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Feature |
"Timeless" in
Australia - The 10 Year Anniversary |
March 2010 |
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Sydney subway poster
advertises "Timeless"
A Timeless Scrapbook
(March 1) -
This month is the ten year anniversary
of Barbra's only concert tour of Australia. Barbra gave four
captivating shows Down-Under, and we were in Sydney and Melbourne
for each performance.
Barbra's visit to Australia gave us a reason to journey to a beautiful and captivating country.
The people were delightful, the food exquisite, and the entertainment,
well. that goes without saying.
Our reports from those particular
Streisand concerts ten years ago actually initiated this web site.
To mark this auspicious anniversary, we thought we'd share a few
scrapbook clippings and photographs, and republish portions of our
original blog from Australia during March of 2000.
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This is
the main gate at the Sydney Football
Stadium and Barbra's outdoor venue for two
nights. The day before her scheduled
opening night performance, we gathered
outside with about a dozen other fans to
listen to the rehearsals. |
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This particular poster advertised the
dates of each of the Sydney and Melbourne
shows and was displayed at record stored
throughout both cities. Sony Music Australia
used the occasion of Barbra's concert
appearances to promote sales of her latest
album, "A Love Like Ours." |
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The Sydney Sun-Herald offered 20 "VIP
double passes" to see Barbra in concert. They advertised the lottery on
the front page each morning. |
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David Jones department store was the
location of the "Barbra Boutique" in
Sydney. It served as an unofficial meeting
point for fans. Concert merchandise from
Barbra's 1994 tour was also available for purchase. |
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Among the many items for sale was the "Timeless" Teddy Bear, which was never
sold in the U.S.
My apologies to all my friends for not
bringing back a couple of dozen extras. |
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I
love these two photos, taken by a friend
of mine during the rain-drenched closing
night performance in Sydney. Doesn't
Barbra look fetching decked out in her
Aussie rain gear? Her bush hat was by
Akubra, which she mentioned, and the sportswear company
received a heap of free publicity the
following day in all the media reports. |
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This is Colonial Stadium and Barbra's
performance venue in Melbourne. It has a
retractable roof which was closed during
both of her performances. There were lots
of difficulties with the facility. The
first night was plagued by sound problems,
which Barbra took note of and were
corrected by Act 2. On the second night,
the temperature inside the dome made
everyone uncomfortable, including Barbra. |
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This is promoter Kevin Jacobsen meeting
with several fans in Sydney. He
orchestrated Barbra's Australia tour
and was crucified in the media over
the concerts' technical difficulties. They
probably blamed him for the rain, too. But
he couldn't have been more gracious to us.
In Melbourne, he took my call and
personally upgraded our
seats to the front row.
Now, that's what I call a Mench. |
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The
week before her appearances in Melbourne,
Barbra made the cover of the Sunday
supplement, Inside Melbourne. One of the
concert
ushers was kind enough to bring me a copy.
G'Donya, mate! |
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Barbra's first show in Melbourne (along
with the acoustics problem) was big news
and the review of her opening night
performance made the front page of the
city's main newspaper. |
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Highlights of Our
Original Reports
from Sydney
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Friday, March
10, 2000 (after the first Sydney concert)
The weather was perfect last
night. Not a drop of rain in sight. The whole outdoor thing worked
like a charm.
Barbra's local reviews were all good. The morning magazine show
"Today" loved the concert. They've been raving about Barbra all
week long.
Her Bon Soir/Basin Street East songs ("River," "Bee," "Lover")
were greatly improved. Lots of passion and feeling in her
delivery. Same arrangements. Ditto for the FG sequence. A real
crowd pleaser.
Lauren Frost was there. So was Venetta Fields, who Barbra
introduced (and hugged) as having worked with in ASIB as one of
the Oreos. It was a great moment, at least for us fans.
Olivia Newton John was in the audience and got a huge ovation when
she arrived. Barbra introduced her as her friend "Livvey, who is
helping me build a house in California."
Marvin/BJS chose to use the same 1994 concert overture. The
entr'acte was the same as "Timeless" Vegas.
Saturday, March 11, 2000 (after the second Sydney concert)
G'Day from an endless rainy Sydney. It's Saturday afternoon, 1 PM,
and it's still raining cats and dingoes.
It rained
all night.
Barbra opened the show by saying "Welcome to the Wet Album,
Live." Again, more cheers. Barbra made sure her fans felt special last night and her
performance showed how thankful she was for everyone showing up in
such inclement weather.
Umbrellas were not allowed into the stadium (a good decision) and
everyone wore rain ponchos. Barbra laughed when she first saw the
audience and said it looked like Halloween. She kept asking if
everyone was alright in the rain.
Second Act outfit: Barbra came out in casual clothing because of
the weather.
The encore sung last night: She ditched "Music" and replaced it
with a jazzy, up-tempo version of "Come Rain or Come Shine." She
told us that she wasn't sure she would remember the words, but
gave it a go. (note - all the words were on the teleprompter, as
per usual ...). |
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Highlights of Our
Original Report
from Melbourne
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Thursday, March
16, 2000 (after the first Melbourne concert)
G'Day from SUNNY (yes, sunny) Melbourne. Last night was
the first Melbourne concert. Barbra was a triumph (again), and I
think she had her best audience last night. Melbourners seem to
be a fun-loving folk.
Here are highlight from one of the local reviewers, who LOVED
her:
"Barbra's Night of
Triumph"
by John Hamilton (Melbourne "Herald Sun")
"She came, she sang, and she conquered Melbourne last night
... Streisand gave the audience the show of their lives last
night - and they loved her ... Here's a singer with a voice
that was once described as having 'saxophones and trumpets and
violins in her throat.' ... To that you can add she has a
voice like a mixture of honey and birdsong, an extraordinary
voice that can arouse the emotion before soothing them and
trickling on like the last drops of honeycomb ... Somebody
once wrote that Streisand is the heart and the soul, the sound
and the music. Last night she proved it."
In act 1, Barbra
cut "Sleepin' Bee." No replacement song.
Barbra's Act 1 costume was a slight variation on her usual pant
suit outfit. She wore the same top, but had on a matching
floor-length skirt and a matching jacket. The second act costume
was the same. Barbra mentioned that her wrap was made from her
wedding veil fabric. She looked very sophisticated.
The acoustics were less than optimal. There was a noticeable
echo, and Barbra even stopped the show to ask the audience how
bad it was. Whatever the problem, it seemed to correct itself by
Act 2.
The roof was closed for the first Melbourne show. That allowed
for the use of the "Basin Street East" and "Bon Soir" hanging
props.
For her encore song, Barbra sang "Come Rain or Come Shine"
again, mentioning her rainy experience at the last Sydney
concert.
Speaking of the Sydney show, the Prime Minister of Australia was
there closing night. |
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