Neil Diamond to bring hot August to NZ in February

1.00pm

Hard-core Neil Diamond fans can look forward to a hot August night -- next February.

The singer is set to rock Westpac Stadium for a one-off show. It will be the first time Diamond has performed in Wellington.

It is understood promoters will announce the concert next week. A show is also planned for Christchurch.

Speculation has been rife on who the stadium's next big act would be after the huge David Bowie concert in February.

The official Neil Diamond website states the singer has no concerts planned this year, but he expects a world tour early next year.

Diamond has a huge number of fans in New Zealand. Sales for his 1996 Auckland concert broke records when 40,000 tickets sold in nine hours.

In Wellington, loyal fans camped outside the Opera House to secure their place in the queue.

Diamond last visited New Zealand in 1999, when he played four sold-out concerts in Christchurch.

Before his 1996 concert, the man behind the hits I'm A Believer, Cherry, Cherry, Cracklin' Rosie, Song Sung Blue, Sweet Caroline, and the albums Hot August Night and Jonathan Livingstone Seagull played Auckland and Christchurch in 1976.

- NZPA