Barbra's "Back To Brooklyn"
Barbra's "Back To Brooklyn"
#1Barbra's "Back To Brooklyn"
Posted: 10/14/12 at 2:10am
Anyone else was there tonight?
"People have their opinions and that doesn't mean that their opinions are wrong or right. I just take it with a grain of salt because opinions are like as*holes, everyone has one".
-Felicia Finley-
Updated On: 10/15/12 at 02:10 AM
#2Babra's
Posted: 10/14/12 at 11:59am
I was, Baba was like buttah! Had the bsst seat in the house, first row behind the stage. When she exited she stopped and tawked to us, We could reach out and touch her.
She apparently changed her song selection from Thursday. Wonder what was different.
Heard Travolta was in the audience.
Rainbowhigh23
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/29/12
#5Babra's
Posted: 10/15/12 at 9:07am
I was there Saturday night- and I was blown away. What a show, and what a lady.
I thought the opening to the show was brilliant- short slide show featuring pictures of her as a young girl growing up to the point of Funny Girl, all while a record of a teenage Barbra singing "You'll Never Know" was playing. At the end the large white drapes where ripped down from the stage to reveal her 60 piece orchestra and she rose from the center stage. Huge ovation and then, As If We Never Said Goodbye with special Brooklyn lyrics- a perfect opening.
The show itself was very good, loved her song selection and thought the addition of Il Vollo, Chris Botti and her song Jason, who make no mistake is not a Sinatra Jr.- this kid can sing- were wonderful.
I loved the Barclay Center and thought the staff was great- but those seats are STEEP! Means your not as far away from the seat, but you take your life into your hands just walking across the isle to your seat.
#6Babra's
Posted: 10/15/12 at 1:15pmAgreed about the steep seats. I liked the show, I thought the show was way too long though and it dragged with very slow songs toward the end, It was almost 3 hours long. She was great, but I won't be seeing her again the next time she performs, she is wonderful though. I think my favorite parts were the "question and answer" and the "Gypsy/Funny Girl" medley.
"People have their opinions and that doesn't mean that their opinions are wrong or right. I just take it with a grain of salt because opinions are like as*holes, everyone has one".
-Felicia Finley-
DAME
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/15/04
Rainbowhigh23
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/29/12
#8Babra's
Posted: 10/15/12 at 2:30pm
The Garden has such a better design for the upper levels - you have two escalators to take you to up to the section and you enter and exit from the rear. I've sat in the 400 section many times and it was so easy to get in and out of. The Barclay Center was the complete opposite - you started at the top of the 100 level and climbed what was the equivalent of a mountain to get to your seat, and the only exit was from where you came. Many around me said it was a fire trap and they were wondering why they didn't design an entrance and exit from the back of the section; many didn't leave the seat for the bathroom during the intermission. I saw many older people with canes who could barely walk as it is nearly passing out from the climb. I work out three days a week on an elliptical and I was out of breath getting to row 16 in Section 223!
Other than that, the show was like buttah.
#9Babra's
Posted: 10/15/12 at 4:20pmThe guests performed too many songs, she should be starting the show on time at 8pm or maybe 8.10pm, but not later than that, also she could have just done "People" and closed the show, people kept walking out while she was singing the last 2 or 3 slow songs she sang after. The encores were not people-pleasers.
"People have their opinions and that doesn't mean that their opinions are wrong or right. I just take it with a grain of salt because opinions are like as*holes, everyone has one".
-Felicia Finley-
#10Babra's
Posted: 10/15/12 at 4:34pm
The guests were a bit much (particularly Chris Botti with the drummer AND the violinist). I appreciated the insane talent, it was just going on 2 and half hours by then and I just wanted some more Babs.
I did think the encores were lacking a bit especially after the GORGEOUS and powerful "Make Our Garden Grow"
As someone who loves her voice and most of the movies she has done, I was never really a fan of her personally. She's a bit too cuckoo for CoCo Puffs. Having said that, I was completely mesmerized by her. How the hell does she still sound like that at 70 years old?!?
Even my $175 seats in section 223 up in the rafters didn't dampen the truly once in a lifetime experience.
"I shall stay until the wind changes."
DAME
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/15/04
#12Babra's
Posted: 10/15/12 at 5:15pm
This is the set list from Thursday night.
Set 1
As If We’ve Never Said Goodbye
Nice 'n Easy/That Face
Didn’t We
Smile (with Il Volo)
Un Amore Cosi Grande (Il Volo)
O Sole Mio (Il Volo)
The Way He Makes Me Feel
Sam, You Made the Pants Too Long
Enough Is Enough
The Way We Were/Through the Eyes of Love
Being Good Is Good Enough
Rose’s Turn/Some People/Don’t Rain on My Parade
Set 2
You’re the Top
Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
Lost Inside of You (with Chris Botti)
Evergreen (with Chris Botti)
Emmanuel (Chris Botti)
When I Fall in Love (Chris Botti)
How Deep is the Ocean? (with Jason Gould)
This Masquerade (Jason Gould)
People
Here’s to Life
Encore
Make Our Garden Grow (with Brooklyn Youth Chorus)
Some Other Time
The two major differences are; Guilty and Happy Days are Here Again which ended the show. Correct me if you see something else.
#13Babra's
Posted: 10/15/12 at 7:30pm
Here's the set list from saturday night. I noticed some differences in the order of the songs...
1. Funny Girl Overture (Orchestra)
2. As if we never said goodbye
3. Nice and Easy/That Face
4. The way he makes me feel (from Yentl)
5. Bewitched, bothered and bewilded
6. Didn't we
7. Smile (with Il Volo)
8. Un amore cosi grande (Il Volo)
9. O sole mio (Il volo)
10. Q & A section
11. Sam, you made the pants too long
12. Guilty
13. Enough is enough
14. The way we were / Through the eyes of love
15. Being good isn't good enough
16. Rose's turn / Some People / Don't eain on my parade
INTERMISSION
16. "On a clear day you can see forever" (orchestra)
17. You're the top
18. What'll I do?
19. My funny valentine
20. Lost inside of you (with Cris Botti)
21. Evergreen (With Chris Botti)
22. Emmanuel (Chris Botti)
23. How deep is the ocean?(Video- Barbra´s birthday present from her son)
24. Masquerade (Jason Gould)
25. People
26. Here's to life
27. Make our garden grow (with Il Volo, Chris Botti and Brooklyn Youth Chorus)
28. Somewhere
29. Some other time
30. People ("exit music" by the orchestra)
31. Happy days are here again
32. Happy days are here again ("exit music").
About the last 4 songs, I must say that "Somewhere" was sort of a snippet with only the last "Somehow, someday, somewhere" being sung by Barbra and the chorus. This part was really exciting.
After "some other time", the orchestra began to play "people" as Barbra's exit music, but then she talked to the public behind the stage and came back to sing "happy days are here again".
She made a brief speech about "not telling us who to vote for" (hehe), and closed saying that music "trascends politics", before singing "happy days are here again".
The entr'cte was a short version of "On a clear day you can see forever" by the orchestra.
And the final exit music was "Happy days are here again", instrumental.
About the Q & A question, I took some notes. Of course, I'm not quoting the exact words...
Question 1:
Do you get tired of "People"?
Answer: I suppose you mean the song, you don't want me to talk about people I get tired of.
Question 2: (this question was by someone called "Sierra Boggess", and Barbra said: "Sierra Boggess, what a name!!")
Q: "After 50 years of carrer -oy! I already hate this question, said Barbra- is there any mountain you still have to climb"
A: "Well, I don't even want to climb stairs, I came to the stage by elevator, didn't you notice?"
Hilarious!
Question 3:
Something like "what do think of reality TV"
A: "Oh I hate it. I prefer fantasy Tv. Like Fox News"
(big laughs)
Question 4:
"What do you think of artists wholyp-synch"
"I'm very bad doing that, so I apologyze but I have to sing live"
Question 5:
Something about "being politycally outspoken"... And I don't remember her answer.
Finally, I want to note that Barbra said -in a scripted conversation with Chris Botti- that she has done only 84 concerts since 1963, that she has the exact count.
I was surprised that she has the exact count (not something difficult to do, since she hasn't done many tours).
Also she talked about "a happenning in central park" and how forgetting the lyrics was one of her fears... this, she said, kept her away from concert tours until 1994. (this has been said before, it was interesting to hear it live and from her...)
It was, overall, an amazing night. Her voice sounded great... And she was specially "on character" during the Gypsy songs.
Liza Minelli was in the audience. And also Perez Hilton.
Finally, I was surprised that Barbra said: I'm sure that must of you are from New york. And shw was surprised to hear that some people came from Florida to her concert. Well, she didn't hear me, but I came from Mexico City just for the week end to see Barbra.
(Sorry if there are any grammar mistakes, My first language is not english but spanish)
Updated On: 10/15/12 at 07:30 PM
#14Babra's
Posted: 10/15/12 at 11:41pm
Your English is perfect. There were a lot of people from other states and other countries, I remember people yelling "Florida", Washington State", "Ohio", and other countries in Latin America.
What Babs said about her last question "Do you think being so honest about your politics hurt your career?"- By the way, obviously her career couldn't get much better than it is/was.
She said: "I couldn't be any other way"
and I loved her for that answer.
I wish I had seen Liza in the audience.
I bought my US$ 80 ticket through a BWW user and the seats couldn't have been better! So thanks!
"People have their opinions and that doesn't mean that their opinions are wrong or right. I just take it with a grain of salt because opinions are like as*holes, everyone has one".
-Felicia Finley-
DAME
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/15/04
DAME
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/15/04
mariodelagarza
Chorus Member Joined: 5/3/12
#20Babra's
Posted: 10/16/12 at 12:02pm
I was there on Saturday too. I also went to NYC from Mexico (Monterrey), to see Babs! The show was AWESOME, the woman is 70 and still can sing her heart out.
I was on section 4, close but side to the stage. I loved everything! I agree that the guest stars should've had less participation, but Chris Botti and the violinist girl were great, not a big fan of Il Volo.
I wanted her to sing My Man and On a Clear Day, but I loved the song selection, I think the opening was my favorite part, As If We Never Said Goodbye wooow!
#21Babra's
Posted: 10/16/12 at 12:36pmYes, On A Clear Day and Somewhere, were missing in that concert! When she did that little part of Somewhere, it was probably the best moment of the night, it lasted only 3 seconds?!
"People have their opinions and that doesn't mean that their opinions are wrong or right. I just take it with a grain of salt because opinions are like as*holes, everyone has one".
-Felicia Finley-
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