Tribute artist, ex-NHL stars team up for second annual diabetes benefit

Monday, Feb. 26, 2007 | 7:15 a.m.

What: A Neil Diamond Tribute with Jay White

When: 7 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays

Where: Riviera's Le Bistro Theatre

Tickets: $54.95; 794-9433

Also: NHL Alumni & Celebrity Classic, 1:30 p.m. March 31, Orleans Arena, Tickets: $5-$50, www.orleansarena.com

When Jay White isn't performing his Neil Diamond shtick onstage, he often can be found performing with a stick on ice.

The one-time professional hockey wannabe trades his glittery Diamond costumes for skates and pads whenever time and opportunity permit.

He'll be tending goal at a charity event March 31 at the Orleans Arena, when the Diabetic Life Foundation teams up with the Las Vegas Wranglers to present the annual NHL Alumni & Celebrity Classic.

The event will feature a number of former NHL stars, such as Marty McSorley, Steve Larmer, Clint Malarchuk, Pokey Reddick and Rod Buskas, and entertainment celebrities, including White and Alan Thicke.

One of White's biggest thrills came last year when he and the Las Vegas Alumni Stars defeated the Detroit Red Wings Alumni.

White has come a long way from the days when he aspired to be a professional hockey player as a youth in Detroit.

"From the time I was 7 till I was about 21, I thought I would be a goaltender in the National Hockey League," he said.

When he failed to make the hockey big leagues, he turned to his second love - singing.

When he was fronting a top-40 band, people immediately noticed a similarity between his voice and Diamond's.

"I was just doing me," he said. "But I had become a Neil Diamond fan years earlier."

Eventually John Stuart, founder of "Legends in Concert," discovered White and hired him to perform at the Imperial Palace, a gig that lasted nine years. White struck out on his own in 1997 and eventually started his own show, which is about to begin its sixth year at the Riviera.

White isn't merely a tribute artist emulating the look and sound of another performer. When he's in the spotlight, he is lost in the Neil Diamond persona - a collection of mannerisms and dialogue; never breaking character during the performance.

He's about as close as fans can get to Diamond without paying high ticket prices.

As affordable shows are pushed out by the multimillion-dollar showrooms and high-priced performers, White's tickets - about $55 - are a bargain, especially if you're a Neil Diamond fan.

Even Las Vegan King Errisson, the real Neal Diamond's percussionist for 33 years, is impressed enough by White to drop in occasionally and join the live five-piece band.

Live music in smaller shows is another candidate for extinction in Las Vegas. Many entertainers either use canned music, or a combination of tape and instruments.

White's ensemble features Brian Tidwell and Tony Lasorsa on keyboards, Kurt Frohlich on guitar, Darren "D" Harkema on bass and Bill Whitaker on drums.

That's a lot of live music to cram onto the stage in a small theater that seats about 150.

"We have limited space to work with for production values," White said.

Yet, the show has the feel of a much larger production, a tribute that is more than a tribute - one that documents Diamonds' rise to superstar status.

White uses historic video to take fans on a ride through the decades, changing costumes several times during the performance to capture the essence of Diamond at each step of his career.

"The videos give the audience a little more information about who he is and what he has accomplished," White said. "Hard-core fans know these things already, but many are only vaguely aware of them. This gives a little more information."