Until falling under the spell of Rick Rubin, arguably the world’s finest producer, for 2005’s 12 Songs, Neil Diamond had spent a quarter of a century coasting on past glories, afraid to take a chance.

So, new albums of variable quality flopped as he incessantly toured the greatest hits to remarkable box office figures, which funded his 1996, $150 million divorce settlement with Marcia, the most recent Mrs Diamond.

The Rubin union not only meant an artistic rebirth — Diamond was always a great songwriter and a startlingly earnest singer — but this year the Rubin-produced Home Before Dark became his first (non-compilation) British and American chart-topper. No wonder he looked so pleased with himself as the 02 rose to acclaim him on Saturday.

If Rubin has stripped Diamond’s music down to its emotional core, live he remains an unrepentant baron of excess, with a 14-piece backing band perched on seven mini moving stages and a shirt so sparkly it’s a surprise that nobody headed for the transport chaos outside blinded.

And for those who like a little ham with their Diamond, he sang the first verse of You Don’t Bring Me Flowers sitting behind a table (seemingly borrowed from the nearest greasy spoon), upon which lay half a bottle of red and a solitary red rose in a grubby vase.

Still a spry mover for a 67-year-old, he pleased everybody all the time. The hits, even the campfire staple Song Sung Blue, were delivered with a spirit-stirring mix of childlike joy (all is truly right with the world when Neil Diamond and a packed arena are singing Sweet Caroline) and the boggle-eyed intensity that suggests the “emptiness deep inside” he sang of in the soul-bearingly insecure I Am... I Said remains his guiding force.

The Rubin material slotted in snugly, although there wasn’t quite enough of it. Diamond will be playing Pretty Amazing Grace for the rest of his life and Hell Yeah was the sound of a man questioning his wasted decades and finding redemption by stepping outside his comfort zone.

Neil Diamond plays the 02 Arena on 23 and 24 June and Wembley Arena on 27 June. Information: 0870 534 4444.