Despite being a Gear Daddies/Martin Zellar fan circa 2001, I was never inclined to see his Neil! show. It was mostly the Hardways doing Neil Diamond tribute shows. I was thinking it might be too corny or sarcastic for my taste.
A friend of mine scored an opening band slot though, so I went in support. I was not even sure I would hang around for the Neil! set, but friends persuaded me to stay. I was also curious about the whole thing.
I was totally wrong. The show was a blast and the crowd was totally into it.
Those shows got pretty legendary followings and was quite a meal ticket for Zellar, being able to charge 3X what he was getting performing his own stuff. I think he still does them every once in a while.
Since that night seeing Zellar, this has become my favorite Neil Diamond song or at least tied with Daydream Believer.
Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show
So based on that alone, I am quite intrigued by the Hugh Jackman/Kate Hudson homage Song Sung Blue, in which the main characters are also Neil Diamond tribute artists.