Because so much had been written about Streisand’s condition, on opening night she took the chance to comedically address the rumors about her cancelled concerts. She presented the audience with a
Top Ten List of Reasons Why She Didn't Perform, which was a take-off of the Top Ten lists that David Letterman did on his CBS talk show every night.
Here’s one of the Top Ten lists Barbra recited in Anaheim at one of the July concerts:
10. I always wanted to spend four hot, muggy days in Anaheim in the middle of July.
9. I was trying to work out Dan Rostenkowski's* plea bargain.
8. I didn't know it would take a whole week to dust all this furniture.
7. I was at home waiting for the cable guy.
6. I hurt my voice yelling, “Yabba Dabba Doo!” **
5. I wanted to get Barbra Streisand tongue depressors into the boutiques.
4. There was a shoe sale at Nordstrom's.
3. I thought my concert tour needed more publicity.
2. It took me three days to read Dan Quayle's new book—and four days to correct the spelling. ***
1. Every time I started to drive here, I got sidetracked and drove to Disneyland instead.
* Rostenkowski was indicted on corruption and embezzlement charges for his role in the House post office scandal.
** The live action Flintstones movie with Rick Moranis and Rosie O’Donnell was the number one movie in America, and featured John Goodman’s character, Fred Flintstone, yelling out his famous exclamation, “Yabba Dabba Doo!”
*** Here’s context for this one … Vice President Dan Quayle made headlines when he visited an elementary school where a student wrote the word “potato” on a black board and Mr. Quayle told him to add an “e” at the end; in other words, Quayle wasn’t the smartest Vice President America has ever had. In these days of Trump, these seem like more simpler times.