Barbra's Tour — Page 7

I'm on the younger side of tonight's audience at Barclays, and having only seen Funny Girl and Funny Lady, I was captivated. At first I was interested in how engaged all her fans were and knew all the albums and songs and whatnot, but then I got enveloped with her presence and voice. Sure, she's reading off teleprompter, but if no one had said anything, I thought she came off very conversational and in-the-moment. When she came out, she sang her song and sounded beautiful, and then she had some little asides like "okay, there's the tea, the flowers, okay, okay. Just making sure everything's here." 

"Papa, Can You Hear Me?" was a masterpiece. Her voice was on fire, and I had chills. I didn't see much of the mentalist guy at intermission because I needed a beverage. But Act II was delightful filled with a ton of shows tones - lots of Sondheim - and I'm a huge Patrick Wilson fan and hearing him duet with her on "Loving You" one of my all-time favorite Sondheim songs was just nothing short of magical. And Jamie Foxx was in gorgeous voice, although riffing "Climb Every Mountain" is a little weird, he still sounded amazing and they had a fun chemistry. 

All in all I thought it was a fabulous evening, and I was in the "nosebleeds" at Barclays, but I thought I had a really great seat. I didn't feel too far back at all. 

I wish the design of the show had been a little different. She rarely ever used the side stages, and I wish she had more video screens, but alas. It's totally worth going to.

And for those who were poo-pooing her voice, shame on you. I thought she sounded KILLER. She has such a great WAIL to rival Adele's. I loved hearing her belt "Don't Rain on My Parade." 

 

 
ArtMan said: As a former club dj, the true "full" version of Enough is Enough was 11 minutes and 44 seconds,  This is the only version most djs were playing during it's debut.  Barbra would have needed oxygen if she went that route.

LOL! I know my sister definitely played that version because it was endless! It sounds like it was gonna end and it just kept on and on and on!

Both evenings were perfection but I think last night her voice was stronger since I felt the temperature in the Barclays Center was not as cold. I worked there for three years and was told by management that she requested it to be warmer. I also felt she adlibbed more last night and seemed to be having more fun and was more relaxed. This was my 10th concert since New Years Eve 1993/94 in Las Vegas. Looking forward to her 2022 tour to celebrate her 80th birthday. 

How does this tour compare to her previous one? This one felt less showy than most any concert I've been to. No big, grand entrance, etc. No crazy lighting. 

Was worried about the upper level side stage seat but the view was wonderful. And you could see the screens with the filmed portions (albeit backwards). Papa, Parade and the Sondheim selections were definitely highlights but I couldn't find fault with any song selection. With a.6 decade career, we're not going to hear everything. And Jamie Foxx should attempt a stage musical soon. Only downside was the obnoxious woman next to me who would boo any Hillary mention. And then proceed to sing along. Barbra can do fine without you.

Come one guys - her voice is far from perfection.  I've always been a huge fan and saw last night's show and am going to the Philly show.  There were moments that were lovely, some that she hit out of the park, but the years have taken a toll on her voice.  When compared with her former self (which isn't fair, I agree), it wasn't perfection.  It was wonderful and I loved every story, every song and being in the room where it happened (no she didn't sing Hamilton), but her performance was not perfection.  Still love her.  I wouldn't gone to see Sinatra and Garland at the end of their careers too.

I forgot to mention something funny that happened at Thursdays show.
A middle aged man and woman were sitting next to us, and as soon as Barbra and the band went into the opening of "Don't Rain On My Parade" this woman jumped to her feet like she had a spring on her ass, and started stomping and pumping her arms to the rhythm of the song like she was Rocky Balboa in a training montage. She did this the entire song. I guess she REALLY liked that song.

undercoverusher said: "Would rather give $600 to the poor, than to listen to this limousine liberal, tell us who to vote for and how great Hillary Clinton is. I'd rather eat lead paint. As soon as she started with politics, I stopped listening to her. WIll not support any artist who lectures me. Can't wait till she retires. She is a greedy, limousine liberal idiot 

"

No entertainer is going to be loved by everyone. I'll bet that some people hated Will Rogers for being so smug about liking everyone. The entertainers most loved by the most people will be the ones most hated by a small minority.

I'm not a big Streisand fan, but I have to admit that she is a legend with legions of fans and a roomful of awards. I think that I was turned off initially by her first Broadway album, which my mother had purchased and I listened to with a reasonably open mind. I really disliked it. I thought that Streisand was far too histrionic on most of the songs, wailing away on too many and drawing attention to her performance and not to the song.

Yet some of what she's done I treasure as much as her greatest fans. My mother, a big fan, bought the OBC Funny Girl and I listened to it many times and liked or loved everything Streisand sang. "People" is a timeless classic. Another of my all time favorite recordings by anyone was an early one, "He Touched Me." I liked her cover of "Stoney End" and the added legitimacy it gave to one of my faves, Laura Nyro. (Saw Laura live at Fillmore East. One week she had written the songs that were 1, 3 and 5 on WABC's Top Forty. Don't know how things came apart so quickly to a twenty one year old who had had a cover story in LIFE magazine.)

 

now here's a real rave...

http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/guest-diary/2016/liz-smith-happy-days-are-here-again

I noticed at Saturday's concert in Brooklyn a disclaimer on the wall informing the audience that the show was being filmed and that by entering you agree to being videotaped.

ArtMan said: "MichelleCraig said: "Barbra never sang a nearly 12 minute version of Enough is Enough. Her performance was remixed and augmented with repeats and beats to get it to that length for the clubs.

 

Of course she didn't!  As a former club dj for too many years, I know what a remix is. I was referring and JOKING about  the actual length of the FULL OFFICIAL version of the song when it was played in clubs.  The same thing about The Main Event.  We never played a 3 minute version.  We played the 12 minute version that was remixed with Fight.

 

"

There are several versions of Enough is Enough--in my old age I'm forgetting the details :P (I'm a huge Donna Summer fan--more, I hate to admit, than a Babs one) but for example the version on Babs' "Wet" is less heavily produced--Giorgio Moroder (who was credited as co-producer I believe) wasn't anywhere near the original recording which was handled by Gary Klein and went in and added a sorta burbling synth line to the version Casablanca released (including the 11 minute mix I believe, which was released for DOnna's On the Radio greatest hits album--which I admit is a bit too long for me--when they loop back after that electric guitar solo I've had... well, enough, as much as I love the song). 

Some Donna fans are bitter that Babs turned down several requests by Donna to sing the song live with her over the years and is now performing it after she died--theorizing that Babs was scared that her live voice wouldn't compare with Donna's.  Donna certainly sounded flawless when I saw her in concert several years before her death (she sang the song with her sister) but I'll stay out of it :P

I am soooooo upset that I didn't get to see her at the Barclays this time around...and reading all the wonderful reviews isn't making me feel better and now I am officially HATING on ALL OF YOU!

I will now proceed and jump off a bridge....the Brooklyn Bridge, that is.