May 13, 2008 12:56

Neil Diamond: 'I want to follow up Johnny Cash at Glastonbury'

Legendary singer discusses festival performance

Neil Diamond wants to follow in Johnny Cash's footsteps with his Glastonbury performance.

The legendary singer, whose new Rick Rubin-produced album 'Home Before Dark' is set to top US charts, spoke about his eagerly awaited festival appearance, set to take place on the Pyramid Stage on June 29.

The veterans' Sunday slot was famously taken by Cash in 1994, around the time he had also had his career revived by Rubin's guidance.

Speaking about Cash, Diamond said: "Those are tough footsteps to follow in, but I think we'll have some fun. That's basically why I want to do it."

He added that he wanted to play Glastonbury because it was "the ultimate festival".

Diamond told BBC 6 Music: "I've heard about it for years and it just sounded right. It just sounded like, this time let's have some fun and play the Glastonbury festival and y'know, hope that we're not laughed out of the country."

Commenting on the potential Number One, he said: "I hope it happens. It's beyond exciting. It's groundbreaking for me after all these years to reach this point in my career. So I'm hoping that it actually does go to Number One. If it does I'll celebrate in a big way."