Why Did Neil Diamond Stop Touring?

May 23, 2024

Neil Diamond is, without a doubt, an American songwriting icon. His extensive touring career spanned decades, and earned him impressive accolades, such as the Madison Square Garden Gold Ticket Award (100,000+ unit ticket sales), Kennedy Center Honors, and an induction into the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame. With over 120 million albums sold, his catalog of hits has been an impactful part of American popular culture. 

In 2018, Neil announced his retirement from touring, due to a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.

“It is with great reluctance and disappointment that I announce my retirement from concert touring. I have been so honored to bring my shows to the public for the past 50 years,” he explained in a press statement. Though he would no longer tour, Neil planned to “remain active in writing, recording and other projects for a long time to come.”

One of those projects became A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical. The musical gives audiences an inside view into Neil’s memories throughout his life, all set to his biggest hits. The show opened on Broadway in December of 2022, and after closing on June 30, 2024, will kick off a National Tour in September of this year. The National Tour will give Neil Diamond fans across the country the opportunity to relive his exciting concerts–even though Neil himself is not touring anymore, his legacy lives on through this energetic and uplifting musical.