Arena, holding
about 11,000 fans. However, I do believe they matched Pittsburgh's level
of sound. Neil had a warm reception from the audience that was a mix of college
students and those of us who just faintly remember those days. Once again,
this night's "girl" was quite young, and very receptive to Neil's playfulness.
All too soon, another show was over, and we drifted out of the arena to an
earlier night of after-show partying. I think we were all still feeling tired
from the night before.
Saturday, March 2, it was off (via car with two other area fans) to
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Wilkes-Barre is in the far eastern portion of
the state. The Wilkes-Barre shows in December of '99 remain some of my favorite
memories. Neil was the first concert performer in their new arena, which
lead to great newspaper and local TV coverage. This visit would not be a
match for what happened then, but it was close. I knew many of the fans that
had gathered for the weekend and the Sunday and Monday night shows. We had
a wonderful weekend of visiting, sharing meals, shopping, and once again,
after-show gatherings that lasted until early the following morning. The
weather was not cooperating while we were there, so not much tourist travel
was done, other than to and from the shows.
The audience's reception to Neil's two shows in Wilkes-Barre matched those first shows in 1999. The press coverage was more typical of what he receives in other cities, but the fans were as enthusiastic as before. Neil mentioned during his early show greeting that his first appearance on-stage was in Wilkes-Barre. It is the site of his famous tripping over the wire, and falling flat on his face story. He said he thinks he's done better since. I'd say he has! One travel day between shows lead to two consecutive nights in Providence, Rhode Island and Hartford, Connecticut. As before, the shows were fabulous, and Neil was in very good humor. His voice continued to be much stronger then during the October shows. While in Wilkes-Barre, he mentioned he had a cold last fall, which was quite noticeable to all of us who went to those shows. His voice was perfect for these shows, and hopefully, he will manage to keep away from any cold germs prior to his visit to the UK! [Editor's note: Neil should be okay this time around, Linda, as we now know that our UK shows are in July 2002, and we have our tickets at the ready! ]
One unusual, and fun thing about the Providence show, was seeing about 15 of the stars of "Stars on Ice" (all previous Olympic skating stars) seated in the 8th row of the center floor section. Neil really played to them, and they were all rockin' throughout the show. Hartford was a very special show, because in my opinion, the audience was the best one since the second Boston and NYC shows in early October. Everything just seemed to click. Neil was in perfect voice, and the band was at their best as well. He was in a very teasing mood during the Hartford "girl" segment, inviting five woman to join him next to the stage. All five received a brief kiss...and an "I Love Neil Diamond" teddy bear. Since that time, every "girl" receives a teddy bear. Hartford was the last stop for me, although five more USA shows followed. His last show was in Atlantic City on March 17th. Diamondville is taking a rest now, and won't appear again until the Dublin shows on July 5th and 6th. I'm thrilled to be returning to the UK for the Glasgow through Birmingham shows. It will be fantastic to see all my friends again, and hopefully, meet some new ones as well. [Editor's note: It'll be great to see you again too, Linda]
Please note: all the photographs in this section are
the copyright of Linda Pollard.
Linda Pollard's visit to New York University -12th October 2001 to see
Neil perform. "We had an unexpected surprise in NYC. A kind-hearted fan phoned me at our hotel after the first show, to inform us that she found out Neil would be performing at New York University the following day. Several in our group found our way to the NYU campus, and to where Neil would be performing a song at the Annual Parent's Weekend festivities. We headed directly to the stage, and managed to fill in the remaining spaces in the front row. The event opened with a group of students performing patriotic songs and show tunes. Since Neil was performing at Madison Square Garden that night, he was the first of the guests to be introduced. He and the university president sang a duet of: I Believe in Happy Endings."
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