Barbra sings from GYPSY

I thought it was pretty bad.

I thought this bitch retired five times already?

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this is BARBRA...show respect.

Hey, be grateful she's singing the song at something resembling the original tempo. Would you prefer the tempo from her last several albums?

Soooooome....Peooooo-ple....Cannnn...Geeeeet..a...thrilllllllll...

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Pretty harsh commentary considering it's just a bootleg recording of a concert, hardly cinematic quality. I'm sure once Babs does her magic on the screen it will be perfect as usual. And as for her age, I've seen her in recent interviews, and she looks great.

Why would you even bring Mariah Carey into this conversation?


I mean, really...

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^^ I agree, best12bars. She does not sound bad, she sounds horase. There is a difference IMO. And the quality of the recording is... not professional.


Now this is coming from someone who believes Babs can do no wrong, so take it with a grain of salt

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Updated On: 10/11/12 at 08:36 AM

I'm SO incredibly bummed I can't make this concert. Someone going tonight PLEASE report back every minute detail!!! PLEASE!!!

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My first post on BWW - but for whatever reason, this prompted me to respond.

I was at the Philly concert, and when I started hearing them play the Gypsy music as a segue, I was intrigued ... even whispering out loud, "Oh, she's gonna do that?!" Audience members next to me seemed more into her pop stuff, but I was def into the Broadway angle.

Anyway, agree with posters that this was not the finest moment of her show. She did forget a lyric and, yes, she was a bit raspy on and off all night. (She was drinking tea on stage and press reported she had a cold a few days before.)

It was also clearly the first show, as there were a few missed cues and some forgotten lines in some of the bits with the guest stars (Il Volo, Chris Botti, etc).

Having just seen Patti at 54 Below, I still think she is Mama Rose for me, but Babs was ok, just ok.

Gypsy aside - the concert overall was actually quite fulfilling.
Even though she was occasionally ragged, there were many moments of awesome where she sounded incredible (SPOILER ALERT now)

Highlights were the tribute to Marvin Hamlisch, her duet with her son (!), and then "People." Being up there with her son really seemed to relax her, and some of the finest moments were in Act II. I didn't like the segue from Gypsy into the end of "Don't Rain on My Parade," which seemed abrupt.

She closed with "Make Your Garden Grow," which is one of my favorites and the melody alone always makes me cry. Streisand is no Barbara Cook, but with the backing of a choir and her other guest artists, she pulled it off nicely.

For those going in Brooklyn, I think you will enjoy. (Some speculated that she might have been holding back in Philly to save her voice....so she might be even better.)

Updated On: 10/11/12 at 11:09 AM

Not a huge Merman fan, but there's no denying that she sounds just as fabulous in her old age as she did on the OBCR.

Bluepurple...many thanks for your review...i have read another review on another site and both of u said basically the same thing...i only wish i could go to her Hollywood Bowl dates but find them way too expensive for me...but i love reading inperson reviews and yours made me feel good just reading it...more spoilers please tell us all?...:)

OK you asked - more SPOILERS ahead...

A few other favorite or interesting moments:

Show opened with a slide show of her growing up in Brooklyn and then becoming famous. When she appeared, the audience went pretty mad. (I was on the floor of the arena, and it was loud, especially considering the median age in the arena had to be 45-50....I'm 33).

She does a few numbers with the lyrics changed for her - "As If We Never Said Goodbye" is changed into lyrics about Brooklyn, though it was still a thrill to hear her sing it, since I first heard her version on the Broadway album when I was kid listening to my Mom's tape in the car. She also does the Brooklyn schtick to "You're the Top" in Act II.

I liked her doing "Smile" with Il Volo - their voices meshed well, and those guys can sing. She did a lovely version of "Bewitched" from Pal Joey, slightly subdued, which helped since her voice was a bit hoarse at time as mentioned previously.

Her "encore" was "Some Other Time," which ended the show in a quieter way, but I liked it...kind of a hint about her future tours/concerts - "maybe I'll do this again, but maybe I won't."

The part with her son was rather touching, opening with a video he made for her birthday, another slide show with pics of her and him through the years. The singer in the video crooning "Nature Boy" is unidentified, until Barbra reveals after that it was her son. Then he comes and sings with her. Most genuine moment of the night.

Other comments ... her banter was scripted (teleprompter!) but funny. She did ad lib when the crowd screamed her questions or praise. She seemed pretty comfortable up there actually. There's an "Ask Barbra" section where she reads from cards submitted by the audience ... her response on Mitt Romney was great. "I promised I wouldn't get political, but I hope he doesn't find his way to Sesame Street - or 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue!" Loudest applause of the night!

Yes, elements of the show were cheesy, and I didn't love everything (disco?) but it was a thrill to see her, and this was probably my one time...since I decided to go for the pricey floor seats. The guest stars were very good for the most part (maybe one too many trumpet pieces by Botti), and their performances gave her time to change clothes and re-enter (more applause - she clearly loves that)!

Lastly, let me say the 60-piece orchestra is incredible. That was a treat in itself.

One final anecdote: she sits in a chair part of the time, next to a table with a vase of roses and a cup of tea. Early in the show, she realized there was no water in the vase and said out loud that the flowers would wilt. She turned around and said, "Where is the water?" Even after a short break, the vase had not been watered and she commented about it again. Suffice it to say, a new vase with water came out in act II. I wouldn't want to be that PA!

Sorry for the long post - but it really was a cool night for me.