Neil Diamond surprises theatregoers with ‘Sweet Caroline’ performance

Neil Diamond is seen here at a performance of 'A Beautiful Noise' at the Hollywood Pantages in Los Angeles on July 12. (Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock for Pantages via CNN Newsource)

Good times never seemed so good for a delighted audience over the weekend, when Neil Diamond emerged from retirement for an impromptu sing-along.

Diamond performed “Sweet Caroline” in a surprise appearance on Saturday at his namesake musical, “The Neil Diamond Musical: A Beautiful Noise,” in Los Angeles at the Pantages Theater, according to a video of the moment posted to the musical’s verified Instagram page.

In the clip, the crowd is seen applauding Diamond, who announced his retirement from performing in 2018 after revealing he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.

The theatre crowd is then seen rising to their feet to join Diamond in singing his classic 1969 hit song.

“A moment we’ll never forget,” the caption of the Instagram post read.

“A Beautiful Noise” was created in collaboration with Diamond and is billed as a “musical memoir,” according to an official synopsis. It tells the true story of how the legendary singer went from being a kid in Brooklyn to a “chartbusting, show-stopping American rock icon,” the synopsis read.

In a 2023 interview with “CBS Sunday Morning,” Diamond opened up about how he was coming to terms with living with Parkinson’s disease, which affects the central nervous system.

“This is what I have to accept. And I’m willing to do it,” Diamond said. “This is the hand that God’s given me, and I have to make the best of it, and so I am. I am.”

At the time, Diamond added that he’d come to a place of acceptance, saying that “a calm has moved in.”