With his powerful presence, from the moment he struts on stage wearing trademark black, gray, and silver sequined jacket, Robert Neary, uncannily, resembles Neil Diamond at the height of his touring career in the 90s and 2000s. His wit and mannerisms on stage is spot on, especially when he plays his guitar. When he speaks and tells the stories and trivia behind some of Neil's most popular songs, his rich baritone gravelly voice can easily be mistaken for Neil's own speaking voice. But make no mistake about it at all, if you close your eyes and listen to him sing any of the 22 classic Neil Diamond songs with the magnificent band behind him, you will swear you are listening to the Master himself. This truly is, the most authentic tribute to one of the greatest artists in musical history. The title says it all. It is the quintessential Neil Diamond Concert Experience.

When asked about how he got his start in the business and how early did he know he wanted to be a star, Robert starts his story by saying, "My favorite number is 16. Because ever since I can remember. I always wanted to be an actor and shine on the screen and on TV. And I believed that by the time I was 16 years old. I would be one of the most wanted actors in Hollywood.”
Unfortunately, the chance didn't come until he was 20 years old when he finally made the move from Long Island, New York to Hollywood, on Memorial Day weekend in 1985. Robert got an agent within the first 6 months of moving out, and within a year he guest starred on two TV shows. The following Summer, he co-starred opposite Jason Bateman in the movie, Teen Wolf Too. 
"I thought this was it. Just two years in Hollywood and this movie is gonna launch me.” Not so fast. The movie bombed and Robert was back auditioning and began bartending to pay the rent. A few more guest starring roles and some national commercials lead to a year on the Soap Opera, General Hospital. "OK, this is gonna lead to a contract role and I'll make a nice mark in Television,” he thought. But, alas, the part he played was Frisco Jones' (Jack Wagner) police partner, and Jack soon left the show and Robert's story line never evolved.

In 1991, auditions were running thin, due to the threat of an actor’s strike, so Robert starting looking elsewhere for work. He was asked to join the New Chippendales touring show in Europe. “It had become the most popular show in Europe, and featured Broadway caliber singing and dancing, and of course, stripping. We played to sold out 2000 and 3000 seat venues. There was even a main show that sat on London’s West End.” When he came back to Hollywood a year later, he decided he wanted to pursue his singing career. He quickly moved to Nashville to record Contemporary Gospel music. After two years of gigging in clubs, churches and small venues, Robert's love for acting got the better of him and he moved back to LA. He picked up where he left off and guest starred on a number of very popular Television shows, as well as continuing his streak of national commercials. Then came a chance at Broadway. "I never thought that I'd be going back to NY, especially to star in a Broadway show. I started on the stage doing musicals in High School and a couple of local shows, but I didn't really have the urge to pursue it.” Robert was the first replacement for one of the leads in Smokey Joe's Cafe. "The audition was Heaven sent. I grew up listening and singing Elvis and when I went in, the casting director asked me if I knew Jailhouse Rock. Jokingly I said, backwards or forwards. He laughed. I sang it, and I never looked back. After 5 call backs, I got the part." 

Robert met his wife, Natasha, in the show. "She was the most amazing dancer I had ever seen. We were friends at first, and then things just started happening.” After a year on Broadway, Robert and Natasha moved back, again, to California. He soon did more TV work, as his new bride toured Europe and The US as the lead, Carmen, in Fame. In 2001, the two took to the road with the National touring company of Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida. Within a year, Natasha became pregnant. But complications arose after seven months and Natasha gave birth prematurely to their first child. This forced Robert to leave the show and unfortunately, after two months in the NICU, they lost their son, Caleb. "It was something no parent should ever have to go through, and something we never thought could happen to us. The entire ordeal tested our Faith immensely and we came through it, because of that Faith.” 

Natasha got pregnant 9 months after Caleb passed and after leaving the Aida tour, they settled down in New Jersey. 2 years later, their 3rd child was born. Commercials continued to come easy for Robert while back on the East Coast, but that was it. No Broadway shows were biting and the lack of Television production forced Robert back to bartending. He decided California would be a better place for his new family and packed up and made the move, yet again. Soon after settling down, the guest starring roles and the commercials started up again. Then in 2012, Robert suffered a sever neck injury. Along with the injury came a level of anxiety like no other. "I never had this feeling before. Darkness and emptiness. The thought dying was constant. I had absolutely no suicidal tendencies at all, but the neck injury caused so much nerve damage, that the more I looked up symptoms, the more I was sure I was dying. Though no doctor ever said I was dying, the anxiety told me differently, every single day.”

After the surgery, Robert bounced back. "I lost 23 pounds. Not because of the surgery, but because of the anxiety and not eating. I looked at myself and I said, you cannot live like this. You have a wife and two small children. You need to take control and stop this nonsense.” Again, his Faith stepped in and played a major part of him returning to his craft. "Every day I got better. I ate. I worked out, I walked every morning, noon, and night, and I got back to my first love of acting.” It started slowly in 2013 and gradually picked up steam and in 2015, Robert had his best year as an actor. 8 major guest starring roles on TV. 4 of them recurring. One of which, Criminal Minds, was suppose to be 7 or 8 episodes, but, unfortunately, only 2 of them, came through. "Again, I thought, this is my time. I'm gonna land a series regular. But in 2016, it all stopped. I couldn't book anything. Not even a commercial. This was the longest drought of my career.” Robert took to landscaping and detailing cars to pay the bills, but the longer the drought lasted, the more the financial situation weighed on him and his wife. She encouraged him to go to NY and try auditioning for Broadway again. "I didn't want to go. I was doing so well for so long in California and my kids were growing up with friends. If I landed a Broadway gig, it would mean we would have to move back.” After a while, he had no choice. He went to NY and sure enough after six weeks of auditioning, he landed a role in the new Broadway show, "A Bronx Tale, The Musical". Although it was an ensemble role, he did get to understudy the lead role of Sonny, and got to perform it, over a dozen times. The stability of a weekly paycheck was comforting and after 6 months, he moved the entire family back to NY. "It was so hard on the kids, they were only 11 and 13 years old. They were in 3 different schools within 3 years. It hurt us to watch them try and acclimate to the change.”

Just over a year and a half later, "A Bronx Tale, The Musical" closed. Robert, again found himself out of a job. He guest starred on several more TV shows and had a couple of national commercials running, but the industry was changing, and Robert found himself, more than ever, looking in from the outside. "My dreams of ever being an A-Lister faded. I was up for a lead in a new Broadway show. I was seen four times and I was sure I got the part. But it wasn't meant to be.” Robert once again, found himself in an all too familiar position. Bartending. Then came the Summer of 2019. "I was on a cruise with my family, and I read an article online about a new bio musical being put together based on the life of Neil Diamond. I said to my wife, THIS IS IT! I know no one can sound as close to Neil Diamond as me.” He started practicing every day, and began pursuing his agent and the producers of the show for the possibility of getting seen for the role. But while at a family get together, a month later, his older brother encouraged him, "You know I saw a Neil Diamond tribute show in San Diego. The place was packed, and you sound so much more like him. Why don't you just put together your own Tribute show?” This got the wheels spinning and soon Robert started putting together a set list of Neil's greatest hits and practiced every day. He had no idea how it would all come about. "I was just playing the guitar and practicing songs. I didn't know anything about getting this thing started.” Then on Halloween night in 2019, Robert and his family attended a big party at a local venue. The band playing that night was New York’s premier cover band, The Mystic. "They played and sang every single song from every decade, perfectly. Then they played Sweet Caroline and moments later, Cracklin’ Rosie. I turned to my wife and said could you imagine if I got this band to back me and my show? It would be incredible.” Fate then stepped in and played the ultimate part in Robert's life. The trumpet player, on stage with The Mystic, was Robert's best friend from Junior High School. "I hadn't seen him in over 25 years. I spoke to him after the party and told him about my vision. He introduced me to the head of the band and a week later we met for coffee to discuss what I was putting together.” The rest is now beautiful history, still being written.

It all happened quickly, and perfectly. Within a month the band started practicing and the first shows were scheduled for March 30th and 31st of 2020. Both shows were completely sold out with a 3 page wait list, but Covid shut everything down and those first shows would have to wait. "The good thing about it was, we weren't ready. So, because none of us were working, I got the band together and we practiced and perfected the show." Robert rented a studio and hired a camera crew to film the finished product. He then submitted to a number of tribute band agencies as well as the cruise industry agencies. Almost immediately, two of the top agencies, in both businesses, responded. "I couldn't have scripted this process any better. No one was working, so these agencies had time to go through their files and look at new acts. They loved what they saw and immediately they started pushing for me"

Today, less than 3 years since recording the show in that studio, Robert has performed So Good! The Neil Diamond Experience in over 40 venues up and down the East Coast and on over 30 cruise ships all over the world. He is now at the beginning of 40 city 10 month tour that will take him across the US and several of those shows, are being promoted by Live Nation, the biggest concert promoters in the country. "When my agent called and told my Live Nation and Emporium Presents are very interested in working with me, I said Great! I knew when I put this thing together, it was gonna be the biggest and best Neil Diamond tribute show ever. Neil, unfortunately, is no longer touring, so people are still hungry for that authentic concert experience, and that's what I'm going to give them.”

When asked whatever became of the pursuit of the Broadway show about Neil’s life, Robert's response was, "Oh, they emailed me to come in and audition for the understudy. I graciously declined and told the producer, I make my living now as Neil Diamond. I sell out almost every venue and get paid very well and I am my own boss and the true star. I wished them well and even though that show tells Neil Diamond's story, my show brings the people the true concert experience.”

Robert is indeed living his best life now. He travels the world and has amassed a social media following of half a million people. Largely due to TikTok. It was during the pandemic, when he went viral with posts of him singing classic songs through the decades, that he garnered so much attention and fans all over the world. "I would post videos of me singing and dancing to the old songs and I'd get 1000s of comments from people saying how grateful they were that found me, because I helped them through the pandemic reliving such beautiful memories.” With all that exposure, he created his online, live streaming podcast, Cruisin Through the Decades, which he still broadcasts from his basement whenever he is home. 

Robert considers himself incredibly blessed and fortunate to finally be doing what he’s always wanted to do. Entertaining people with his many talents. “I know I'll probably never be that A-List actor I always dreamed up, but when someone meets me and shakes my hand and says thank you for all I've done for them, through my singing and my performances, that to me, is worth more than all the glamour and glitz in Hollywood".