A Neil Diamond concert is like a catholic mass. Stand up. Sit down. Stand up. Sit down …

And although this ballad/dance song/ballad pattern is ideal for the majority of Diamond’s Viagra-dependent fans, it seems a bit off-kilter to the typical Gen-Xer.

Luckily, Diamond has the rare ability to entertain solely through his magnificent voice; so it doesn’t matter if he’s jamming through “America” or story-telling through “I Am … I Said.”

Neil’s voice was a Diamond in the rough (so to speak) Wednesday night at Hilton Coliseum, rescuing a performance hindered by a weak opening and closing and a nine-member back-up band that was hardly noticeable.

From the opening notes of “Beautiful Noise” to the closing gospel number, Diamond’s voice was solid and unforgettably charming.

Dressed in a zebra-striped sequin shirt and snug black pants (which made his fading hair look even grayer), Diamond began the show with a handful of slow-paced classics, topped off with a sincere version of “Hello Again.”

Touting his signature hand gestures and fancy feet dance maneuvers, he didn’t waste any time showing the near 13,000 in attendance why he is the King of Cheese.

The real fun began when Diamond was handed a guitar, which he used to escape into “Cherry, Cherry,” “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon” and “Solitary Man.”

Diamond lit the building with a smile that proved the singer is still enjoying himself after 30 years in the business. His band showed the same enthusiasm, unfortunately their talents were not as visible under low volume constraints.

Diamond hit a high point midway through his two-hour set with rocking versions of “Forever In Blue Jeans” and “America.”

“On the subject of ‘The Jazz Singer,'” he said as he began “Love On The Rocks,” which was followed by an instrumental band showcase tune straight out of the Mannheim Steamroller collection.

Promoting his new “Movie Album,” Diamond then sung an awesome selection of film classics that included “As Time Goes By,” “Unchained Melody,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” and “Can’t Help Falling In Love.

Diamond’s covers of Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley were top notch and showed why the singer is often placed in the same category of singers as the late legends.

Diamond followed by again diving into his well of classics, dueting “Song Sung Blue” and “Cracklin’ Rosie” with his enthusiastic fans.

Interrupting roars of cheer was the familiar bass line “do do do, do do do do do,” of “Sweet Caroline.” And Diamond picked it up beautifully with a goose-bump-inducing “Where it began …”

The anthem of all ages was a huge hit, but the show went downhill from there.

A less than romantic version of “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” introduced a muster of mushy stage numbers that would last until the evening’s end.

If there was a true Million Dollar Man it would be Diamond and all million would be in those trusty vocal chords.

Neil Diamond is a class act — only Gen-Xers are much more prone to a good party than class.