Barbra Wows ‘Em at the United Center
The Voice. La Streisand. Babs. Funny Girl. The Diva. The Greatest of All Time. FOB. Actress/Director. Major Democratic Party Fundraiser. Whatever you call her, one thing is undeniably clear—Barbra has a voice that is an incredibly amazing instrument and a gift for the ages. On November 7 (and again on November 9), ticketholders to the concert of the year all agreed that they were indeed the “luckiest people in the world.”
Whenever Barbra appears, so do the boys and girls, and the gay and lesbian community were out in throngs for Barbra’s first Chicago appearance in 40 years. Before the concert began, they were treated to sightings of Rosie, James Brolin, and countless other stars. And from the opening note of “Starting Here, Starting Now,” they showed their love in a big way. There would be no right-wing hecklers in Chicago. The United Center patrons were there to pay tribute to a legend, and the legend put on quite a show. Appearing more relaxed than usual, she spoke lovingly of Chicago food and made sure to mention the Bears and Brian Urlacher. She even gave a Bulls’ score. By the time she began “The Way We Were,” the applause was already deafening, and this was only the third song! After singing “Ma Première Chanson” in impeccable French, she then introduced her special guests, Il Divo, four gorgeous guys with voices to match. After joining Barbra on “Evergreen,” a crowd favorite, Barbra left for a costume change while Il Divo entertained with their poperatic versions of “Unchained Melody,” “Unbreak My Heart,” and “My Way.” Their harmonies were amazing, but the crowd clearly wanted more Babs.
She returned with a lively version of “Come Rain or Come Shine” and then began her “Funny Girl” medley, which brought the house down. Starting with “Funny Girl” itself, it seemed to many like Fanny Brice herself was onstage. She then delivered “The Music That Makes Me Dance,” a beautiful song that was featured on Broadway but didn’t make the movie. Then, right before intermission, Barbra knocked out a version of “People” that was a showstopper in all senses. The audience could have left then and felt like they had seen a great concert—and that was only Act One!
Lennon and McCartney spoke of 64 as if it were some age near the end of the road, but Barbra showed that, for her, 64 is a great year. The voice may not be able to hit every note as it did over 40 years ago, but what human’s can? At any rate, while she can sing every genre, her fans love Broadway, and this would be her trump card this evening. Joined on stage by Il Divo, she opened Act Two with a version of “The Music of the Night” that was amazing from start to finish. She then followed with the crowd-pleasing “Children Will Listen” and segued into “Unusual Way” and “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?”
It was at this exact moment that the evening took on an almost surreal quality. In previous concerts, her Bush impersonator came on at this point, but since it was election day, he was previously committed, so she treated Chicago to an extra song, her famous “Stoney End” from her first soft-rock album in the 70s. While the selection was an excellent one, her announcement to the crowd that “it looks like we have taken over the House of Representatives, and the Senate is in play” was met with thunderous applause. Could there have been a better combination than seeing Barbra on election day when the nation finally sent Bush a message? I personally don’t think so!
She then concluded Act Two with brilliant versions of “Have I Stayed Too Long At The Fair?” and “A Cockeyed Optimist.” A four-minute ovation preceded the beginning of the encores, which started with a glorious rendition of “Somewhere” with Il Divo. In a tip to the evening’s results, she treated the crowd to her signature piece “Happy Days Are Here Again” and then once again returned to “Funny Girl” for a passionate “Don’t Rain On My Parade.” She tried leaving once again, but the crowd wanted more, and she finished with “Smile,” a tribute to her beloved dog Sadie and to those of us who have lost loved ones.
With that, Barbra was gone, but memories of a true legend in Chicago were fixed in place for years. She looked amazing, and all three Donna Karan outfits were sleekly designed to show off those legs and then some. The clothes were just a sideshow, however, and as people filed out of the United Center, the comments describing Barbra’s voice and the show were amazingly similar in their hyperbole. She came, she sang, and she conquered, and Chicago was grateful for the visit.
