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Five takeaways from Neil Diamond's joyful, hit-packed Dallas concert

It happens at every Neil Diamond concert, and Thursday evening's American Airlines Center show was no exception. Nearly every person in the full arena slowly lifted hands upward, reached out toward Diamond, belted the chorus to "Sweet Caroline" and screamed the now obligatory "so good, so good, so good" refrain.

Most saw the "Sweet Caroline" moment coming — that tradition is as much about the people as it is about Diamond at this point. But it didn't happen on Thursday until the encore set, after Diamond and his 13-piece-band had already wowed 'em for 90 minutes.

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Tune after tune as Diamond swayed and crooned, we kept thinking: "The man is smooth."

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Diamond swims in the fountain of youth: That, or he's some sort of mystical musical vampire. At 74, he sings and moves with the same verve that's defined his five-plus-decade career.

On Thursday night, Diamond made his entrance after a long buildup from the band.

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"Hello Dallas! Let's get to work!" he shouted, before roaring through set opener "I'm a Believer." Then came "Love on the Rocks," which prompted fans to begin screaming his name.

"The calling out my name ... makes me feel like I am 70 again!" Diamond joked.

The fans showed up to sing: Whether they were simply mouthing lyrics or attempting to duet with Diamond,  people knew the words to every song, no matter the era. Diamond's direct, heartfelt lyrical style and seemingly effortless vocal delivery have earned him that kind of studied devotion.

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Fans also tried their best to match Diamond's flashy fashion sense. We're talking chic dresses, high heels, and more than a few husbands rocking their sequined jackets. Gotta shine like a ... you know.

Before the concert even started, screens to the sides of the stage rounded up celebratory tweets from concertgoers using the hashtag "#tweetcaroline."

There was plenty of Lone Star magic behind the headliner: Diamond's gracious professionalism wasn't the only thing that elevated his concert. The aforementioned 13-piece-band, set up in front of a large diamond-shaped video backdrop, had all the tools necessary to create full-bodied renditions of the hits. That included a horn section.

During an extended jam at the end of the infectious classic, "Cherry Cherry," Diamond gave every band member a shout out and a solo. We learned that guitarist Doug Rhone is from Tyler, Texas, drummer Ron Tutt hails from Dallas and veteran backing vocalists Maxine and Julia Waters are Beaumont-bred.

Diamond didn't go too far down Melody Road: To our surprise, the singer included in his set only one tune from the 2014 album Melody Road, which was well received by critics for its bare-bones earnestness.

"We have a brand new album out, and it's pretty good, actually," Diamond said in setting up "The Art of Love."

"This song took five years to write, but fortunately it takes only three minutes to perform."

He might have gone a little too conservative on the new stuff, though — plenty of folks seemed to know "The Art of Love" well enough to, yep, sing along.

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The old stuff carried the night: Equally impressive as the volume of classics in Diamond's canon is their stylistic range. Thursday's crowd was treated to easy-breezy tunes "Kentucky Woman" and "Forever In Blue Jeans," the brooding-but-melodic "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon," the reggae bouncer "Red Red Wine" and a mini medley reminiscent of Diamond's career-defining 1972 live double album Hot August Night.

In a touching moment of self-reflection, Diamond sat and crooned his coming-of-age song "Brooklyn Roads" while footage from his father's family home movies played behind him.

Both "Hello Again" and "Beautiful Noise" accented Diamond's signature vocal passion, none of which has been lost over the years.

No matter what Diamond sang, he was in friendly command of his crowd's movements and emotions all night. When he motioned toward them, the Diamondheads of all ages rose to their feet.

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Shout it with me: So good, so good, so good.