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Streisand -- The Final Performance |
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Living in New York City exciting things happen all the time, like being on the local CBS television news last week with all of my Barbra stuff in the background (they had seen my web site on her) and being interviewed about the ticket prices (not knowing at that time that I would be going). This is Barbra's home town, after all. And I even live in Brooklyn now, the borough from whence she came. Still, having gone to her concert in 1994 and spending a LOT of money (which I didn't have at the time) to some kind of scalping scheme in Rhode Island to get tickets for far more than face value. Believe me, these seats in 1994 were nose-bleeds. However, I was happy for the "once in a lifetime" chance that I had to see my favorite celebrity live. To my surprise, she did give a few more concerts, including Las Vegas for the millennium, but the expense for this trip, although I am much more able to afford it now then when I was in law school back in 1994, was not justifiable to me.
So, at least to have SOME Barbra contact this time that she was performing in New York, I sent an invitation to my listserv subscribers advising people that if they were having financial difficulties with the concert AND accommodations in New York, that I would gladly accommodate them in my home. Indeed, Yentl Langholz, a woman with an incredible devotion to Barbra and a web page of her own, took me up on the offer and even brought her friend Kelly, from North Carolina, who is equally as devoted to Streisand as we are. However, after I thought all hope was lost, and Kelly and Yentl saw the Wednesday night concert (which was supposed to be the next to the last performance), Kelly and Yentl spent half a day in the cancellation line and ACTUALLY got me a ticket too! It only cost $350 and the seats were SUPERB. Both Yentl and Kelly agreed that this was the best view they ever had and the performance was the best that Barbra had ever given. We were right in front of her but toward the back of the floor, slightly raised and therefore with almost no obstructions and exactly in the middle.
Having feared Barbra was just a tiny bit hoarse in the beginning of the show, the tiny few imperfections I heard in her singing were gone for the rest of the show (after she drank her tea) and she even surprised HERSELF with some of these notes out of nowhere, telling us so. What were my impressions of the show besides the phenomenal music which made me cry over and over? I mean the music goes without saying. I knew somewhat what to expect out of the performance because I had scrutinized Yentl and Kelly about the night before and they had seem basically the same show in Las Vegas, not to mention of course having the Timeless CD, but that night was so special because it was the goodbye of all goodbyes. I was at home the day of Barbra's final concert during the day tinkering around the Internet and reviewing jobs online when after 6pm Yentl called me and told me to jump into a cab. She couldn't believe how fast I got there, but of course I took the tunnel and paid a toll just to make sure that I was there in plenty of time to meet them for the show, which began at 8pm. I can't imagine what kind of agony I would have gone through if there had been traffic, but again - the fates were on my side. I went through the metal detectors, which were a total joke and sort of upset me because I know Barbra would not have been pleased with what happened. The crowds were so huge that most of the guards just let people in and I heard them say over and over again: "You've got an honest face" . Besides cell phones, people were bringing binoculars and camcorders and of course TONS of cameras, although the tickets clearly said no photography. The metal detector buzzers were going off constantly and the lights were turning red indicating a lot of metal. Still, I saw them not turn anyone away, nor was there any order to how many people were walking through at the same time. And, judging by the number of flashes a LOT of cameras were on hand with people who were not even polite enough to disable the flash. During intermission I'm sure Barbra asked that people abstain from using them due to the announcement which said "out of respect for the artist". Indeed, when Barbra did a trio with herself from the Yentl video and her "mini-me" Lauren (who has a very beautiful voice, by the way), the flashes were so constant that Yentl thought it was part of the special affects of the show. And special affects were not in short number. There was a LIVE mixture of the late Frank Sinatra singing with a video screen version of LIVE Barbra in black and white. There was also a time when the large hydraulic video screen split into three ways. I didn't very much care for the tap dancer who had a cape from which Barbra emerged after Lauren disappeared, but I had never known Barbra to have so many "guest performers". She had her "mini-me", someone playing her mother and music composer (for which there was a gag that he later in life was running the Bush campaign), the tap dancer, a choir which was LIVE (although hidden through most of the performance) and three backup singers for "The Main Event" who Barbra sort of danced around. Obviously Barbra did not have the energy of the early 1970s when she shocked us all with her dramatic renditions of songs, but the power of her voice has a life of its own. The final performance show was filled with a lot of spontaneity. A lot of people were yelling nice things to Barbra, like "You're Timeless". Barbra responded to a few of them and said "Why do you think I called the show that? I'm no dummy!" She also joked about her age a bit when she said she was singing a song for about 36 or 37 years and she said "I don't even look much older than that, do I?" Of course Barbra talked about the "like buttah" comments she's been getting for years now. She also said "You won't believe how much I'm going to eat once this performance is over" since apparently she diets to get into the dresses. SHE designed both costumes for the night, even though Donna Karan, her good friend was in the audience. Barbra pointed out that the press had reported they were Donna's designs incorrectly. Barbra spoke about the important people in her life, particularly the people in the audience like her brother, and people who have done good for the world like Rosie O'Donnell and Congressman Charles Schumer of New York, who has fought hard against gun control. For those of you who don't know Barbra produced a movie about the Long Island Railroad shootings in order to make a statement and also has exchanged banter with the president of the NRA - Charlton Heston. Barbra also produced the Margarethe Cammermeyer story about the highest ranking gay soldier in American history to be discharged for being gay. Glenn Close, who played Margarethe and co-produced the story with Barbra, was also in the audience this evening. Barbra and Whoopi Goldberg are also producing a soon-to-be-released story about lesbian mothers which stars Brooke Shields, who was in the audience. Barbara Walters, Peter Bogdonovich, Michel Legrand and Jesse Jackson were all there too. Barbra made jokes about the teleprompters because obviously she had read that she couldn't do it without them in a recent review of her shows. She said something like, "Don't bother looking at the teleprompters because I never do it the same twice. These are my own words." She had noticed some people who kept turning around and noticing the lack of attention being paid to them. As controversial as Barbra has been, she was not very political, although her politics are widely known and she did ask everyone to be good to each other during the performance a few times, especially when she was being broadcast worldwide on the Internet. At one point she joked with the audience and asked if there were any Republicans in the audience. There was a significant roar of people, but I can only imagine how many Democrats would have been there had she asked. She then said, "Of course there are Republicans in the audience. You're the only ones who can afford these tickets!" She also said that the first political campaign she worked on was for a Republican for a mayoral election in New York. She also mentioned Colin Powell and a few other "good Republicans" were friends of hers. Of course because of the ticket prices, Barbra made a point to say hello to the people in the highest seats in Madison Square Garden, which was very much appreciated by all who had to beg, borrow and steal to be there that night. At one point Barbra told us about how she had asked the composer, Bob Ross, to start the next song when the applause was still going on, but he refused. He told Barbra to take it in, and so she told us, “You know, it’s kind of nice.” Well, that's all it took. That prompted us to go CRAZY for at least five minutes while she just seemed tilt her head back and soak every clap as if it were the last she would hear (and it practically will be). As many of you know, the last song "People" (naturally the choice) was broadcast live on AOL. Again she wowed everyone by impressing even herself with her voice - which is unmatched in depth and ability. As my late father always said, she is the greatest singer in the world. Papa, can you hear me? |
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