Neil Diamond Sends "Sweet" Relief to Boston Victims After Sales Surge
Neil Diamond’s 1969 hit “Sweet Caroline” is seeing an unexpected surge in sales after a surprise performance by the legendary singer-songwriter at a Boston Red Sox game on Saturday (April 20).
The track sold 19,000 copies last week, according to Nielsen SoundScan, with Diamond announcing on Twitter Wednesday (April 24) that he will be donating royalties from the track to The One Fund Boston, which will benefit the victims of last week's marathon bombings.
Donating these royalties to #OneFund!RT “@nielsen_ent: ‘Sweet Caroline’ sales up by 597 percent, selling 19K after Boston bombings. — Neil Diamond (@NeilDiamond) April 24, 2013
"Sweet Caroline" holds a special meaning for Bostonians and Sox fans, who belt the song before the eighth inning of each home game. The decade-long tradition is a staple of Fenway Park, which was forced to close to the public in the wake of last week's events. Other sports teams around the country played "Sweet Caroline" all last week in solidarity with Boston community. Saturday's game in Boston though, marked the reopening of the stadium after several postponed outings.
Diamond reportedly showed up to the game unannounced and asked management if he could sing. He emerged from the Red Sox dugout, mic in hand, to 30,000 fans ready for the massive sing-along.
Read more about Neil Diamond's surprise Boston performance on Radio.com
