Neil Diamond to play Bloomfield Road

That was the call today as it was announced music legend Neil Diamond is to play a massive summer gig in the resort next year.

The Sweet Caroline and Forever In Blue Jeans singer will bring his world tour to Blackpool FC’s Bloomfield Road stadium on Thursday, July 23.

The show – which is expected to be a 20,000-plus sell-out – is the only outdoor stadium event on Diamond’s 48-date world tour.

Tickets for the gig –which comes hot on the heels of fellow music legend Rod Stewart playing to 20,000 people at Bloomfield this summer – go on sale at 9am on Thursday.

The Blackpool gig is the final show of the European leg of the tour which is already a near sell-out across the globe.

Fylde-based promoters Cuffe and Taylor – the team behind Lytham Proms and the Rod Stewart gig – are putting on the Bloomfield Road show.

Director Peter Taylor said: “We are thrilled to be in a position to announce we are bringing Neil Diamond to Blackpool next summer.

“This will be a massive event not just for Blackpool but the entire North West. He is only playing nine other dates in the UK so the fact his only outdoor stadium concert of the whole tour is in Blackpool is great news.

“We enjoyed great success with our first ever gig at Blackpool FC when we brought Rod Stewart earlier this year. That concert was extremely well received and we are delighted we can build on that success and return with such a high profile world-class legend.”

Next year marks four years since Diamond last played in the UK.

Fans will be in for a spectacular show with old favourites such as Sweet Caroline, Song Sung Blue and Love on the Rocks played alongside tracks from his critically – acclaimed new album Melody Road.

Mr Taylor added: “We are expecting a huge surge for tickets on Thursday. The tour has sold incredibly well with other UK dates virtually selling out as soon as they went on sale.

“Neil Diamond has such a wide appeal to a huge audience worldwide so we are confident we will be packing out Blackpool FC once again.

“It is also massively important for Blackpool as a town. The stadium is perfectly placed at the end of the M55 with ample parking and obviously an entire holiday resort packed with accommodation, so we hope that many of the people buying tickets use this as an opportunity to visit Blackpool and make a weekend of it.”

Brooklyn-born Diamond, 73, was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.

He has topped the US charts 10 times with such classics as Cracklin’ Rosie, Song Sung Blue, Longfellow Serenade, I’ve Been This Way Before, If You Know What I Mean, Desiree, You Don’t Bring Me Flowers, America, Yesterday’s Songs, Heartlight and I’m A Believer, which was a hit for The Monkees.

• Tickets for the fully seated concert are priced at £65, £75 and £85 and will go on sale at 9am, on Thursday.

They are available online from www.ticketline.co.uk or by calling the ticket line on 0844 888 9991.

You can also book them through the VisitBlackpool Tourist Information Centre on the Promenade by calling in or phoning (01253) 478222 from Thursday.