Neil Diamond Surprises Red Sox Fans With ‘Sweet Caroline’ (Video)

Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” long has been a staple at Boston’s Fenway Park, and the man himself showed up Saturday to treat Red Sox fans to a surprise rendition of the hit.

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The game had been delayed before Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev‘s arrest Friday.

Diamond’s rep tells The Hollywood Reporter that as soon as the singer heard the Red Sox game was going to happen, he felt a need to be there. He took a red-eye flight with his wife, Katie McNeil, from Los Angeles to Boston and made his way to Fenway directly from the airport in time for the game’s opening ceremony.

“I was humbled and honored to be in Boston and to be able to personally thank and express my gratitude to the first responders and law enforcement officers,” Diamond said through his rep.

He also tweeted a photo of himself from Boston.

In the company of heroes. #oneboston twitter.com/NeilDiamond/st…

— Neil Diamond (@NeilDiamond) April 20, 2013

“Sweet Caroline” has routinely been played at Fenway during the seventh-inning stretch, and baseball stadiums nationwide have followed suit this week in solidarity with Boston after the deadly bombing of the city’s marathon on April 15.

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The opening ceremonies at Fenway on Saturday also included an emotional speech from Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz, who said “This is our f—ing city” and received a blessing from the FCC despite his cursing.

Watch Diamond’s performance below.