Tribute band makes Neil’s hits sparkle
Super Diamond has loyal following in its own right
The term “tribute band” is generally associated with images of a guy belting out “Burning Love” in a sequined Elvis bodysuit, or a guitar player squeezed into Angus Young’s schoolboy outfit. But Super Diamond is doing its best to subvert those expectations, taking the expansive catalogue of the great Neil Diamond and putting its own twist on the material.
The San Francisco-based six-piece, which plays the Knitting Factory on Thursday, has attained more attention than your typical tribute act: They’ve been the musical guest on “The Late Show with David Letterman,” they were name-dropped in a “Jeopardy!” clue, and Diamond himself has played with them on two separate occasions.
The band’s drummer, Vince Littleton, is a Spokane native and has been playing with Super Diamond for the past 14 years (the band has been around, in various incarnations, since 1993). He estimates the band plays 75 to 100 shows a year around the country, but this will be the first time they’ve ever made a stop in his hometown.
“I’m super excited,” Littleton said. “I’m hoping it’s a good turnout, because I really enjoy performing for my friends and family.”
At a Super Diamond show, you’ll hear all the Diamond-penned hits – “Sweet Caroline,” “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “America,” “Forever in Blue Jeans,” “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon” – but the band isn’t trying to imitate Diamond.
“We take these songs and we try to make the best we can out of them,” Littleton said. “There’s a little bit of a shtick to it, but not too much. We’ve done our own arrangements of these classic songs and infused other classic rock tunes into the Neil Diamond songs. Some Neil Diamond songs we do pretty close to the record, and other ones you’ll hear Black Sabbath mixed in for eight bars or you’ll hear a Zeppelin riff in the middle of it.”
Littleton says that the versatility of the band’s arrangements is actually a testament to Diamond’s songwriting: You can change any of his hits into hard rock anthems, and the melodies and lyrics still shine through.
“It’s proof that you can take any of his songs and really make them rock, really put a lot of energy into them, and it doesn’t have to be done in this cheesy lounge style,” he said. “I didn’t even know he wrote ‘Red Red Wine’ until I joined the band, and songs for the Monkees. So you kind of get the idea how a song can be redone and rearranged with a slightly different spin on it, but not so much that the song is unrecognizable.”
Super Diamond has built up a devoted following – especially in the Bay area – for its high-energy shows, and although its audience skews a bit younger than Diamond’s, Littleton says that any tried-and-true fan will enjoy their show.
“We try to really have fun,” he said. “I think that’s the biggest thing: to engage the audience to have fun with us and sing along.”
And how does the Neil Diamond feel about the tribute? Not only is he a fan of Super Diamond (he even touted them before a performance on “The Today Show”), he’s practically an honorary member.
“Some of his band members like to sit in with us when we play L.A., so we made friends with them and were always saying, ‘Hey, tell Neil to come down sometime,’ ” Littleton said. “And then he did. We usually get pretty nice applause from the audience and they’re into it, but when he got on stage it was a surprise for the crowd, and they went totally crazy.”