“They asked me if I could do a ‘Hot August Night’ show for them,” Stewart said. “I already had about 10 Diamond songs in the repertoire because it was one of the first songbooks I bought when I was learning the guitar as a kid. I thought, why not?”

Thus the Neil Diamond Show was born. “The public response was huge,” said Stewart. “They loved it. Neil Diamond has a massive fan base. Older people like him because they grew up listening to him. Younger people like him because they listened to their parents’ music. The music itself is timeless.”

The Neil Diamond Show is not just another tribute show: this is a Neil Diamond concert experience. “The concept for the show grew organically,” said Stewart.

“It started with just the music. I can sing a bit like him. I can get that gravel into my voice and that distinctive twang. But it’s evolved into a full multimedia show.” 

Stewart travels on his own, with no road crew, and does the whole set-up himself. “It takes a couple of hours to set it all up,” he said. 

Stewart sets up the stage so that the backdrop is a full screen, on which is projected snippets from Diamond concerts, interviews with the man himself, and Diamond introducing his own songs.

“The first half is the man and his music. I go through his early stuff and follow his career chronologically. The second half is the ‘Hot August Night’ show and I come straight out and start with Crunchy Granola Suite.”

The Neil Diamond Show is on at the Braidwood Servicemen’s Club, Sunday February 24 at 4pm. Tickets are $20 each at the door.