NEIL! Martin Zellar’s Tribute to Neil Diamond — Rhythm on the Rails

Minnesota music veteran Martin Zellar, longtime frontman of Gear Daddies and a fixture of the Twin Cities scene since the ’80s, brings NEIL!, his full-band tribute to Neil Diamond, back to close out the 2026 Rhythm on the Rails series. Originally set to open the season in June, the show was postponed and now lands on Wednesday, August 5 as the rescheduled finale. Expect the singalong anthems and ballads from Diamond’s catalog (“Sweet Caroline,” “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Forever in Blue Jeans,” and more) reworked through Zellar’s heartland-rock sensibility.

Rhythm on the Rails is a free outdoor concert series held on Wednesday nights through the summer on Lewis Street in downtown Shakopee. Each night runs from 6–9 p.m. with a local opening act warming up the crowd before the headliner. The street closes to traffic and turns into an open-air block party, with food trucks and vendors on site: Amazing Momo, The Cave Cafe, Rollin Nolen’s BBQ, Game Day Grub, Westy’s Shako Shack, O’Brien’s Public House, and Texas Roadhouse. Bring a lawn chair. Family-friendly. Admission is free; the series is presented by the Shakopee Chamber & Visitors Bureau. Full lineup and updates at shakopee.org/rhythm-on-the-rails.