Sydney, Australia
March 9 & 10, 2000: The Sydney Football Stadium
Preview
Performance
Preview
Sydney, Australia
March 9 & 10, 2000: The Sydney Football Stadium
Preview
Preview
At 5:00 p.m. AEDT (Sydney time), Promoter Kevin
Jacobsen held a press conference outside Sydney Football Stadium to announce
that the evening's March 8 Barbra Streisand Timeless performance would
be postponed until March 9 because of rain. Under such conditions, he said
that the safety of the public and the production and technical staff left no
other options. He relayed Streisand's disappointment and belief that safety for
all concerned was of paramount importance. In a radio interview Barbra's manager
Marty Erlichman said it was felt that the wild wind and rain made conditions
both in the stands and on stage too dangerous to proceed tonight. "Barbra's
heartbroken," said Erlichman. "She's come half way around the world to
perform for her Australian fans." Here is the official announcement:Barbra Streisand and James Brolin
were expected to arrive in Sydney on March 4 via Air New Zealand and were
originally to stay in a private harborside home. Reportedly, they had
previously spent three days at Taupo, New Zealand's Huka Lodge. After her
final show in Melbourne, Barbra and Jim reportedly returned to New Zealand to
vacation at the Ormlie Lodge in Napier. On Feb. 27 the Sydney Morning
Herald featured a full-page ad announcing the opening of a
"Barbra Department" in the David Jones store located on Elizabeth Street in Sydney.
Before closing in the weeks following the concerts, the store sold "specially designed merchandise commemorating her Australian tour, such as the tour program, "Barbra's favourite plush toys," and embroidered
t-shirts. See photos from inside the store below.
(June 15,
2000)
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Management for Barbra Streisand today confirmed that the Australian concert performances set for March will proceed as planned.
This follows speculative reports in the U.S. that Barbra Streisand's New Year's Eve Las Vegas show would be her last live performance.
Mr. Martin Erlichman, Barbra Streisand's manager said today, "The Australian concerts will most definitely go ahead. There has never been any doubt that these shows would proceed. Barbra Streisand is looking forward to playing for her Australian fans."
Ms. Streisand has announced two concerts at the Sydney Football Stadium on 8 and 10 March and two concerts in Melbourne, the first on 15 March. The second Melbourne show is yet to be finalised. (January 19, 2000)
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Barbra Streisand Announces Australian Concerts, the official press release issued on Dec. 10, provides details of at two initially scheduled performances, one each at The Sydney Football Stadium on March 8, 2000 and Melbourne's Colonial Stadium, Docklands on March 15, 2000. Tickets went on sale for both shows on Saturday, Dec. 18 at 9 a.m. (Australian Eastern Time) Barbra and manager Marty Erlichman make statements in the press release. Online ticket ordering is available for locals and those overseas. And, according to the Australian concert promoter shortly before commencing ticket sales, these concerts will mark "the beginning of her world tour." If you haven't already done so, click the hyperlink at the top of this story to access the press release. (December 24, 1999)
March 9, 2000
Fans reporting on the show have expressed nothing but delight with Barbra's performance. Just before "Don't Like Goodbyes," as people were yelling out various greetings and song requests, Barbra asked if this was the "audience participation part, talk amongst yourselves kind of thing." Surprised and taken aback for a moment, she replied, "I never took requests. When I was a kid 18 years-old in the nightclubs, people would yell out things. I'm gonna sing what I'm gonna sing, ya know?" At the stadium following the show, the Sun-Herald reports, "An excited group, including Premier Bob Carr, Major-General Peter Cosgrove, cinematographer John Seale, and media figures Ray Martin, Mike Munro, and Stan Zemanek waited like bashful schoolboys before being welcomed into the singer's suite." (May 9, 2000)
Review:
On
a mild late summer’s evening the atmosphere at Sydney’s outdoor Football
Stadium is electric. In the descending darkness, 28,000 fans clutching
oversized programs file to their seats on the field before, and in stands
around, the huge stage at the southern end. The buzz of excitement is
tangible. Much has been made of record-breaking ticket prices, a
no-expense-spared set, the battalion of technicians, riggers, musicians and
singers required to mount the production with its state-of-the-art sound and
lighting systems. Anticipation, already at fever-pitch, is further heightened
by the show's 24-hour delay due to rain. Can one performance live up to the
sky-high expectations engendered by such hype? Can any one artist really be that
good?
At 8.30pm the stadium lights dim and all eyes focus on the spotlit stage as Marvin Hamlisch raises his baton. The familiar strains of the overture, so well-known and loved from the US ’94 concerts, fill the arena, and 28,000 spines tingle in unison. Enter Brother Time, tonight renamed Time Wizard and played by Australian Kip Gamblin, substituting modern dance for Savion Glover’s tap routine, as the ticking, exploding, whirling clock video sequence is played out on the giant screen above him.
Reprising their Las Vegas roles, Alec Ledd, Randee Heller and young Lauren Frost reproduce the Nola Studios recording session of "You’ll Never Know." When Time Wizard reappears, back to the audience and black cloak swirling, no one is in any doubt as to what will happen next. From behind a flourish of black cape, to a roar from the crowd and a standing ovation, Barbra Streisand steps for the first time ever onto an Australian stage. On its feet, fibre-optic torches waving, the audience cheers its welcome, the first notes from that unmistakable voice barely audible above the din. "Something’s coming, I don’t know what it is, but it is gonna be great." Sydney knows it, and in a split second thousands of life-long ambitions are fulfilled.
During the performance, Barbra recounts that her first proposed visit to Australia was to have been 25 years ago for the opening of A Star is Born. An ear infection barred her from flying, and it has taken 25 years for her to fulfill her own ambition — to thank her Australian fans for their years of support.
"The only place I wanted to sing outside of the United States was your country," she confides, to a roar of approval from an audience that has waited so long to be here. She considers for a moment, then shrugs wryly. "Actually, it wasn't even a shlep to get here."
From "The Way We Were," throughout which she interjects her thanks to the crowd for
almost making it last night, and finally making it tonight, Barbra turns to the
taped Shirley MacLaine Y1K piece which meets with an appreciative reception.
Now she takes us back to Greenwich Village and her early nightclub appearances.
"I don’t know if you know what Greenwich Village is like, but it’s like your Darlinghurst, I’m told. Lots of little clubs and bars." Familiar to fans through her early album versions, at last we hear "Cry Me a River" and the wonderfully jazzy, brassy "Lover Come Back to Me" live. The pace slows with "A Sleepin’ Bee." Barbra confesses to a hoarse voice thanks to two nights of long rehearsals in the cold night air and apologises that her voice is a little scratchy.
"We love you anyway!" cries an audience member, and she laughs in appreciation. "Thanks, that’s nice."
Possibly to conserve the voice, or perhaps because it was felt only the most devoted Streisand aficionados would be familiar with it, "Miss Marmelstein" is dropped from the Sydney show. Instead, Barbra tells of her arrival here and of being greeted by a hotel clerk calling her "Bubra Strei-zund." Correcting the mispronunciation, and assuring us it happens to her everywhere, she moves on to the Funny Girl medley that brings the crowd to its feet again at the conclusion. In the earlier numbers, Barbra hasn’t attempted any soaring final notes, but has little problem sustaining the end of "Don’t Rain on My Parade."
Throughout the night she has a lot of fun with the Australian accent and expressions. Notoriously difficult to imitate convincingly, the Aussie inflections in lesser hands usually sound Cockney, but Barbra’s ear is well-tuned. In four days she’s accumulated a battery of expressions to throw back at us, obviously enjoying our way of calling her "Bubra," our laid-back use of "No worries," and our pronunciation of "fourteen" as "fordeen" or "party" as "pahdy."
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From the magic of the "Something Wonderful/Being Alive" medley, Barbra turns to "As Time Goes By,"
and, minus the participation of Brother Time or the "Speak Low" verses, on to
"Alfie." The audience loves her story about hearing it years later and wondering
why she hadn’t recorded it, only to be told that it was her own version she’d
been listening to.
Songwriting "may not be my day job," as she says, but "Evergreen" is well-loved and well-received, before she recounts the touching story of finding her father’s letter 60 years after it was written. From the first notes of "Papa Can You Hear Me?" excitement fills the stadium. The gorgeous cross-over of this and "You’ll Never Know" is followed by the stunning "A Piece of Sky." It is obvious the audience has been hoping for a repeat of the ’94 concert’s duet, and the split-screen images of the film’s Yentl, Lauren Frost, and Barbra bring them to their feet once more, torches flashing and a massive burst of applause to conclude Act 1.
The proposed one-hour interval is shortened to 20 minutes. As in Las Vegas, Act 2 opens with the Entr’acte and the spectacular "Putting It Together" video montage. Barbra returns in a flowing white gown and a sequin-studded wrap that she tells us is her wedding veil. After "On a Clear Day" (her voice strong and assured again after the break), she sits to sing the poignant "Send in the Clowns." Hair and wrap blowing softly in the wind, backlit by high spots, the moment is reminiscent of the images we’ve seen of her 1967 Central Park performance.
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Clearly reveling in the show’s theme of "looking back with fondness," the audience loves the video duet
sequence ("Crying Time" has been cut). "Your own Barry Gibb!" Barbra points out
and, as a murmur of recognition goes up at "You Don’t Bring Me Flowers," she
asks "Remember that?" Popular, too, are the clips of Jason’s party and the
clever black-and-white "duet" with Frank Sinatra.
Now appearing very relaxed, Barbra plays with the "clicker" sequence and enjoys the crowd’s laughing responses. "You call these TV remotes, right? We call them clickers." When her mother rises from the floor, still berating loudly, Barbra struggles with the remote. "I need a mother clicker! Mute! Mute!" She shakes her head at the technology surrounding her on stage. "This video screen got more rehearsal time than I did, I can tell you!" Strangely, however, the piece is not followed by "Simple Pleasures," as in Las Vegas. Instead, three backing singers enter for "The Main Event/Fight," another number warmly appreciated by the crowd, particularly when Barbra joins the girls in a few dance steps. At its conclusion, Barbra introduces the girls, Natalie Miller, Lisa Edwards, and much-loved African-American singer (now Australian resident) Venetta Fields. Reunited after 25 years, Barbra and Venetta reminisce over the last time they worked together, when Venetta was one of the Oreos in A Star is Born. One line raises a huge laugh from the Sydney audience. Barbra calls the girls "Yentl As Anything," a play on the name of Australian band Mental As Anything.
The audience obviously agrees with Barbra’s cheeky "Hello, Gorgeous" when husband James Brolin’s face appears on the video screen for her lovely rendition of "I’ve Dreamed of You." Joined by the Sydney Children’s Choir and Sydney Philharmonia Choir on the stage’s lower level for "At the Same Time," Barbra takes this moment at the song’s conclusion to thank her fellow singers and musicians, before moving on to "Auld Lang Syne." She asks the audience to sing along, in her "first duet in a foreign country," while she sings the "Friends" counter-melody. However, "Friends" does not receive its own stand-alone performance, but this is planned. One thing that isn't planned is Marvin Hamlisch missing Barbra’s slightly altered cue to him ("It's good to think about that.") at the end of her "At The Same Time" spoken intro. The orchestra remains silent, and Barbra gently prods, "Marvin, I said think about it." The music then begins, and she laughs it off, teasing, "He fell asleep." Both recovered from the awkward moment quickly.
"We may be divided by oceans and continents," says Barbra, but we‘re all just "People, people who need people." Arguably the number most identified with her, "People" gains yet another enthusiastic ovation, as does "Happy Days are Here Again," which concludes the show. Returning from the opposite side of the stage for her encores, Barbra laughs "I just shlepped the whole way 'round there," then quiets the mood with "Don’t Like Goodbyes."
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"Sydney, we’ll miss you," she admits. Sensing the inevitable coming, the audience responds with prolonged
applause and more waving torches to "I Believe" and the spine-tingling
"Somewhere," on which Barbra is joined by Lauren Frost, and both are seen off
the stage by the Time Wizard. After a few minutes, a renewed roar goes up as
Barbra returns from stage right and turns to Hamlisch. "Marvin, you think we should do another song?"
eliciting a roar of audience approval. "We didn't plan this," Barbra claims. "Okay, we'll take
hands. You wanna hear 'Music That Makes Me Dance'?" Another roar of approval. Barbra confirms, "I think 'Music That Makes Me Dance'...I sang this for the first time in 1963, and now I have someone to sing it to, really."
Waving her final thanks, Barbra exits for the last time, the orchestra playing her out with the stirring "People" theme.
And the answer to the question — can one artist really be that good? Australians took Barbra Streisand to their hearts from
the release of her first albums and the screenings of her earliest films. Unable
to witness live performances, we satisfied ourselves with TV specials, movies,
albums, One Voice and the ’94 concerts on video and CD. Never did we think —
though we dreamed — that we would ever have the opportunity to do what we did
last night — stand and applaud, on home soil, the one artist who really is that good.
- Kim Hatherly, exclusive to The BSMG (March 10, 2000, revised
5/9/00)
Act 1
- Overture (1994 version) / instrumental medley
- You'll Never Know (Lauren Frost)
- Something's Coming (with Frost)
- The Way We Were
- Shirley MacLaine Y1K (comedy dialogue)
- Cry Me A River
- Lover, Come Back To Me
- A Sleepin' Bee
- I'm The Greatest Star / Second Hand Rose / Don't Rain On My Parade
- Something Wonderful / Being Alive
- As Time Goes By
- Alfie
- Evergreen
- Papa, Can You Hear Me? / You'll Never Know (with Frost)
- A Piece Of Sky (with Frost)
Act 2
- Entr'acte / Putting It Together
- On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever)
- Send In The Clowns
- Duets Section
- Happy Days Are Here Again / Get Happy (with Judy Garland)
- Guilty (with Barry Gibb)
- I Finally Found Someone (with Bryan Adams)
- Tell Him (with Celine Dion)
- You Don't Bring Me Flowers (with Neil Diamond)
- Sing (with Jason Gould)
- I've Got A Crush On You (with Frank Sinatra)
- The Main Event/Fight
- I've Dreamed Of You
- At The Same Time
- Auld Lang Syne / Friends
- People
- Happy Days Are Here Again
Encores
- Don't Like Goodbyes
- I Believe / Somewhere (with Frost)
- The Music That Makes Me Dance
How Did This Show Vary From Las Vegas?
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Review:
Barbra Streisand and her second night Sydney audience experienced a very special version of Timeless
under rainy skies. Not only was Barbra's voice packed with more power
than ever and near perfect the entire evening, but she also exuded extraordinary
charm and humor, establishing a unique rapport with the somewhat
uncomfortable audience for whom she continually expressed concern and
appreciation ("Are you all okay?).
Despite being rained on, the nearly full house was wildly enthusiastic from
start to finish. Getting her first look at the poncho-covered audience, Barbra observed, "You look so cute, it looks like Halloween out there." She added, "I've been singing 'Don't Rain On My Parade' for 35 years, and it's worked up until now." Indeed, this was only one of Barbra's many rain-related ad libs, which began after her first line in "Something's Coming." Barbra's greeting: "Welcome to the Wet album -
live!" During "The Way We Were" she remarked, "The rain doesn't affect the sound" and "It's good for the skin." Her Act 1 costume matched that of the
previous evening while adding a matching wrap worn mainly near the end of this
act when the damp winds kicked up. Barbra informed the crowd, "I haven't sung in a stadium since 1966. By the way, it rained then too. I came out in a yellow slicker with yellow galoshes. I was pregnant with my son Jason." While singing "Evergreen"
downstage under the raindrops, she finally had to retreat backward,
laughing with the audience in amazement and wonder at the unusual performing
conditions. Barbra frequently thanked
everyone for being so willing to sit in the rain, wondering at one point, "Is my hair beginning to curl?" In the midst of particularly heavy winds, she changed her "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" lyric from "The wind is so much colder" to "The wind is so much stronger." Hurrying her "A Piece of Sky" intro during a steady downpour, Barbra admitted, "Thank God, this is the last song of the first half."
There were three sets of very high scaffolding in the stadium--the
center one on the field and two in the stands for the TelePrompTers. In
addition, there were two shorter ones in front of the TelePrompTer
structures which contained, I believe, cameras--as there were at least three
cameras in operation. The center camera (or projector?)-- which was out in
the rain in front of a very heavy duty white tent--was completely shrouded
in plastic, and credit should be given to its operator, who sat behind it in
the pouring rain without any rain gear.
Another oddity--there were clouds of fog or steam which rolled off the set numerous times during the
show--presumably from the air heated by the lights. The "columns," which
were painted canvas on skeletal frames, blew and billowed quite a bit as
well as the curtains. The various choirs should be commended too, in that
they were on a portion of the stage which had no roof and both nights were
dressed in non-matching casual clothes--no rain gear.
The audience, which had stayed on the covered "concourse" level corridors until right before the
show began in order to keep dry, pretty much stayed glued to their seats
during intermission despite the downpour. Perhaps they were worried as I
was that the second half would be canceled. This was in direct contrast to
the previous night, when there was practically no one in their seats during
intermission.
Friday night, there was less of the "echo" coming from the
back of the stadium when she spoke than there was Thursday, but I don't know
if that was because of the rain or technical adjustments. But on Friday,
there were a number of times, especially during the last portion of the
first half and the entire second half, when there were sound glitches,
feedback and times when Barbra turned away from the mic just a bit and we
lost her voice completely (I was in the $750 seats both nights). In
addition, the sound mix was inferior Friday night, with the orchestra levels
far too high, often drowning Barbra out, especially in quiet passages of
songs.
As I said, Friday's concert was very unique and I think the whole
audience felt that. Barbra's "what the hell" (she actually uttered these words during "Happy Days") attitude was quite remarkable
and seems in direct contrast to her reputation.
Returning to the stage after the "Putting It Together" video montage, Barbra wore a casual black outfit - the familiar turtleneck top from the "If You Ever Leave Me" music video, form-fitting sweat pants, and black sneakers, saying, "I thought that I'd be comfy, you know what I mean? They told me the stage was all wet, and I normally wear a white satin gown with a beautiful diamond necklace - I'll send you pictures. ...You don't mind, do you?" Pointing out her other wardrobe changes - adding an Australian outback-style brown Akubra hat and brown Driz-a-bone rain jacket - she said, "I love this hat" and then signaled the orchestra to launch into "Clear Day" - "So anyway, okay, Marvin, go!" Between song lyrics, she noted, "It's so easy to walk with sneakers!" and later added, "My outfit is by Speedo." Barbra's clever unscripted quips and ad libs, particularly those placed between lyrics in the middle of songs, are worth noting. In addition to those mentioned above, she said, in introducing "Alfie," "It was written by my friend Burt Bacharach, who also wrote 'Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head'." During "A Sleepin' Bee," after the line "Where you'll see a sun-up sky," she interjected, "I wish." Another "I wish" came just before beginning "On A Clear Day" and later in "Happy Days" ("The skies above are clear - I wish - again"). In "I Believe," after the lyric "I believe for every drop of rain that falls, a flower grows," she inserted, "There's always a positive to the negative." A rare lyric
interjection in "People" occurred near the song's end, as Barbra
sang the last line this way: "People who need people are the
luckiest people (like me to have you here) in the world." In
her cast and orchestra thank-yous, she remarked, "The strings don't
even sound like they're going out of tune. Not bad." She surprised everyone with the very appropriate
"Come Rain Or Come Shine" as a bonus encore (instead of "The Music That Makes Me Dance") with an arrangement similar to her original recording, magnified for the larger orchestra ("I hope I remember this, Marvin"). She absolutely wowed the wet but jubilant crowd with a sparkling rendition of a wonderful Harold Arlen song she hadn't sung in 20 years, exclaiming "Yeah!" in the middle and placing special emphasis with an added word on the last line - "I'm truly with you rain or shine."
The song was subsequently issued as a limited edition bonus disc with the
U.S. and Australian Timeless - Live In Concert CD set, available
exclusively at Barnes & Noble and Sanity stores. B&N also provided
the track as a free download at bn.com. Several fans consider this particular evening Barbra's best of the Timeless
shows, largely due to her overflowing enthusiasm and spontaneity in less than ideal
weather conditions. "I'll never forget you, Sydney," promised Barbra during her final bows. After the show, Australia's political elite, including Prime
Minister John Howard, "fell over each other," according to one report,
getting backstage to meet "Clinton's favorite singer."
- Mark Iskowitz and BSMG reporters in Australia. Thanks everyone!
(May 13, 2000)
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Fan Commentary: Friday's concert was particularly special as you know. I got the very distinct impression from Barbra's tone of voice and the way she said
"goodbye" or something similar at the end of the first half, that it was
extremely problematic whether the second half would take place. By that
time, the rain was falling onto the stage in sheets from the set's "roof"
and she not only donned a jacket matching her pantsuit near the end of the
first half, but rather suddenly pulled back several times from the down center stage
marks she'd hit the previous night. I had the feeling that
Barbra was uncertain whether it was safe to continue the show and a decision
would be made during intermission. I presume there were the local
equivalent of fire marshals present to determine whether there was any
danger to those in contact with electrical equipment. A stagehand spent the
entire intermission mopping the stage while others wiped down parts of the
set.
I don't think Ms. Streisand's grace and humor dealing with all
this can be emphasized enough. People all around me commented repeatedly on
how relaxed she was, how calmly she disregarded great dollops of rain
hitting her in the face, and how very good her ad libs were. I was also
impressed that she seemed to be totally unconcerned with her personal
appearance, letting her hair (quite different from the Vegas photos--much
more layered) blow into her face, only brushing it away when it got in her
mouth, and even, at the end, removing her hat and seeming not to care that
her hair was a real mess (though she really looked great in the hat and
Driz-a-bone coat). I think all this really endeared her to the crowd, and
very few people left early despite a horrendous parking/traffic nightmare
getting in and out of the stadium.
One interesting sidelight. The vast majority of the audience were wearing the flimsy clear plastic ponchos the
program vendors were selling (for AUS$5--an inflated price, and they were
calling them "Barbra Ponchos") and at times during the show, the sound of
the rain hitting all these ponchos (about the thickness of a cheap, store
brand sandwich baggie) was quite noticeable and a strange background sound
indeed.
- Sylvia Stoddard exclusive to The BSMG (March 16, 2000)
Jacobsen Entertainment placed a full-page thank you message to Barbra in Billboard's May 13, 2000 issue.
In addition, on its Web site reads the the following: "Jacobsen
Entertainment presented Barbra Streisand in the only concerts outside of
the US and her London appearance in 1966. The four concert appearances
achieved the highest gross of any in the world. The Barbra Streisand
appearances in Australia proved to be landmark events both artistically
and financially." In fact, box office returns totaled AUS$34 million,
with about AUS$30 million going to Streisand, and the veteran promoter
clearing AUS$2 million in profit. Barbra used a large portion of her fee to
finance virtually the entire Timeless production, including the cast,
its production and tour staff of over 300 people, a 78-piece orchestra, and
locally hired choirs. Her technical backup sported a very large LED screen,
TelePrompTers, a tri-level set, and a 250,000 watt sound system estimated to
cost more than AUS$10 million alone. (June 15, 2000)