“When Barbra Streisand wheeled Neil Diamond onto the stage, the gala fell silent. And when they sang, time itself seemed to hold its breath.” At first, there was silence, disbelief, and then the entire crowd rose to its feet before a single note had been sung. Neil, smaller now but radiant in presence, lifted a trembling hand, and Barbra leaned close, whispering something that made him smile. When the piano began You Don’t Bring Me Flowers, her voice poured out soft and crystalline, and then Neil’s followed — rougher with age, but steady, still carrying that unmistakable fire. Together their voices collided, not as they once did in youth, but fuller, etched with time, loss, and memory. People wept openly, waiters froze mid-step, couples squeezed each other’s hands as if the song belonged to them, too. By the final chorus, the whole ballroom was humming along, a thousand voices rising under the duet. And when Neil, refusing to leave without words, leaned into the microphone
A Night to Remember The ballroom of the New York Hilton shimmered in gold that evening. Chandeliers sparkled like constellations,…