KFC Yum! Center and Neil Diamond in Louisville Kentucky

A pal of mine was planning to take his wife to see Neil Diamond in Louisville this past Friday.  Well, something came up and his wife was unable to go with him, so I lucked into a ticket!

This was my first time actually going in to the newer mammoth structure in downtown.  I have driven by it many times, and I have walked by it going to other places, but this was the first time that I was able to actually go in and check it out.

The last time I was at a major event in Louisville, I saw their old indoor football team take on the Owensboro Rage at Freedom Hall.  I thought Freedom Hall was fine, but big new venues downtown seem to be popular these days.

Getting in was no problem, though there is the airport style security I see more of here and there.  Still, we went from standing outside to being inside in probably under a minute.  The security people were efficient and friendly.

Our seats were in the upper arena area, and we did take a long escalator to our seating area.  It went up several stories, and I did not want to look down.  I have nightmares about escalators like this.

We made it to our seats easily and with no real hassle.  Plus, being that this is Neil Diamond, this was a mature concert crowd in every way.  Everyone was polite and casual.

I am honestly not a big fan of Neil Diamond, but I enjoyed this show a lot more than I expected.  As I listened to his songs, I realized that the man had a ton of hits...  many that I had forgotten about.  AND, for a guy in his 70s, his voice is still strong.

I really enjoyed "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" which is such a sweet and sad song.  His other hits were all fun to hear live too- "America" being the other one that really popped for me this particular evening.

On the other hand, I have heard "Sweat Caroline" way too much.  I mean, it is a great song, but I hear it all the time.  Back when I was going to a lot of baseball games, I think every team (not just the Red Sox) played that song at some point.

Well, you know this song was played at the show... with several false endings to most of the crowd's delight.

Still, I left this show with a much deeper appreciation for Neil Diamond.

We took our time leaving the Yum Center, as there was a bit of a wait to get back on those tall escalators and make our way back down.  We left the venue to a cold, rainy evening.  Luckily we were parked in garage close by.