Sparkling Diamond Love never on the rocks between music man, fans

Where it began, I can’t begin to knowin’ … but then I know it’s growin’ strong.

Was in the spring – of my life, that is, but then spring became the summer. Back then, HBO and Cinemax came free with cable, and when I turned on the TV, I saw Neil, dressed in a sequined top, unbuttoned enough to show a tuft of chest hair. The movie was “The Jazz Singer,” and I immediately got up to change the channel (This was pre-remote, too, kids).

Then I heard the music.

It was close to the end of the movie, but, electrified by Neil’s performance of “America,” I checked the cable guide to see when it would be on again.

That was a long time ago, but some things haven’t changed. I’m still skeptical of any man dressed in sequins, and I still love Neil Diamond.

The 61-year-old music man is coming to Portland tomorrow for a sold-out show at the Cumberland County Civic Center, nearly 20 years to the day since his last visit to Maine. Diamond kicked off the world tour last fall, when the country was still in shock over the Sept. 11 attacks.

“I feel very good about having been on the road during this tough period for America,” Diamond said in a press release. “The audiences seem to be more in need of uplifting moments with all that’s gone on around the world and I was totally dedicated to giving them just that. The audiences give the tour a new sense of purpose and mission.”

The 1980 hit “America” likely will be on Diamond’s set list tomorrow night, but the show will highlight material from his 2001 release “Three Chord Opera.” That doesn’t mean he won’t throw in a few classics, though. Because what would a Neil Diamond show be without “Sweet Caroline,” “Cracklin’ Rosie” and “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers”?

“We added both a horn and a string section to the original band to give both the new songs and the old favorites more power than ever before,” Diamond said.

Diamond, one of the nation’s top-grossing live performers, is pretty powerful on his own. For years, I was a closet fan, hiding my secret delight in his songs behind an air of hipness. When my friend Mike picked me up for school one day with Neil Diamond in the tape deck, I laughed and called him a dork.

A few months later I “borrowed” the tape, and Mike hasn’t seen it since.

During the course of his 35-year career, Diamond has sold 115 million records, and his concerts consistently have sold out at major venues.

He has had three No. 1 hits, with “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” and “Song Sung Blue,” as well as seven top 10 hits.

Call me cheesy. Call me sentimental. I’m over the too-cool-for-Neil thing, and apparently I’m not the only one. Good times never seemed so good.