So bear with me. I am going to ramble and it's going to be an ADD induced mind dump.We were invited to a Streisand tailgate. I know, I was suspicious too. But it turned out to be more than we ever thought. Rosie O'Donnell who is the self proclaimed number one fan of Babs, asked people on her blog to write about why Barbra means so much to them. So I put in my two cents and so did Jason. Next thing we know, we are asked to participate in the documentary Rosie is producing about her obsession with Barbra. “Stalking Streisand” is the working title.
We go to a restaurant called Charmichaels. Cameras are everywhere, people are being interviewed. I get interviewed, release forms signed. I am telling them about how when I was little I would walk around talking jewish, saying, “Ya know what I mean... hello gorgeous” and how my Dad would tell me to knock it off. I talked and talked until they pretty much ran out of time. I could have gone on for hours ofcourse.
THEN Rosie shows up via SUV and the party really begins. She literally embraced the crowd, we did this massive group hug. Then we just hung out and talked bout everything under the sun, including Barbra ofcourse. Everyone telling her how much she means to them, great stories. I told Rosie how Jason and I had been at her wedding in San Fran. She said to me, “I only knew one person there... now I know two.” She gives me a high five. I always had a feeling that Rosie would somehow be involved in my night seeing Barbra.
Ok. So the big moment arrives and I am not kidding, the 50 or so group of us Streisandians climb into a shuttle bus... the Barbra bus and it whisks us to United Center.
First thing I see is the marquee with her name bubbling up and making all of us scream. Pictures taken.
Then it's into the venue. An attempt to purchase Babs merchandise... too long of a line downstairs. Up to the third level where our seats are and now we can get stuff. A key chain, a t-shirt and the souvenier program. One billion very worth it dollars.
Now we sit and I am thrilled that even in the stratosphere are seats are GREAT. Remember though, this is just my rehearsal because on Thursday I am in the fourth (f%$#ing) row.
Did she make us wait. No. Maybe about twenty minutes after “curtain time” the lights blacken and the overture begins. It's the complete original broadway overture to “Funny Girl.” When it get's to “Don't Rain...” my hands clutch my face and I kinda start to rock. I know that she is going to make her entrance on the last strains of this very memorized overture. Sure enough as Jason points me to where she will ascend, I fix my eyes and see the top of her glorious head rising to the stage. I screamed. I didn't even recognize my scream because I had never screamed like that in my life.
So up she pops and into “Starting Here Starting Now.” Glorious. It's as if it is the end of “Color Me Barbra” and she's 23 years old. Unbelievable... and so amazing to hear her rolling the phrases around the way she wants to roll them around in this amazing moment of hearing her live and raw and great.
She talks and talks about all the great Chicago restaurants. Then she says, “Now for my trick of the evening” and after a few key notes from the overture she starts the acappella beginning of “Down With Love.” One of my favorite tunes. Perfect, zany Barbra loose and having a blast. I am numb.
Then she just starts singing, “Memories...” Is this really happening? Is this her? This teeny tiny woman onstage with her beautiful face blazing across the big video screen? Omigod. It's her. It's Streisand singing live. I still don't believe it. I am sort of in a giant jello mold watching. Cherry jello. Barbra is lime jello in the middle. Unreal.
I could go from song to song... and will later. I will be blogging about this for days.
Seeing that I am exhausted and still happily numb, I will describe the experience as a whole.
Seeing her live, for me is such a realized dream that I feel as if a gigantic reptilian skin has been shed. As she appeared so laid back and so gracious and simple, it's coaxed me to follow suit. Simply Streisand was the title of one of her early albums and it was in a time when she was young and high strung and unable to let people get close to her. Now, years later and this very young 65 year old woman is showing me how many layers she has peeled off of herself. So peaceful and simple was this amazing event. Seriously, it was just her, a mic, a stool, a bowl of gardenias or roses or some such flower, her cup of tea and HER. Just as it should be.
Rosie had said that her concert this time around was as if you are in her living room and she is singing just to you. I thought (in my former pre- seeing Barbra live stuffy stuck up blocked self) that this would be impossible in a venue like United Center. Guess what? It WAS like being in her living room. Seriously, it was just me and Babs... and 19,999 other people just happened to be there too. She tossed off her shoes, she read questions the audience had submitted, she joked and said lovely things to us. She read a quote from William Saroyan with an instrumental background. Very moving and beautiful. It's the foreward to his play, “The Time of Your life.”
She sang, “Have I Stayed Too Long at the Fair” and it was so much more poignant to hear her sing it now. She encored with “Don't Rain on My Parade.” When she sings, “Hey look at me world, here I am.....” just tingles on tingles. Just amazing. Her soft stratovarius notes as beautiful as the first day she ever opened her mouth to sing them. The big bravada note at the end of “My Man” as if she was still on the set not yet finishing the filming of “Funny Girl.”
Satisfaction. A sense of complete fulfillment and an odd peace after seeing her. I guess, for me, a dream realized does this to a person.
We screamed and stomped and just cheered our heads off and she was delighted. Kleig lights panned the crowd and I swear she saw Jason and I waving frantically, arms over our heads at her from our loft post. She looked directly at us, smiling, waving.
So, this is part one.
I have another show to see and ofcourse, more and more to blog. Stay posted. I am a very happy “people” write now.
Oh... one interesting thing I noticed seeing her live... she does this gesture alot... touching her shoulder lightly when she sings. I don't know... it was something I never noticed before seeing her on tv... so, cool! She looks GREAT.