The most notable act to appear at the Meadow was Neil Diamond on Saturday August 17, 1968.  Diamond had been voted top male vocalist for 1967 by DJs around the country.  With a new album set for release four weeks after his Meadow appearance, the show was advertised heavily in local media outlets. Ticket prices were higher than normal at $4.50 in advance and $5.00 at the door (or $5.50 depending on which ad you read).  Diamond's management demanded $5,000 cash or 90% of the gate receipts.  An agent representative was on hand to count the cash as it was collected.  The story goes that Diamond took off after the show in a Cadillac accompanied by several local girls and some jugs of cheap wine.

Neil Diamond was averaging two shows a week at that time and had performed just four weeks earlier in Madison at the Dane County Junior Fair, sharing the bill with Harpers Bazaar and the Buckinghams.  Diamond continued to tour the Midwest that fall with more concert dates in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota.

                

Janesville Daily Gazette
August 5, 1968