LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Rarely has a pop superstar so divided music fans for so long. Neil Diamond is a guilty pleasure to some, no less than a reason to be for others. Then there are those who flat-out despise him. Yet he continues to pack arenas decades after his last hit, based on the memory of past glories onstage and on record.
It's probably best to stick with the legend.
The showman in black -- with sparkly ruby-red sequins on the shoulders, of course -- returned to Los Angeles on Thursday for the first of four straight sold-out dates at the cavernous Staples Center. And while the nostalgia factor was high for songs from his mid-'60s to early-'80s heyday, Diamond has settled in as a simple generation-spanning crooner, his fiery performing days seemingly a memory.
His warm, comfy voice is still entirely distinctive, but it now lacks the power and, yes, the drama that fueled his most enduring songs. And of the tunes that still sound good on the radio, many were drowned by the overlarge backing band, which included three semi-soulful-at-best backing singers, an unremarkable brass section, two full-time keyboard players providing schmaltzy faux strings and such and an otherwise solid percussionist who doubled as cheerleader to ultimately deadening effect.