The Van Wert County Courthouse

Friday, Apr. 19, 2024

The music of Neil Diamond coming to NPAC

VW independent sports and submitted information

Van Wert Live has announced the return of the vastly popular “I Am, He Said” Celebrate The Music Of Neil Diamond concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, October 8 at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center. This concert, presented by Roger and Kay Okuley, is rescheduled from the previously sold out performance originally scheduled for March 20, 2021.

“I Am, He Said” – the music of Neil Diamond – is coming to Van Wert October 8. Photo submitted

The performance will feature select high school choirs from the region that will soon be announced. Over 50 regional vocalists will provide backup vocals for five popular Neil Diamond hits and close out the show with special fanfare.

Presenters and audience members are raving about the show.

“This show was a lot more than a tribute. Instead, it was an authentic presentation of the Neil Diamond hit list with stories of the man and his compositions interspersed, said Bob Johnson of Paramount Theater in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, after selling out four shows. “Our audiences were on their feet from the start…..Nobody could do it better. One of the best shows we’ve had this year,”

“We are saying what he said,” Matt Vee said, referring to the one and only Neil Diamond. Matt along with cousins Jeff and Tommy Vee, local music scene veterans and sons of the legendary Bobby Vee, join forces with their family and friends as The Killer Vees to celebrate the music from a timeless catalog.

With songs like “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Song Sung Blue,” and “Sweet Caroline,” Neil Diamond sold over 100 million records worldwide with music that became the soundtrack to one generation after another with hits spanning five decades. As a Tin Pan Alley songwriter in the mid-60s, he penned songs recorded by everyone from Elvis Presley to Deep Purple and, of course, the Monkees classic, “I’m A Believer.”

“This is not a tribute show,” Tommy Vee said. “This is a celebration of an amazing musical icon, one we all love and respect. We have been fans since we were in grade school and first learned our respective instruments and played many of these tunes over the years in various bands.”

“We have recruited an incredible group of singers and players and have gone back to the original records,” he added. “It is all about the vocals, and Matt nails it. It’s a rockin’ show!”

Tickets from $29-55 are on sale now to Van Wert Live members and will release to the public on Friday, June 3. VWLive memberships begin as low as $100 and provide 365 days of early buying opportunities for all Van Wert Live events. Memberships and tickets can be purchased at vanwertlive.com or through the box office between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, 419.238.6722.

The Van Wert Area Performing Arts Foundation presenting VWLive events is powered by the Van Wert County Foundation. Annual sponsors making live entertainment possible are Central Insurance, Statewide Ford-Lincoln, and First Federal Bank of Van Wert. The box office is located within the Niswonger Performing Arts Center, 10700 SR 118 S., Van Wert.

POSTED: 05/20/22 at 3:37 am. FILED UNDER: News