Review: Streisand in concert is more than just music and mem'ries

Paul Henson, ABS-CBN News

<p>SAN JOSE, California -- I still remember the first time I fell in awe of Barbra Streisand. I was watching a video of her 1993/1994 show, &quot;Barbra, The Concert,&quot; at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and the Madison Square Garden in New York City.</p><p>From the moment she walked on that iconic stage, the one with the French windows and grand staircase with balustrades, singing the first notes of &quot;As If We Never Said Goodbye,&quot; I was mesmerized. Every word, every lyric told a story that spoke individually to the listener.</p><p>It has always been a dream to watch Steisand live on stage. I have seen her on films -- &quot;Funny Girl,&quot; &quot;Yentl,&quot; &quot;Meet the Fockers&quot; -- but never on stage. That is, until more than two decades after the first time I saw her on video.</p><p>Streisand, now 74, is in the middle of a nine-city concert tour across North America. She&#x27;s celebrating six remarkable decades of her career, each decade marked by No. 1 albums.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:658px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:8px"><div style="background:#F8F8F8;line-height:0;margin-top:40px;padding:26.1574074074% 0;text-align:center;width:100%"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC);display:block;height:44px;margin:0 auto -44px;position:relative;top:-22px;width:44px"> </div></div><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BIn2cNfADNp/" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A photo posted by Barbra Streisand (@barbrastreisand)</a> on <time dateTime="2016-08-02T22:13:29+00:00" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px">Aug 2, 2016 at 3:13pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="~//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js" type="text/javascript"></script><p>On the evening of her concert at the San Francisco Bay Area, Streisand fans turned up in full force at the 17,000-capacity SAP Center in San Jose. People were excited, humming Barbra tunes as they queued for souvenirs, programs and wine.</p><p>And as the lights dimmed and the orchestra played the overture, a giant video wall played scenes from Streisand&#x27;s sold-out concerts all over the world in the last 60 years. Then, the video wall parted and out came the star herself, in a black sequined pantsuit, bowing to the audience on center stage to a thunderous standing ovation.</p><p>Streisand opened the show with &quot;The Way We Were.&quot; What a perfect song to look back at a long career. &quot;Memories/ Like the corners of my mind/ Misty water color memories/ Of the way we were.&quot;</p><p>It was quintessential Barbra as she regaled the audience with anecdotes before every song. But this time, there was none of the aloofness of years&#x27; past that came with being a diva. She was relaxed and at ease, poking fun at things, including herself. She said she was out in Chinatown the previous night, having her char siu pork bun fix, noting that she used to work at a Chinese restaurant as a young girl.</p><p>In her intro to &quot;You Don&#x27;t Bring Me Flowers,&quot; Streisand said she and Neil Diamond recorded the song separately, not knowing that they both sang it in the same key. But when their parts were arranged like a dialogue, it was magical. And of course, the song was a boon to florists, Streisand quipped. Her rendition that night was divine.</p><p>She sang the classics like &quot;Evergreen&quot; (my favorite) and the usual showstopper &quot;Don&#x27;t Rain On My Parade&quot; (from &quot;Funny Girl&quot;) complete with clips from that famous New York tugboat movie scene.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:658px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:8px"><div style="background:#F8F8F8;line-height:0;margin-top:40px;padding:50.0% 0;text-align:center;width:100%"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC);display:block;height:44px;margin:0 auto -44px;position:relative;top:-22px;width:44px"> </div></div><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BIp2feKggzk/" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A photo posted by Barbra Streisand (@barbrastreisand)</a> on <time dateTime="2016-08-03T16:52:25+00:00" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px">Aug 3, 2016 at 9:52am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="~//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js" type="text/javascript"></script><p>But clearly, Streisand&#x27;s singing and energy have evolved over the years. &quot;Don&#x27;t Rain&quot; did not have that brisk energy and rapid pace of previous years. Gone are some of the effortlessly soaring notes and lilting vocals; there was hoarseness in Streisand&#x27;s voice in many parts, but the audience did not mind.</p><p>At one point, while singing a song from &quot;Funny Girl,&quot; Streisand forgot some lines, and on another song, she missed her cue. She was good-natured and she laughed at herself, then asked the musical director for her cue. The audience cheered her on. While there was less of the high notes and power vocals, Streisand made up for in nuance and texture that can only come from experience.</p><p>What Streisand did not lose is definitely her political activist streak. She did not conceal who she&#x27;s supporting: &quot;Hillary is up 10 points,&quot; she said with glee. Then she rants: &quot;I am a control freak. Donald Trump is an out-of-control freak.&quot; Woe to the Republicans seated beside me.</p><p>She sang Stephen Sondheim&#x27;s &quot;Being Alive&quot; (from the musical &quot;Company&quot;) while images of war, terrorism and the struggle for gay rights played on video. And then she made a pitch for the environment when she sang &quot;Pure Imagination,&quot; ending with the quip, &quot;That&#x27;s why it&#x27;s important to vote for a candidate who believes in climate change.&quot;</p><p>It seems nothing is stopping this woman. She showed behind-the-scenes clips recording her new album, Streisand Encore, featuring duets with Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Melissa McCarthy, Jamie Foxx, Antonio Banderas, Alec Baldwin and more.</p><p>Two decades ago, I dreamed of watching Streisand live. On this evening in San Jose, I got my wish, and seeing her perform &quot;Papa, Can You Hear Me&quot; (from &quot;Yentl&quot;) with so much depth and emotion brought me chills. And with an encore of Happy Days Are Here Again, it was well worth the wait.</p>

<p>Barbra Streisand, now 74, is in the middle of a nine-city concert tour across North America. She's celebrating six remarkable decades of her career, each decade marked by No. 1 albums.</p>

Barbra Streisand, now 74, is in the middle of a nine-city concert tour across North America. She's celebrating six remarkable decades of her career, each decade marked by No. 1 albums.

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Review: Streisand in concert is more than just music and mem'ries

Review: Streisand in concert is more than just music and mem'ries

Paul Henson,

ABS-CBN News

Published Aug 09, 2016 11:58 AM PHT

|

Updated Aug 09, 2016 12:34 PM PHT

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