"This is where I was, and this is where I am now..."
(May 4) - Lorraine Gordon, owner of The Village Vanguard made an interesting observation when she said that Barbra Streisand could have had Carnegie Hall for this event. The fact that Barbra Streisand decided to play a club that seats no more than 123 was not only astounding and historic, but it reminded everyone of Barbra's musical roots. Watching the DVD of Barbra at the Vanguard accomplished something for me that no other Streisand performance has ever done. It brought me to 1961 and simulated a moment in time that I was too young to have actually experienced.

As the performance gets underway and Barbra's quartet begins playing, we immediately know that we're in an intimate room. We could be on 9th Street at The Lion in 1960, where Barbra sang as a paid performer for the very first time in her career. Or maybe we're around the corner on 8th, sipping cocktails downstairs at The Bon Soir where Columbia Records executives and people like Ray Stark first got wind of her enormous talent.  Actually, for tonight, we're just a few blocks away, on 7th Avenue at the Village Vanguard, the only Greenwich Village club from that golden age of New York nightlife that's still in business. Barbra Streisand has truly come home, and with just four musicians and some great music, it couldn't have been a more triumphant return.

This performance was orchestrated to publicize Barbra's newest album, "Love Is The Answer." At the Vanguard, Barbra performs eight selections from her new album along with five other standards that she has been singing for years. One of those, "Nobody's Heart Belongs to Me" was actually first performed by Barbra at the Bon Soir and is the pivotal moment during the Vanguard show that truly waxes nostalgic.

For Barbra, the intimate setting at the Vanguard brings out her comic personality, evident as she banters with the audience throughout the evening. She's having fun singing these songs and is enjoying the intimacy of the crowd. It seems as if she knows everyone in the room and uses the occasion to point out several people who were with her when she actually auditioned at The Vanguard back in 1961. And that's the unique aspect of this particular performance. After nearly 50 years, Barbra and her musical history have arrived full circle. And we're there to see it.

By watching this DVD, you experience the songs from "Love Is The Answer" in an exciting new way. She introduces many of the numbers with interesting and insightful anecdotes, like the Jacques Brel number. Barbra recalls her disappointment when she attended one of Brel's concerts in France and he did not include his signature, "If You Go Away." That's why, as Barbra goes on to explain, she continues to perform her own signature songs to this day (like "People"), even though she may be tired of singing them. For Barbra, it's all about surpassing expectations and providing each of her audiences with a memorable experience.

Those lucky people at the Vanguard that evening, all 123 of them, were certainly not disappointed. And you won't be, either. As a home viewing experience, Barbra's "One Night Only" DVD gives the rest of us, too, the opportunity to experience one of the most exciting and unique performances she's ever given, one that is truly her most intimate and captivating.