Neil Diamond does Milwaukee 2015

Some Diamonds in the Rough watch Neil from a luxury box

"There are two types of people in this world. Those who like Neil Diamond and those who don't." _Bob Wiley, What About Bob?

My friends and I are the former. So we were totally psyched when Erin's fiancé, Tom, scored our group box seats at the Bradley Center for Neil's concert last week. Did you know Neil is 74 years old? Did you know he wrote "I'm a believer" and "Red red wine?" Did you know he once did a beautifully heartbreaking duet with Barbra Streisand? Did you know those aren't sequins on his stage-wear, rather they're beads hand-sewn by nine women in Guatemala? Did you also know his voice is like butter (rich, smooth, and good for the soul)? Did you realize how much you were missing out on?!

There's so much more to Neil Diamond than the overplayed "Sweet Caroline." I wish more people knew that. Just a few short years ago, I was a Neil newbie, too. But my friends really drove home the fandom — and thank God! Have you heard "Play Me"? Poetic. What about "America"? Hello petition for a new national anthem, where do I sign? Then there's "Cracklin' Rosie" — so toe-tappin', it's Rachelle's "wake me from a coma song." And don't even get me started on what it's like to hear "Cherry Cherry" live.

Anyway, Neil still has it. He might not hold the notes as long as he once did (like I said, he's 74), but the tone of his voice is every bit as buttery. He also knows his audience, what they want to hear and how they want to hear it — no opening act, no intermission, home by 10:30. Yep, there were a lot of geriatrics in the crowd. In fact, they warned us before showtime that the lights would dim abruptly in about 10 minutes (no heart attacks please!).

For our group, the glory of Neil was made all the greater since Tom treated us to an evening of luxury box life. We were handed a flute of champagne upon entry to the Hall of Boxes. And in our own box: a counter set with beer, soda, and wine (all chilling on ice), a spread of cheese and sausage (bless you Milwaukee) and a veggie platter (which went largely untouched — bless you Milwaukee), a buffet of top-notch chicken tenders and BBQ pork, three kinds of pizza, and stadium seating with a perfect view. Is this heaven? No, it's a luxury box at a Neil Diamond concert.