On 22nd July 2008, a lovely young woman named Ris�, met Neil Diamond in Sioux City, Iowa, as he made his way to the concert venue.

The happy moment was caught on video by a friend of Ris�'s



This is what happened next (in Ris�'s own words, and with her kind permission for me to post it here - I've changed a couple of words, for clarity)

I went to the concerts in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. I took the Neil quilt with me. I decided to name the quilt "Where Did You Get That Picture of Me". I loved all the other suggestions but decided that was what Neil had said to me and the quilt was all pictures. It just seemed to fit. Those words came right out of Neil's mouth directly to me about the quilt.

I went to the OKC concert and my seat was excellent! I was in the 6th row dead center. Well as I was walking to my seat I walked right past Dave, one of Neil's security guys. He smiled and I asked if he remembered me. He said of course he remembered me, I was the crazy quilt lady. I told him I really was not crazy lol. Stewart was with him and he was very nice as well. Stewart said he remembered me too but I told him I did not remember him being in Sioux City. He said he was upstairs when all the excitment was going on but he has seen the Youtube lol. Well they asked if I had sent the quilt off yet and I told them I had not but did have it with me back at my hotel. I told them if I knew where they were staying I could drop it off but of course they could not tell me that and I really did not think he would.

Dave asked me if I could bring the quilt to the Tulsa concert and he would make sure to tell everyone to expect it. He said if I brought it they would ship it back to the office. I asked if Neil would be able to see it before it was shipped and he said he could not guarantee that because it was a very busy time and there was lots to do. I said that was fine and I would bring the quilt to the Tulsa concert.

I tried to find a nice gift box for the quilt but could not find one so I got a nice gift bag for the quilt. It was brown like a regular shopping bag but had a cowboy riding a horse kind of etched on it. I thought it was rather manly and was kind of remenisecent of Oklahoma.

I had written Neil a letter to go along with the quilt and my dear friend Shirley was kind enough to edit it for me and make it sound much better. I got some nice blue parchment paper and printed it off and it looked very nice. I thought of something else that I had forgot to put in the letter so I had to spoil the pretty letter with an added ps in my handwriting. Oh well.

My good friend Lisa was so kind to put the video of Neil seeing the quilt on a DVD and then to print a picture of Neil looking at me holding the quilt right onto the DVD. I also included a picture of my quilting machine so he could see how I quilted it and I have just redecorated my quilting room with my Neil posters and framed albums. I thought he might like to see that.

Well I got to the BOK center and then began to worry that they would not let me in carrying a gift bag. I went to pick up my ticket and went through the ticket line and the lady asked what I had in the bag. I told her it was a quilt for Neil Diamond. She seemed excited and said OK and let me pass right through. I was very relieved.

I got to my seat which was very good, 2nd row seat 1 in the risers (if that is what they are called) right next to the stage. I did not see any of Neil's security so I asked the arena security if they had seen any of Neil's security. They asked if I had a problem and I said no, I needed to give them a quilt for Neil. The one guy said I'll go get someone right now. I thought that was so nice. He came back and told me someone would be out right away.

Well Neil's road manager, Jeff came out and said someone would be right out for me. WOW! I had seen Jeff before but to have him come right up to me was something. I said "for me"? He said yes, for you. Well just briefly it went through my mind that maybe they would take me back to let me give the quilt to Neil but that did not happen. A girl can dream though.

Dave came out with a big smile and said "do you have it"? I said I did and he asked if I had the letter in there also, which I had shown him in OKC along with the DVD and picture of my machine. They were in my purse. I thought it was nice that he was making sure I had everything there that was meant to go to Neil. Dave also wanted to make sure I had my name and address in there somewhere. He was really taking care of me.

I asked him if he was going to give the quilt to Neil then and he said no, things are very busy before the concert. I asked if he thought Neil would get to see it before it got shipped off and then I said not to tell me because I wanted to believe he would. Dave looked at me and said he thought Neil would see it the next day and he knew it was coming that night and wanted to see it. WOW! He gave me a big hug and took off with the quilt. No one ever came and took me back stage lol. "It's a dream, it's a fantasy" lol

Well the little usher asked what was in the bag. I told her it was a quilt for Neil. She told me at the pre concert meeting all of security was alerted that a lady was coming in with a quilt for Neil and to let her bring it in. I thought that was so cool. She was excited to be right there when I handed it over.

I just wanted to share with those interested that Neil did get his quilt and the story behind it.


If anyone else has a story to share about Neil, please post it here.

With thanks again to Ris� and the IAISND website

Beadie - Am I right to assume you're a Neil Diamond fan? The video of the quilt lady is cute. She's so thrilled!

Diane

I really love Niel Diamond. Love your posts.

Hi Wiz - welcome to Google Earth and thank you for your kind comments. I had a lot of fun working on these posts.

Quote:

---

Beadie - Am I right to assume you're a Neil Diamond fan?

---

Hi Diane - I have absolutely no idea what you could possibly mean

Diamond's backstage action aids Ike efforts
Oak Island could receive $4 million from his concerts


Neil Diamond meets with Mayor Bill White during a recent visit to Houston on a concert tour.

When he takes the stage tonight in St. Louis, soft-rock legend Neil Diamond has an unusual speech planned amid wildly popular renditions of America and Sweet Caroline.

He wants to tell fans about Oak Island: the heaping, rotting piles of debris; the hundreds of homes washed away; and the people, some still sleeping in tents and cars, struggling to rebuild after Hurricane Ike decimated the area in September.

Two weeks ago, after his concert in Houston, Diamond paid an incognito visit to the small, unincorporated hamlet in Trinity Bay and was shocked by the devastation.



Ever since, he has given something of a stump speech about the former fishing village at each of his concerts. And, operating almost completely under the radar, he has promised to donate 100 percent of the gross merchandise sales at 20 concerts to assist in the rebuilding of the small community, which sits just a few miles south of Anahuac in Chambers County. If sales continue, proceeds could exceed $4 million by year's end.

"These people are in big trouble and I want to help," Diamond said. "It may only be a drop in the bucket, but I'm going to ask my audiences in every city that I play to help. So far they've come through to the tune of more than $700,000. I intend to keep asking until the end of this tour."

The money will be administered by the Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund, the charity set up by Mayor Bill White, who piqued the singer's interest in Oak Island.

Chambers County was among the areas hardest hit by Ike. In Oak Island, more than half the island's homes are gone or uninhabitable.

"As we drove down there, I tried to show him the height of the storm's line in the trees, and you could still see the debris up there that was carried by the water," said Anahuac Mayor Guy Jackson, who took Diamond to the community. "And then we started getting to the homes. The level of destruction just gets worse and worse and worse as you get closer to water's edge."



Diamond also couldn't help but notice that people were living in tents and cars next to their destroyed property.

"For a lot of people there, all they got left is a few belongings and they don't want to leave them," said Chambers County Judge Jimmy Silvia.
Officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency offered to help with rentals in Baytown, but that was too far away from many residents' jobs. And, as of late last week, FEMA had yet to allow anyone to move in to the trailers that were recently brought in, Silvia said.

So, in effect, people were still sleeping in tents and cars while trailers sat unused nearby, he said.

Although Diamond recently told concert-goers in Dallas and Tulsa to "help get people out of tents," what most got his attention during his visit to Oak Island was the community's resolve.

At a meeting he attended outside a small church, people committed to fix their homes on their own, as best they could. That's what prompted him to continue giving as much as he could, and to tell all his fans about Oak Island.

"Texas would be surprised at the cities that have come through for them," Diamond said. "My hope is to put as many people as we can back in homes as quickly as possible."

Houston Chronicle

GRAMMY-winning recording artist Neil Diamond will be honored as the 2009 MusiCares Person of the Year, it was announced by Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the MusiCares Foundation and The Recording Academy, and John Branca, Board Chair of the MusiCares Foundation.

The annual GRAMMY Week gala dinner and concert � now in its 19th year � will be held in Los Angeles on Feb. 6, 2009, two days prior to the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards. Proceeds will provide essential support for MusiCares, which ensures that music people have a place to turn in times of financial, medical and personal need.


source