Neil Diamond To Tour Behind 'Best Of' Album Beginning In Mid-2012

Is Neil Diamond rock, pop, easy listening, adult contemporary, or some other genre of music?

He's been elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and according to Billboard he's the third most successful adult contemporary artist of all-time behind Barbara Streisand and Elton John. I've seen his music classified as easy listening (he does share a large section of fans with that music genre) and his songs certainly have a pop sound.

Does it really matter how we classify Diamond? The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame doesn't seem to care about music genres (they let in just about anyone) so why should we? Ultimately, it doesn't matter what category in iTunes you select for your Neil Diamond tracks, he's still one of the greatest songwriters of the 21st century. Even so, his music makes for an interesting case study.

The artist's career got a boost in the mid-sixties when The Monkees recorded a few of his songs. Those songs, as well as most of his early material, have a definite rock and roll feel. Then, in the 1970s, he mellowed out and recorded songs like "I Am… I Said," "September Morn," and "You Don't Bring Me Flowers."

His songs have been covered by a wide range of artist, everyone from Elvis Presley to Nancy Sinatra to Urge Overkill to Crooked Fingers. You'll find his albums in record collections belonging to your grandfather, mother, and little brother (provided he's a hipster).

Comparing him to previously mentioned legends, he's not as edgy as Elton John but rocks way harder than Barbara Streisand. Had Diamond leaned more towards rock he would have rivaled John. Instead, he followed in Babs' footsteps. Maybe it cost him a few fans, and a few notches on the cool meter, but with more than 115 million albums sold I think he did okay for himself.

If you don't believe in the awesomeness of Diamond just check out his latest release, "The Very Best of Neil Diamond - The Original Studio Recordings." The 23-track album features tunes like "I'm A Believer," "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon," and "Sweet Caroline."

To support the opus, the 70-year-old (he turns 71 on Jan 24) is planning a tour of North America this spring and summer. His trek launches June 1 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and ends Sept. 1 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Neil Diamond tickets will be sold in cities all over the continent including Atlanta, Washington D.C., Boston, Toronto, and Seattle.

Neil Diamond's 2012 Itinerary
>>Feb. 16 & 18 - Neil Diamond in Honolulu, HI @ Neal S. Blaisdell Center
>>June 1 - Neil Diamond in Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ BankAtlantic Center
>>June 3 - Neil Diamond in Tampa, FL @ St. Pete Times Forum
>>June 6 - Neil Diamond in Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
>>June 8 - Neil Diamond in Wantagh, NY @ Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
>>June 14 - Neil Diamond in Washington, DC @ Verizon Center
>>June 16 - Neil Diamond in Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
>>June 18 - Neil Diamond in Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
>>June 21 - Neil Diamond in Montreal, BC @ Bell Centre
>>June 23 - Neil Diamond in Boston, MA @ TD Garden
>>June 26 - Neil Diamond in Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
>>June 28 - Neil Diamond in London, ON @ John Labatt Centre
>>July 1 - Neil Diamond in Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
>>July 3 - Neil Diamond in Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
>>July 6 - Neil Diamond in Chicago, IL @ United Center
>>July 8 - Neil Diamond in Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest
>>July 11 - Neil Diamond in St Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
>>July 13 - Neil Diamond in Saskatoon, SK @ Credit Union Centre
>>July 16 - Neil Diamond in Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place
>>July 18 - Neil Diamond in Calgary, AB @ Scotiabank Saddledome
>>July 21 - Neil Diamond in Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
>>July 23 - Neil Diamond in Seattle, WA @ Key Arena
>>July 28 - Neil Diamond in Salt Lake City, UT @ Rio Tinto Stadium
>>Aug. 7 - Neil Diamond in San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion
>>Aug. 29 - Neil Diamond in Phoenix, AZ @ US Airways Center
>>Sept. 1 - Neil Diamond in Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena