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Say Hello, Again, To Neil Diamond: A Chicagoist Contest

By Scott Smith in Arts & Entertainment on May 5, 2005 1:13PM

When Chicagoist was growing up our musical influences were not, shall we say, diverse. Before we learned to use the buttons on the radio, they consisted of classic country (Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash) and the local oldies station. We eventually expanded our musical tastes, but when certain artists become the bedrock upon which you form the rest of your musical experience, you never really get past them. Our heart still melts when we hear naked emotion accompanied by acoustic guitar and we still thrill to a good three-minute pop song.

2005_05_05_neil.jpgAnd this is why we continue to worship Neil Diamond.

Neil gets a bad rap in many musical circles. Oh sure he had the brief ironic renaissance when Pulp Fiction came out and many realized the songwriting chops behind the sequins with "Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon." But the brilliance behind “Solitary Man” and “Desiree”--along with the time spent honing his chops working alongside Brill Building cohorts like Carole King and Neil Sedaka--should earn him more credit that it does. Or at least more respect than he’s afforded when sorority girls massacre “Sweet Caroline” on a Saturday night.

So if the above hasn’t convinced you, perhaps putting you and a friend in some seats at his concert might. Ergo, we present The Chicagoist Neil Diamond Contest! We’re giving away tickets to his August 1st show at the United Center before they even go on sale! The contest will run until next Thursday, May 12. More details, rules, and the entry form are listed at the contest page here. Good luck!