Bob Dylan and Neil Diamond Once Had a Catty Back-And-Forth Backstage, but It Ended Up Being for the Best

With great talent often comes a decently sized ego, and when those kinds of temperaments end up in the same room, the results can be—shall we say—fiery. It’s why band members fight on stage, like The Eagles. It’s why some break up altogether, like The Beatles. And on Thanksgiving Day 1976, it’s why Neil Diamond and Bob Dylan engaged in a catty back-and-forth that went down in rock history.

The terse, backstage exchange took place during The Last Waltz, a true who’s who of the midcentury music scene that marked the end of The Band’s tenure as a touring ensemble. Musical legends like Muddy Waters, Joni Mitchell, and Neil Young took the stage alongside Dylan and The Band. And much to the chagrin of The Band’s drummer, Levon Helm, this lineup also included Neil Diamond.

Helm’s bandmate, Robbie Robertson, was the driving factor behind Diamond’s inclusion in the pivotal musical moment. Robertson argued that Diamond helped define a certain sound of 1960s songwriting and deserved a spot on the lineup. There was even talk of removing Waters from the bill in favor of Diamond, to which Helm infamously replied, “Go tell Robertson to tell Neil Diamond we don’t even know who the f*** he is.” And no, of course, the drama didn’t stop there.

Bob Dylan and Neil Diamond Share Catty Exchange Backstage

The brief moments following Neil Diamond’s one-song feature on The Last Waltz have gone down in rock ‘n’ roll history as one of the cattiest exchanges between two singer-songwriters who don’t typically interact with one another, fueled by rumors and subsequent interviews that seemed to suggest that there was, in fact, some beef cooking that day.

The most commonly told story is that Diamond walked off stage and approached Dylan, who was getting ready to go on. Diamond looked at the “Blowin’ In The Wind” singer and said, “Top that.” Dylan, ever quick on his feet, retorted, “By doing what? Falling asleep?”

According to Diamond, the exchange was far more amicable than the rumors would suggest. “Actually, it was before we both went on,” Diamond told Rolling Stone of the exchange. “He was tuning his guitar, and I came over to him, and I said, ‘You know, Bob, those are really my people out there.’ He kind of looked at me quizzically. I said it as a joke. But I think it spurred him a little bit, and he gave a hell of a performance. It was a good night. I was glad to be a part of it.”

Honestly, either story is equally plausible. Given the fuss that was made over Diamond being on the bill at all, it’s easy to imagine that any comments, joke or not, would ruffle their already riled-up feathers. But Diamond was right, anyway. Whatever was said between the two musicians, it certainly seemed to fuel an iconic performance by them both. And at least no guitars were harmed in the process, which can’t be said of other backstage feuds, á la The Eagles.

Photo by Michael Montfort/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images