Twelve years ago, a group called Super Diamond decided to take on the persona of legendary singer / songwriter superstar, Neil Diamond. While it takes six guys to equal the original, if they come to your town, buy tickets now because they are worth every dollar.

Last night and tonight in San Francisco, Super Diamond is performing at Bimbo's 365 Club.

It is the not the first time this group, whose roots are Bay Area-based, have played here, nor will it be their last.

Super Diamond came to Bimbo's this past August. They will perform again tonight and then be back in town on Wednesday, December 8th for a private event.

If you miss them at Bimbo's, to experience the sights and sounds of this "alternative Neil Diamond band" which has played for huge crowds and celebrities, such as baseball's Mark McGwire, actor, Fred Savage, comedian Rob Schneider and comedian/actor, David Spade, you'll have to go to Baltimore (10/29), Washington D.C. (10/30), Austin (11/5), San Diego (11/12), Ft. Lauderdale (11/19), Cleveland (12/10), San Diego (1/7), or Chicago's House of Blues (1/21-22), where Super Diamond has previously shared the stage with the real Diamond.

On New Year's Eve, Super Diamond will perform in Seattle, Washington at The Showbox.

As part of a wedding gift presented last night, we took our newlywed friends, Lisa and Kelly to Friday night's performance of Super Diamond.

While Kelly has seen the real Neil Diamond fifteen times in concert, he had never heard "Surreal Neil" or seen the sparkling Seventies shirted group of six.

The first night I met the future husband of one of my best friends a few years ago, Kelly was in a karaoke bar in San Francisco singing "Sweet Caroline" as a love song to Lisa.

At Lisa and Kelly's wedding this past August in Sugarbush Vermont, the groom got out on the dance floor and sang two-or-three Neil Diamond songs to his new bride, while everyone swooned over the newly wed couple.

While Super Diamond's Surreal Neil sings about a half octave lower than the real deal, if you close your eyes and listen, you'd think you were experiencing the Grammy & Golden Globe award-winning artist, himself.

Fortunately, after dining at El Raigon, North Beach's new Argentine steakhouse, we arrived at Bimbo's early enough to take in the warm-up band, Notorious. As a result, we were able to get great, on-the-side, raised seats. We also had enough time to indulge in the XOX Truffles bought from across the street. And we got a chance to dance!

Notorious performs songs of the 70's and 80's (admittedly our generation).

Notorious

Artists emulated last night include: AC/DC, Queen, Joan Jett, Naked Eyes, Prince, Rick Springfield, The Romantics and Van Halen.

If we had to leave after hearing Notorious, Super Diamond's "warm-up band," the $20 ticket would have been money well spent.

Hear them once and you'll understand why they are one of the Bay Area's best dancy party, rock show.

If you're getting married in or around San Francisco Notorious would be the band to hire -- whether you're twenty years old or fifty.

The lead female singer, Kate, is a dead ringer for San Francisco's first lady, Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom.

Watching this woman both dance and sing made me imagine seeing Kimberly up on stage just like Super Diamond's "Surreal Neil" came out an hour later pretending to be Neil Diamond.

Now that would be a show!

For someone who has been to fifteen live Neil Diamond concerts - all across America, no least - I was hopeful that Super Diamond would offer the songs, the soul and the nostalgia that Neil Diamond, in the flesh, who is now 63, still offers in Las Vegas, Utah, and all around the world, to this day.

If you have the opportunity to go to their performance tonight, you will not be disappointed.

And if you don't read this post until well after they are gone, not to worry. I'm sure Bimbo's will invite them back, again. This was not the first time Super Diamond has performed at Bimbo's 365 Club and tonight will certainly not be the last.

Last night, the house was packed with twenty, thirty and forty something fans who were into rockin' out til midnight to the likes of "Love on the Rocks," "Forever in Blue Jeans," "Holy, Holy," "I'm A Believer," "and one of the greatest songs of all time, "Sweet Caroline."

In singing the famous 1978 duet ballad with Barbra Streisand, "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," from the audience they invited a young brunette woman up on stage.

Perhaps for any Super Diamond groupies in the crowd last night who return tonight, they will also sing Neil Diamond Greats like "Song Sung Blue," "I Am...I Said," "Kentucky Woman," and "Solitary Man."

If I didn't have other plans tonight, I would seriously invite my mom, Dottie King, one of Neil Diamond's all-time biggest fans, up from Menlo Park, to experience Super Diamond.

In addition to the concert, she would have loved the $5 limo ride we got back to our cars. How often does that happen in San Francisco?

We were so into this group that instead of returning tonight we've decided to start the Kelly Wasden Fortieth Birthday Fund whereby we raise enough money to be able to hire Super Diamond at this momentous occasion in seven years.

Kelly was all over this idea. He said, "If they sang at my birthday celebration, I would be to be able to get up on stage when the spirit moved me, any time throughout the night, and take over the mic."

So, that's our goal.

Raise enough money by 2011 to be able to hire the whole entourage.

Unless of course by then Kelly is already the lead singer of the band.

Or we've raised enough money to hire Super Diamond and The Legend, himself.

For those of who in attendance last night, tonight or in past Super Diamond concerts, you can also see "Surreal Neil" the lead singer of the group, on November 1st at Red Devil Lounge in San Francisco.

At this venue, he will be part of his other, original group called "Tijuana Strip Club." Under TSP which he formed in 2002, singer/songwriter, Surreal Neil will perform under his real name, Randy Cordero.

TSC music combines alternative country and folk with cosmic, alternative rock and electronica.

Many have compared their sound to that of Modern Day Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash and Tom Waits.

Visit TijuanaStripClub.com to learn all about them!

The Real Deal

In March, the sixty-three year-old, legendary crooner, Neil Diamond, who has sold 115 million records, will tour Australia and New Zealand.

The biggest tour of his career spanning four decades took place only two years ago.

He plans to play a five-city tour in the U.K. next May and June, his first tour to Britain in three years.

If you are lucky to be in this part of the world next spring, Diamond will play his favorite venue, the historic Woburn Abbey, as well as Bristol Ashton Gate, Hull's Kingston Communication Stadium, and Ipswich's Portman Road.

Just yesterday, it was announced that on June 11th, Diamond will play in Ireland only one night at the Landsdowne Road Stadium in Dublin.

For further details, go to:

To order a copy of Super Diamond's CD Live on The Rocks, go to:

The "alternative" group also previously produced 15 Hits.

You can see Notorious perform tonight at both Bimbo's and, later tonight, at the Red Devil Lounge.

Notorious Band fans and/or San Francisco upcoming brides and grooms, can get all the information you need about the group at:

To learn about past and future performances at Bimbo's 365 Club, as well as the history of this club located at 1025 Columbus Avenue in North Beach, go to:

Thank you Notorious, Super Diamond and Bimbo's.

Congratulations Kelly and Lisa!

Inspire & Be Inspired.

Here's to healthy, adventuresome, soulful and "real, as well as, surreal" living!

~ Jennifer Carolyn King