Madison Square Garden, New York

Night One -- 9 October 2006

 

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / Retna (above)

Members of the BarbraNews.com forum meet up - before the New York show! What a good looking group! (More fan photos at the bottom)

Celebrities attending the show included:

James Brolin, Gene Simmons from Kiss, Rosie O'Donnell, Kelli O'Donnell, socialite and new Republican friend of Rosie, Georgette Mosbacher, Jason Gould, Josh Brolin, Diana Krall, Donna McKechnie, recent Funny Girl Paper Mill Playhouse star Leslie Kritzer, Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, Sandy Gallin, Ralph Lauren, Lorne Michaels, Liz Callaway, composer David Zippel, Gary Smith, Donna Karan, Stephania, Donna's 3 year old granddaughter that Barbra mentions, who sings My Man at the age of 3, Steven Brinberg, Tony Bennett... and more.

(Photo by Walter McBride / Retna)

Oprah King and Gayle King watch on...

Video one

Video two

Song List

ACT 1

  • Funny Girl Broadway (overture)

  • Starting Here, Starting Now

  • Down With Love

  • The Way We Were

  • Come Rain Or Come Shine

  • Ma Premiere Chanson

  • Evergreen (with I'll Divo)

  • I'll DIVO SET #1: (no Barbra)
    (a) Unchained Melody
    (b) Don't Break My Heart
    (c) My Way (dedicated to BJS)

  • Don't Rain On My Parade
    (she forgot the lyrics)

  • Funny Girl (film version)

  • The Music That Makes Me Dance

  • My Man

  • People

ACT 2

  • IL DIVO SET #2 (no Barbra)
    (a) --- unknown song - . . . have to look it up . . .
    (b) Music Of The Night (Barbra makes her Act 2 entrance and continues the song with the guys)

  • When The Sun Comes Out

  • Carefully Taught/Children Will Listen

  • Unusual Way

  • What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life

  • Happy Days (George Bush skit)

  • Have I Stayed Too Long At The Fair

  • Cockeyed Optimist

  • Somewhere (with I'll Divo)

  • My Shining Hour
    Encores:

  • Don't Rain On My Parade (Broadway version reprise)

  • Smile

 

Extra Notes:

  • Barbra did receive some negative verbal comments during the Happy Days duet. Barbra DID reply "Come on, be polite". But it continued, and Barbra did ask the audience member to leave, and he could have his money back. She later apologised to the audience for losing her temper. (BarbraNews.com note: The audience should be aware that certain political comments will be made during the tour. Barbra is raising funds for some of the "political" subjects she has spoken about).

  • The song list remained the same as the previous show (Columbus, Ohio)

  • Barbra will play at MSG again 2 days later.

Fan Review by Robert Alan:

There are moments you remember all your life/ There are moments you wait for and dream
of all your life/ This is one of those moments.

The evening of Barbra's homecoming Streisand tour started at 5pm with a large group of Barbra devotees meeting for dinner at a local TGIFriday's. The butterflies were in all our stomachs as we walked to the arena. Entry to the Garden was easy, even with metal detectors. The souvenir stands were packed & many items sold out quickly.

Then we walked into the arena......WOW. The set was simplistic and beautiful at the same time and there was not a bad sightline in the place. Those behind the stage had a great view, next to those in the front rows. Our seats were perfect, just off the floor. We spent the minutes until show time reading the program and using binoculars to spot the celebrities as they came in.

The lights went down suddenly and the orchestra started up, you could hear thousands of
hearts beating with each note. Those of us who knew the Funny Girl overture by heart
were waiting for the final notes to play, waiting for Barbra to appear from the S at the top of the center walkway.

Then she rose from within the stage on a platform and the sold-out audience
went crazy. Giving Barbra the first of many standing ovations!

Barbra was thrilled to be home. Her voice was husky and strong, it took a few songs to fully open. But this Funny Girl still was in control of her gift. Her outfits were great, two that were seen in Philadelphia and she added a beautiful pants suit after the IL Divo break during Act 1.

Although I do like IL Divo, they were not a necessary part of the show. Their operatic
voices overpowered Barbra and that could have been controlled through the sound board.
The age difference banter with Barbra was cute. Barbra lovers in the arena were very polite to them. There were many Divo-tees in attendance as well. This exposure is the largest this handsome quartet has had in their few short years together and gave Barbra breaks during the show.

But there was no mistaking who the people were there to see. Barbra added/changed
lyrics to express where her life is at today. Most notably at the end of "Have I stayed
too long at the fair." This show was not The Concert or Timeless. This show was
simply called Streisand because this concert was about Barbra's journey and what she has learned. Not an 'and then I did' show. Not a spectacular, but for all its dressed down appearance it was just as spectacular, if not more.

The one bad chink in the armor of the NY show was an obnoxious heckler. During the humorous (and too long) Dubya sketch, both Barbra and Stephen Bridges told him to
to be polite. He continued to heckle Barbra about the sketch after it was over; while she
was introducing a new song. Barbra finally had enough and told him: "Why don't you just shut the f__k up! Can't you take a joke?" The audience felt for her and agreed with her.
It was reported that he did leave the show. Good riddance!

She later apologized for losing her temper. "That is the great part of living in America, the right to speak your mind." I agree with her, but not during a concert! He abused the audiences right to enjoy the show and worse he abused Barbra. Other shoutouts during the show were all Barbra related and she worked them easily into her show.

The song choices were all perfect, Streisand standards from previous tours included Evergreen, The Way We Were, Somewhere and People. Of the 24 Streisand songs, 17 were performed for the first time on tour, each was a new treasure in the audiences crown.

This show took us back to when the majority of the audience first met Barbra and she was saying thanks for being with and for her through the years. With many more years of Barbra magic to come. Who knows, she may have another tour in store for us down the line. I think I'll start saving my pennies now. Robert Alan 

From the moment it started, I knew it was the Funny Girl Broadway Overture! I said to myself right then and there that it was gonna be one hell of a show. I loved Barbra's entrance! During the last "Nicky Arnstein" note, she rises up from below the stage. To skip around a little bit, I loved when she started to sing Down With Love and she said, something like, "This is a song for people who don't need people." I did like when I'll Divo joined her on Evergreen. They worked very well together. As far as Don't Rain on My Parade, she repeated a lyric twice. I loved her version of Funny Girl. It sounded just like the soundtrack version. I think last nights performance of My Man was her best to date! When she came out for Act Two and joined I'll Divo on The Music of the Night, it sent chills up and down my spine. She belted When the Sun Comes out as if it were one of the little nightclubs she was performing in during the 60s. She even hit that high note in the end of the song. It was the high note on "in." "Then you'll know the one I loved walked iiiiiin." And she belted the last line of the song, "Whe-en the su-uh-un comes oooooouuuut!" While I love each and every song that I mentioned and didn't mention, I loved when she sang Woman in the Moon. I NEVER thought I would hear her sing that again. One of my other favorites was when she sang Somewhere with I'll Divo. That was my mom's favorite. My aunt loved What Are You Doing The Rest of Your Life. I loved them all. Starting here! Oh my God. It was so good. I think she did it in a lower key. It sounded better than Color Me Barbra and Live Concert at the Forum. When she took the stage and the Starting Here intro started, Rosie said something and Barbra said, "I think I can hear you, Rosie." I forgot what song she was going to sing, but she said, "I'm going to sing a song for youl..." and somebody yelled out, "Second Hand Rose!" She closed her eyes and said something like " go and buy the record" or "go listen to the record." The look was like the look she gave after those people shouted, "We love you, Barbra." LOL Barbra did say that she saw the Second Hand Rose clip from A Happenning in Central Park recently.

Hi Craig,
Absolutely love the site.
I flew into NYC from Portland, OR to see Barbra in our mutual hometown. Forget about everything that has been written about that show - take my word for it, it was an unbelievable event. She was so spot on - the vocals were incredible, she looked gorgeous, and she gave that heckler exactly what he deserved! And the rest of the crowd was glad that she did. This was my first Barbra show ever - and it was so worth the wait. She is a genius and the show was fabulous beyond description.

For Kent Bailey from Lexington! Barbra's reaction to your question
about running for President was to laugh and said "Hey ,I could do my
own Fundraisers!"

The second card she pulled was from a woman whose children had sent
her a plane ticket from North Carolina to attend the Columbus show for
her 75th Birthday -- Barbra sang Happy Birthday to her! How lucky
can you get!

One other audience interaction was in the middle of a song Barbra
noticed someone in the isle on the side of the stage and said "You had
to sit on the steps? They didn't give you a seat?"


She was cute cute cute. All night long.

Kathryn S.

October 9, NYC.  Oprah (with Gayle by her side) and Rosie O'Donnell were in attendance as was Barbra's son, Jason.  Barbra was amazing as always, although her voice was definitely a little hoarse.  Everyone kept calling out "I love you, Barbra" and at one point she told the audience "I feel it."  She did a lot of songs from Funny Girl, including "Funny Girl" which she said she hadn't performed on stage in a really long time. Anyway, seeing her was my dream come true.  A ticket to see Barbra is worth any price!    

Lynn W., New Jersey  

Barbra's selection of songs, and her startlingly honest delivery, was intensely moving.  She made us cry a number of times, most notably on Unusual Way, What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?, and Children Will Listen.  There were also some goose bump moments, such as when Barbra sang the two duets with Il Divo in the second act, Music of the Night, and Somewhere.

 

Barbra was warm and funny, right from the start.  When she could not hear something someone shouted to her, she walked over to the edge of the stage, and put her hand to her ear, then hustled back to the microphone to repeat what the fan said.  Contrary to previous reports, there was a fair amount of deviating from the telepromted script.

 

She looked stunning in all three costumes, but sounded noticeably hoarse in the first act, until after her first break.  Not to worry, though, she was in full voice by the time she sang her signature song, People.  For the second act, she was much more adventurous vocally, reaching high for a glorious note, or holding that big thrilling climax.  There really is nothing like Streisand live on stage.  Her presence is so strong.  Even though there are giant monitors filming in close up, just try

THIS IS BARBRA - - OUR BARBRA, come home.  I qvelled just to be there.  It was pure heaven.

Barbra was warmer than I have ever seen her, and I go back to the Bon Soir.  She was focused, uncluttered and unflappable (she shouted "Shut the fuck up!" to a stupid heckler during the Bush duet), with a rapport that I only remember once in a live performance: at Forest Hills, 1967.  She was funny, genuinely -and I think, spontaneously- funny.  She held nothing back, and I would have died happy after the first DONT RAIN ON MY PARADE.  But to have her reprise it - - oi, vey!  I cried all the way home. 

Barbra gave her audience an honesty and authority that is rarer than rare today.  She has imprinted every one of the songs she performed tonight with her own inimitable care.  She is a study in perfection this time, not perfectionism as before.  SHE GETS IT RIGHT.  VERY RIGHT.  AND I FOR ONE AM SO GRATEFUL TO BE HERE TO SEE IT.

Congratulations to us all for making the right choice, when we all lost our hearts, so many years ago, we lost them lovingly and willingly to you.  Barbra, if I had to choose again, I would still choose you.  Thanks for this concert.

 

Press Articles:

 

Black and white shots courtesy of Walter McBride / Retna:

A special thanks to those from the Il Divo websites who sent these in:

 

Fan Photos:

Robin and Angelo

Lazy Afternoon (Forum name) and Angelo

Iris and Angelo

Meagan and Joe

Jared and Iris

BabyDiva and Bear-bra ;-)

A HAPPENING IN CENTRAL PARK 2006!!

FIRST ROW: LEFT TO RIGHT

PAUL MURRAY, SYBE (NETHERLANDS), MARK (BLUEBIRD1111), MEAGAN (KKKKATIE), MICHAEL (WICKERMAN), BABY DIVA'S BOYFRIEND

BOTTOM ROW: LEFT TO RIGHT
RENEE (BARBRASTREISANDISAGOD), ANTHONY (BABY DIVA), ROBIN (ROBLOR)

Babydiva and partner

Don and Angelo

Don's friend and Mark (Bluebird111)


 

 

Craig Hall -- www.barbranews.com -- 2006