Neil Diamond performs ‘Sweet Caroline’ to baseball crowd in rare public appearance

21 June 2022, 11:50 | Updated: 16 November 2023, 14:44

Neil Diamond has made a rare public appearance in America, as he sang his most famous song to a large crowd.

Music legend Neil Diamond sang 'Sweet Caroline' at the Boston Red Sox game in the US, four years after announcing his retirement from touring in 2018, after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

An excited crowd sang along to the song, which has been the sports team’s anthem since 1997.

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The song has also become popular with England football fans, following their run to the Euro 2020 final. Earlier this month, Britain voted for Rod Stewart to sing it as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Watch the moment below:

Neil previously performed 'Sweet Caroline' at Fenway in 2010 and in 2013, just days after the Boston Marathon bombings.

He retired from touring in 2018, but he pledged “to remain active in writing, recording and other projects for a long time to come".

His Fenway appearance was to celebrate the opening of his new musical Neil Diamond: A Beautiful Noise at Boston’s Emerson Colonial for a six-week residency, before it moves to Broadway this autumn.

During the performance, Neil was joined by actor Will Swenson, who stars in A Beautiful Noise.