Apregan, Meglen & Hodges On Neil Diamond’s ‘Incredible’ Touring Career

The news last week that Neil Diamond, legendary hit-maker, fan-favorite and touring machine, would retire from concert touring and cancel an upcoming Australia and New Zealand tour due to Parkinson’s Disease came as a shock to many. 

Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic – Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond performs on stage during the 84th Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting at Rockefeller Center on November 30, 2016 in New York City.

Diamond, 77, was still selling out arenas putting him in the company of a very select few – rock royalty such as Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, The Who and Roger Waters, and solo artists like Barbra Streisand and Rod Stewart come to mind as still touring at such numbers well into their 70s.

His burnished legacy not only includes moving millions of tickets, but his meticulous attention to detail raised the bar for the whole touring industry – all the while being a loyal, generous class act to boot. “Anyone who hasn’t worked with Neil certainly wishes they had,” Nederlander Concerts CEO Alex Hodges told Pollstar.

Hodges had the pleasure of working with Diamond on the Hot August Night 50th anniversary run of five shows at the Greek Theatre in 2012. That’s where the famous 1972 live album was recorded, and where Diamond played 14 nights in 1986 and set an attendance record at the venue.

“He really cares about his show and his performance and the fans,” Hodges said. “The last time we worked together at the Greek Theatre he was very much paying attention way in advance at every level, sight lines and how he wanted the stage, and the buildout leading up to the shows – all the elements. It was just great.”

While Diamond’s legacy is about more than dollars and cents, the sheer volume of his business can’t be ignored. Looking at annual totals since 1986, Diamond sold more than 1 million tickets three times (1989, 1992, 1996) and grossed more than $100 million (in today’s dollars) in 2008 according to Pollstar data.

Scott Legato / RockStarProPhotography.com – Neil Diamond
The Palace Of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Mich.

Nine times he was in the Top 10 on Pollstar’s Year End Top Tours chart, most recently in 2008 as No. 6 Worldwide. He was the third-biggest tour of the year on three separate occasions – 1986, 1993, 1996, which grossed $39 million, $51 million and $51 million in today’s dollars, respectively. While tickets were a lot cheaper in those days (average ticket price to see Diamond in 1986 was $18.50) he made up for it in sheer volume, with many years doing more than 70 shows.

In 2017, at age 76, Diamond was still selling out arenas for enthusiastic fans across the globe, with $63.4 million grossed on 56 shows, putting him at No. 24 Worldwide for the Year End chart. From 1986, Pollstar has Diamond on the Year End Top Tours 16 times, grossing $730 million and selling 10.8 million tickets.

Diamond’s continued touring success is testament to not only the strength of his timeless classics, which date back to the mid-’60s, but also his ability to deliver on stage and give back to the audience.

“One of the greatest of all time at doing that is Neil Diamond,” said Concerts West Co-CEO John Meglen. “He just gives and gives and gives. “I remember 20 years ago we were talking about Neil still selling out multiple arenas. Incredible,” Meglen added of Diamond’s enduring touring success.

Another who enjoyed a lot of time with Diamond is Jeff Apregan, who worked with him in various capacities including as North American tour promoter, tour director and in the earlier days as promoter rep and tour manager.

“For me personally there’s all kinds of highlights,” Apregan told Pollstar. “I remember doing runs of 10 shows at the Forum, which, at that time, no one had done that kind of a run. In more recent years, playing Glastonbury, Fenway Park, Croke Park in Dublin – they were all enormous shows. For someone whose career has been so rich and full, to still be doing those kinds of performances late in your career is not a small thing.

“I worked with Neil off and on over a span of about 28 years, and I think he always had the reputation in our industry as first and foremost being an absolute class act, but he also really raised the bar even in those very early years in terms of touring production,” said Apregan, who runs the Jeff Apregan Group and is president of the Gridiron Stadium Network that consults and acts as a booking advocate for a group of NFL stadiums in the U.S.

“The execution was flawless, there was nothing left to chance,” Apregan said. “I like to think that he raised the bar for touring productions in a very substantial way.”

Apregan also stressed the human element. “He has always been an incredibly generous person,” Apregan said. ”He took great care of his band and took great care of the people around him. He’s been incredibly loyal.

“I can remember doing shows in Houston shortly after a hurricane there. I remember him meeting the mayor of Houston. He made the commitment on that tour to carve out proceeds from merchandise to help rebuild the town. There’s lots of those kinds of stories. He’s absolutely given back.”

With the announcement of Diamond retiring from the road, “It’s definitely a new chapter and he absolutely left his mark on the touring business,” Apregan said, adding that he “looks at all of it with tremendous respect and gratitude.”