NEIL DIAMOND TO PERFORM AT ASHTON GATE
BY STEVE GRANT S.GRANT
11:00 – 22 October 2004
Pop legend Neil Diamond will perform one of a handful of UK dates in Bristol next summer. The singing superstar has agreed to appear at Bristol City’s Ashton Gate on June 14 next year and tickets are expected to sell out fast.
It will be the second major-name concert to be staged by the stadium within a year. Last June, more than 23,000 fans crammed into the venue to see Sir Elton John.
A similar number are expected to watch the American singer next summer.
Richard Gould, the soccer club’s commercial manager, said: “We are sure it will be another huge event for Bristol.”
One of the world’s most popular live entertainers, 63-year-old Diamond has sold 115 million records worldwide.
His concert is sure to include his greatest hits such as Hello Again, Sweet Caroline, Love on the Rocks, and Forever in Blue Jeans.
It is three years since the New York-born star last toured the UK. But when tickets for Neil Diamond in Australia went on sale in August, he broke box-office records.
Touts are already offering tickets for the Bristol concert for up to £275, even though none have yet been allocated.
Mr Gould said: “It’s a scandal. Some of our fans have already received emails offering seats at ridiculous prices when tickets are not even officially on sale. One website was offering seats for £275, more than four times the cost of a front row seat at the Ashton Gate concert.
“We feel we must warn readers about these websites because the touts behind them have not been allocated tickets.
“The official launch is not until tomorrow morning when Neil Diamond will be interviewed via satellite from the States.”
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Diamond had his first songwriting break at 25 when he wrote I’m A Believer for The Monkees.
The same year he made his own debut album, The Feel of Neil Diamond, kick-starting a career that would build to a crescendo in 2001 with his biggest-selling world tour.
Along the way, Diamond has also dabbled in the movies, starring in The Jazz Singer in 1980 opposite Laurence Olivier.
Tickets will go on general sale from tomorrow morning, priced £35, £45, £55 and £60. These can be purchased through a special hotline number – 0870 4050448 or online through www.seetickets.com or www.ticketmaster.co.uk .
Tickets can also be bought in person at Ashton Gate Stadium.