Neil Diamond set to shine at Omaha’s Civic Auditorium One of the premier crooners of the 40-and-over set, Neil Diamond has long been pleasing audiences as a songwriter and performer. Tonight, he’ll bring some magic to Omaha’s Civic Auditorium. In the 1960s, Diamond estab I--1 lished himself primarily as a song writer, penning tunes for several other artists, including the televised faux-band The Monkees. He eventu ally broke into his own as a singer and multi-instrumentalist, turning self written songs such as “Shilo,” “Solitary Man,” “Red, Red Wine” and “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon” into instantly recognizable classics. After the ’60s, Diamond’s output dropped somewhat in quality, although he did manage a second breakthrough with the soundtrack to I a remake of “The Jazz Singer,” in which he also starred. Younger music fans nowadays may consider Diamond a schmaltzy relic of pop-music flamboyance and overly glittered show business, but his early works remain as high quality reminders of what ’60s pop could be - and it could be pretty darn impressive. Diamond will take the stage tonight at 8. Tickets for the show are $40 and are available through TicketMaster outlets. I Pay $7 Cover, Busch Lights and Weil Drinks for 1