Streisand (concert tour)

Streisand is Barbra Streisand's Fall 2006 North American concert tour. Comprising 26 shows, it was Streisand's first United States tour since 1994 and her first live concert events since her supposed farewell concerts that took place in Las Vegas in December 1999. The 2006 tour also marked the singer's first time playing in Canadian markets.

In early May 2007 it was announced that Streisand would take the show to Europe. This was her first full length European tour and took place during the months of June and July 2007.

Background

The tour was officially announced on June 12, 2006, after months of speculation. It opened on October 4 in Philadelphia at the Wachovia Center. The tour was presented by promoter Michael Cohl for Concert Productions International and The Next Adventure (A Live Nation Company). Ticket prices for some venues were as much as US$750, and even higher for VIP tickets.^[2]

The operatic pop group Il Divo appeared as her special guest, they performed three songs with Streisand as well as their own three song set in the middle of the concert.

The concert tour was one of the most anticipated tours of the year. Ticket sales were very strong with the Toronto show selling out in 30-minutes and 12,000 seats at the Montréal show selling out in the first day on sale.^[3]

The October 28 show and the October 30 show in Sunrise, Florida was recorded in high definition for a Showtime television special and confirmed a DVD release on April 28, 2009 as Barbra Streisand: The Concerts which included the 2006 tour filmed at BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida and the 1994 Concert filmed at Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim in Anaheim, California.

A double album, Live in Concert 2006, was released on May 8, 2007 and contained songs recorded during the New York, Washington, D.C. and Sunrise concerts.

The show was number seven in the top 10 tours of Billboard's year-end charts for 2006 with a total gross of $76,112,426. The tour went on to gross $$92 million.^[4]

In early May 2007, it was announced that Streisand would tour Europe after a 13-year absence. "What a joy it will be to perform in so many wonderful countries for the first time,” said Streisand. “I can't wait to experience these different audiences and different cultures.” A 58 piece orchestra was accompanied Ms Streisand as she performed many of the classic songs from her unique repertoire such as “Evergreen”, “People”, “The Way We Were”, “Don’t Rain on My Parade” and many more.^[5]

Ticket fraud

On August 30, 2006, it was announced that more than 1,000 tickets to various dates of Streisand's national tour were invalidated because they were purchased with stolen credit card information and then put up for sale on various ticket resale sites.^[6]

The show

Barbra Streisand performing in July 2007 at The O2 Arena in London

The show was heavy on standards, one of the highlights being a Funny Girl medley. Il Divo performed three songs between acts, as well as songs with Barbra.

The stage was an open platform with four stations of flowers and tea. Streisand entered from the center, rising platform. She wore a black sequin outfit with a slit skirt for the first half of the show and a black gown and shawl with gold trim after the interval. However, beginning at the first New York concert, the second half of the show now featured Barbra wearing a black pant suit. She sat at a tall swivel chair at the front of the stage and at different times during the two and a half hour show moves upstage on a series of walkways through the orchestra.

The tour's opening concert at the Wachovia Center was the highest single event gross in the 10-year history of the arena. The concert grossed $5.2 million from 16,510 paid attendance.^[7]

The Columbus Dispatch said of the set up: "The arena had a retro look — configured like a giant nightclub, with long, tiered, lighted runways extending well out into the hall and surrounding a full symphony orchestra. A small table with a vase of flowers was placed front and center, and after Streisand came onstage — lifted via a small elevator smack into the middle of a spotlight — she worked this part of the stage, closest to her adoring audience."^[8]

Streisand also held a Q&A session with the audience during the second act.

One of the most talked about parts of the show was a skit where comedic impressionist Steve Bridges playing President George W. Bush uttered such lines as, "I'm concerned about the national debt, so I'm selling Canada," and "If I cared about the polls I would have run for President of Poland." The two end the skit by harmonizing on the "Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again"" duet that Streisand and Judy Garland once did together.

At the October 9 New York show, this skit drew some jeers from the audience, who appeared to be impatient with the political satire. Streisand shot back, "Why don't you shut the fuck up. If you can't take a joke, why don't you leave and get your money back." The assertive response, which she later apologized for by saying, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost it," got the audience back on her side.^[9] Bridges did not appear at the November 7, 2006 show at Chicago's United Center due to a previously scheduled Election Night engagement.

Europe

For the European tour a number of changes were made. The group Il Divo were replaced by a group of four Broadway singers, Sean McDermott, Michael Arden, Peter Lockyer, and Hugh Panaro, who performed a different selection of songs. The Steve Bridges segment was dropped for the European Audience. A few changes were made to the set list, with "Carefully Taught" and "Children Will Listen" being replaced by Papa Can You hear Me? taken from the film Yentl. Another addition was "You Don't Bring Me Flowers".

Commercial reception

The North American tour was a huge success. The 20 concerts grossed $92,457,062 and set house gross records in 14 of the 16 arenas played on the tour.^[10]

In Europe the tour faced controversy when the first show set in Rome's Stadio Flaminio was struggling to sell top-priced tickets and citizens calling Streisand to cancel the show after outrageous prices became known. The show in Nice, France at Stade Charles Ehrmann also was cancelled after few weeks of being on sale, the promoter not giving any real reason for the cancellation. In Stockholm, Sweden the show at Globen arena for July 4 was cancelled after Barbra's doctor advised not to go on stage but rather rest her voice continued the rumors of lacking ticket sales again. The tour also gathered more positive news in Berlin, where Streisand performed at the Waldbühne Amphitheater to a crowd of over 17,000. In Paris she was honoured with a medal of the Legion of Honour by President Nicholas Sarkozy.^[11][12][13]

Set list

The show was separated into two acts, with two sections in the first act separated by Il Divo's solo set, then one section in the second act plus an encore.

Minor changes were made to the set list on a number of dates of the tour but the majority of songs remained. Some additional songs that were performed are "Smile", "Nobody's Heart Belongs to Me", and "Where or When". Streisand performed "Happy Days Are Here Again" as a duet with Steve Bridges on some dates and on others she sang solo. Il Divo's "Passera" was removed entirely from the set list after the New York dates. Also, "Don't Rain on My Parade" was performed either in its original form or with the "Broadway Reprise" lyrics on select nights. On opening night both variations were performed. Fans were also treated to a short a capella rendition of "Stoney End" during the question-and-answer section in the second act of a few shows.

The following is the set list from the final night of the tour in Los Angeles:

1. Funny Girl Broadway Overture
2. Starting Here, Starting Now
3. Down With Love
4. The Way We Were
5. Ma Premiere Chanson
6. Evergreen (with Il Divo)
7. Unchained Melody (Il Divo only)
8. Unbreak My Heart (Il Divo only)
9. My Way (Il Divo only)
10. Come Rain Or Come Shine (Streisand only)
11. Funny Girl (Streisand only)
12. The Music That Makes Me Dance (Streisand only)
13. My Man (Streisand only)
14. People (Streisand only)
15. Entr'acte
16. Music of the Night (with Il Divo)
17. Carefully Taught/Children Will Listen
18. Unusual Way
19. What Are You Doing The Rest of Your Life
20. George Bush Q&A skit
21. Woman In The Moon
22. Have I Stayed Too Long At The Fair?
23. A Cockeyed Optimist
24. Somewhere (with Il Divo)
25. My Shining Hour
26. Don't Rain on My Parade (encore)
27. Happy Days Are Here Again
28. Smile

Tour dates

Box office score data

^[14]

DVD

Streisand released a box set called Barbra Streisand: The Concerts which includes the 2006 concert in Florida, the 1994 Live at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim (on DVD for the first time) and the TV special about The Broadway Album: Putting It Together: The Making of the Broadway Album.

In 2009, this box-set was released in Europe (Region 2) on March 16 and in America (Region 1) on April 28.

Television special

Streisand: Live in Concert, filmed at the featured Florida stop, aired on April 25, 2009, over CBS. The show was watched by 4.98 million viewers.

External links

• Official tour website
• BarbraNews.com
• Barbra Streisand Archives
• The Barbra Streisand Music Guide
• Simply Streisand: A Celebration of Greatness

References