Streisand / LIVE 

HYDE PARK SET LIST

• Overture: People/ Where Am I Going / Why Did I Choose You / He Touched Me / People / Second Hand Rose / My Man / Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home / Happy Days Are Here Again
• As if We Never Said Goodbye (London lyrics)
• Any Place I Hang My Hat is Home
• Monologue: Barbra’s London Memories
• Alfie
• Evergreen
• Lost Inside of You (with Kris Kristofferson)
• Medley: Guilty / Stoney End (with original Laura Nyro lyric) / Woman in Love / Enough is Enough
• You’ve Got to Be Taught / Children Will Listen
• Second Hand Rose
• Ramin Karimloo: Till I Hear You Sing (from LOVE NEVER DIES)
• Orchestra Entr'act
• Music of the Night (with Ramin Karimloo)
• Send in the Clowns
• The Way We Were (with Lionel Richie)
• Silent Night
• People
• My Man
• Don’t Rain On My Parade (Reprise) / Don’t Rain On My Parade
• What the World Needs Now
• Encores:
• Unusual Way
• The Man That Got Away

“Riffling through newspaper cuttings and behind the scenes photographs on her display, it felt like an evening of scrapbooking on Aunty Barbra’s living room floor.”

.... Ifan Llewelyn, QXMagazine.com

CONCERT SUMMARY



By Matt Howe



Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park is a 10-day concert event attended by hundreds of thousands of people each year. 

On July 7th, concert-goers were admitted into the park at 2:00 p.m. and experienced a day of performances before Barbra Streisand came on at 8:20 p.m.



Barbra’s A Star is Born costar Kris Kristofferson headlined on the Great Oak Stage at 4:45 p.m.; Richard Marx, the musician and songwriter (he wrote the Streisand duet “If You Ever Leave Me”) performed on the smaller Barclaycard Stage at 5:45 p.m.; and smooth crooner Bryan Ferry (“You Can Dance,” “Let’s Stick Together”) got the audience dancing as his band entertained on the Great Oak Stage at 6:30 p.m.



It should be noted that the entire Hyde Park concert experience was standing-only. There were no ticketed seats anywhere in the park (except for a VIP section). Food and beverage outlets bordered the concert area.



The Great Oak Stage was really something to behold upon entering the venue as it was literally flanked by two humongous trees with their branches intertwined. A huge, wrap-around LED screen camouflaged the stage when a serene forest background was projected on it. Streisand even remarked during her show, “This stage looks like something from Into the Woods.”



Fans were monitoring the weather all week – would London turn sunny, after weeks of cloudy days? Would it rain on Barbra’s parade? (Check out YouTube videos of Michael Bublé performing in Hyde Park during a downpour last summer.  Wet, indeed!)



Well, the day of the concert, we were rewarded with beautiful, temperate weather (although there were some angry, dark clouds to the east.) 



Once Bryan Ferry’s band cleared the stage, the crew worked fast to set up Streisand’s musicians. Before we knew it, 8:00 p.m. had arrived. The audience was game, ready and excited for the show. Barbra’s orchestra began taking their places on stage, some of them pausing to film the audience with their phones (we waved at them ecstatically) for posting on their Social Media accounts later.

A big wave of applause went through the crowd as a stagehand was spotted placing Barbra’s teapot on the stage – a sure sign that Barbra was coming … soon!

The concert began at 8:20 p.m. with a new overture that featured musical quotes from familiar Streisand songs. Playing behind Barbra was what looked like a 12-piece orchestra, supported by three backup singers – Stevvi Alexander, Andrea Jones, and Vocal Arranger Tim Davis.

After “Happy Days Are Here Again” alerted us that Barbra’s entrance was imminent, an announcer said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome … Barbra Streisand!” 



Streisand strode out on stage wearing a flowing Zandra Rhodes-designed boho-chic gown, and everyone immediately responded to the splash of color, echoed by the giant LED screens behind her.

Instagram’s @streisandstylefiles elaborated that Streisand’s look “was a wonderful nod to one of London’s most celebrated fashion icons. Zandra Rhodes is a British designer famous for her use of bold and unique patterns …. This fuchsia and blue flowing kaftan is silk chiffon. It features a floral rose screen print, oval shoulder cutouts trimmed with round blue beads and finger attachments. Beading also surrounds the V-neck. The hems are hand rolled.” 

Streisand’s co-director Richard Jay-Alexander added, “Part of this ensemble is a flare pants with pleats with contrasting fabric that haven’t really shone through yet in any of the photos I’ve seen…”



Richard confirmed “Barbra worked very closely with Zandra on the idea and look of this.”

The London lyrics played extremely well with the British audience, who ate it all up like clotted cream on a scone! You could even hear many of them sing the last note with Barbra: “... Goodbye!”

Barbra greeted a sea of people, reported to be 70,000 audience members. “This place is so huge!” she exclaimed.

London celebrated Gay Pride the day before the concert and Barbra mentioned, “My driver asked me if I went to the Pride parade yesterday. And I said, Why? I knew I would see everyone here tonight!” 

Streisand added that she believes in everyone’s right to love whoever they choose, before she announced that the Social Media hashtag for this concert was #AHappeningInHydePark.

Then, Barbra sang a 1960s standard from her past, “Any Place I Hang My Hat is Home,” hitting some amazing 2019 notes. For me, the Streisand voice still thrills, and she was sounding good in Hyde Park.

Sipping from her tea cup, Streisand settled on a stool and shared some of her memories of London as photos appeared on the gigantic screens behind her. Those memories included meeting Princess Margaret after a Funny Girl show; meeting the Queen at Funny Lady’s opening; interacting with Princess Diana at the premiere of The Prince of Tides; shaking hands with Prince Charles; attending a party with Anthony Newley for her 24th birthday; filming On A Clear Day at the Royal Pavilion at Brighton; and filming Yentl in England (Barbra introduced Peter McDonald, the camera operator for that film, who was in the audience that night).

With that, Barbra recalled attending the premiere of Alfie and meeting its leading man, Michael Caine … and she sang the theme song.

Barbra touched on A Star is Born next. Even though there were some technical issues with the sound syncing during a film clip from the movie, Barbra hummed her intro to “Evergreen” and sang a beautiful version, encouraging the audience to sing along. “This is a happening!” she exclaimed as thousands of fans sang with her. Following photos of Kris Kristofferson barefoot on stage at the Troubadour and another clip from A Star is Born (“I hope it’s in sync, guys,” she said), Streisand brought her costar out on the Great Oak Stage in Hyde Park. A duet of “Lost Inside of You” followed. The audience seemed very pleased to see John Norman Howard and Esther Hoffman reunited.

The audience sang along some more when Barbra did a medley of her big hits, “Guilty,” “Stoney End,” “Woman in Love,” and “Enough is Enough.” For “Stoney End,” Barbra announced that she was singing Laura Nyro’s alternate lyrics, which differed a bit from the ones we all know. “I was born from love, and I was raised on Golden Rules,” Barbra sang. “Till the love of a winsome Johnny taught me love was made for fools…”

A quick note about the ambience and sing-alongs: This was a very unique concert experience with this audience. Believe it or not, it was entirely possible to sip some rosé wine or a tall beer, chat with your neighbors, sing along with Barbra, and enjoy it all. The audience was there for a communal experience, but Barbra was always the center of our attention. And it’s fun to sing with her! (And she loved it).

Next, Barbra joked that she’d give us a topic: “Ralph Fiennes is spelled neither ‘Rafe’ nor ‘Fines,’ discuss amongst yourselves.” (Fiennes was in the audience and Tweeted later: “I can’t even go into all the feelings I had tonight … in the VIP box with a bunch of crazy-assed legends…”)

Following the lovely medley of “Carefully Taught” and “Children Will Listen,” Streisand flirted with the people close to the stage in the Diamond Circle. After explaining her love of vintage clothes, the orchestra cued up “Second Hand Rose” accompanied by the audience again. “And now you’ve sung with me several songs, and I’m very, very impressed,” Barbra told us.

The very handsome Ramin Karimloo joined Streisand on stage for some small talk before he sang a beautiful “Till I Hear You Sing” from the Phantom of the Opera musical sequel, Love Never Dies.

Barbra cast her spell over the audience with a serene “Silent Night,” reminding many fans of when she sang it in Central Park back in 1967. And “People” was sung with an arrangement that sounded a lot like the one used on Partners, too – except with the big, Broadway ending.

Keeping with the Funny Girl theme, Barbra then brought the house down, strong-voiced, with “My Man.” She was rewarded with long applause, to which she said, “See? I can’t tell if you’re giving me a standing ovation because you’re all standing.”

Streisand finished off the Funny Girl trilogy of songs with “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” presented this time with an introduction about her passion to play Mama Rose in a film version of Gypsy. “This one is still in the stratosphere,” she teased, then began the plaintive, “Reprise” version of “Parade,” which soon moved into the driving show tune we all know and love. At the song’s climax, images of Streisand costumed as Mama Rose were shown on the big screen. Amazing! Streisand should have, could have, and hopefully will play this role! With a brown, blunt haircut and pearls, furs and hats, Streisand’s Rose looked authentic.

For those who may not understand, when Streisand was preparing Gypsy for the cameras, she posed in makeup and costume as Rose – probably for the studio which was financing the film. 

After “Parade,” the audience went crazy again, and Streisand sheepishly admitted, “I’m really sorry we didn’t get a chance to rehearse that last number. I kinda botched it up. I caught up at the end, so, it’s okay.”

I was in tears as the audience sang along with Barbra’s a cappella introduction of “What the World Needs Now.” This was a special moment, 70,000 people singing with Barbra about love, sweet love. Barbra sang the song in glorious voice!

As the orchestra played “People” and Streisand took her bows, her longtime assistant, Renata, wheeled out Barbra’s dogs Scarlet, Violet, and Fanny. Barbra kissed her Coton de Tuléars and waved goodbye to them.

Because Antonio Banderas was in the audience and had starred in Nine on Broadway, Barbra dedicated her first encore song to him – an exquisite “Unusual Way.”

End / Hyde Park, London 2019