2006 North American Concert Tour

Streisand / LIVE 

Streisand: 2006 North American Concert Tour

Barbra's note to her 2006 audience in the official tour program.
In March 2006 Barbra’s husband, James Brolin, let the cat out of the bag when he was interviewed on TV’s Access Hollywood. “It took her six months,” Brolin said about his wife. “She kept saying, ‘No, no, no,’ and now she is going to go out [on tour] in November.”

“A tour is being explored, but nothing has been finalized,” said her publicist Dick Guttman in response.

Then Barbra's manager Marty Erlichman addressed the tour rumors. “A tour is being explored, but nothing has been finalized, including important aspects not entertained in the media speculation today,” he said. “As soon as this is resolved one way or the other — she may not go out — the facts will be announced.”

True to his word, Marty Erlichman announced on June 8, 2006 that Barbra Streisand would undertake a twenty-concert tour for the Fall. In the post on BarbraStreisand.com, Barbra was quoted about her motivation to concertize again, since she had already given “final” concerts in Los Angeles and New York in 2000. Streisand stated, “This [tour] will allow me to direct funds and awareness to causes that I care deeply about.”  

Erlichman told Billboard, “The thing that motivated her finally was she wants to give money to her foundation, she has lots of causes that she wants to participate in,’ Erlichman said. “I don`t know why today rather than yesterday or tomorrow. The timing just seemed to come together, she said, ‘OK, I`ll do it.’”

Streisand admitted she wanted to support medical research for women, fighting against nuclear proliferation, and global warming – and all the funds would be distributed through The Streisand Foundation. “Just call me a charity slut,” she joked.
Screen capture of 2006 ticketing website for Streisand tour.

Streisand admitted she wanted to support medical research for women, fight against nuclear proliferation, and confront global warming – and all the funds would be distributed through The Streisand Foundation. “Just call me a charity slut,” she joked.


Four days later, the dates and cities of her tour were revealed, as well as her “special guest” the multi-platinum-selling quartet, Il Divo.


The tour will be presented by promoter Michael Cohl for Concert Productions International and The Next Adventure (A Live Nation Company).


“It's an incredible opportunity to work with Barbra Streisand certainly the greatest female performer of all time,” said Cohl. “This will be an amazing show. Don't miss it.”


All-male vocal group Il Divo stated: “We believe the experience of working with Barbra Streisand – a truly legendary artist – will forever shape the way we approach our own singing and performing. Her voice and her music have profoundly influenced and inspired so many artists, including Il Divo, and we are thrilled to be sharing the stage with her.”


Il Divo the group is composed of the Spanish Carlos Marin (baritone), the Swiss Urs Bühler (tenor), the Frenchman Sebastien Izambard (tenor) and the American David Miller (tenor).


Tickets for the North American concert tour went on sale June 12th and cost $750, $350, $200, and $100.  Streisand was performing in New York, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, Ft. Lauderdale, Atlanta, San Jose and Los Angeles. A special website was set up for Streisands concerts: CPITour.com.


The logo and artwork for the concert tour featured a silhouetted Streisand standing in a large spotlight.  Barbra told Oprah Winfrey, “I have found that the myth of the ‘diva’ is much bigger than me. If you look at the ad for my concert, the shadow is much bigger than the person.”


Behind the scenes, Richard Jay-Alexander, who staged Barbra’s Los Angeles and New York shows in 2000, was hired to co-direct the new tour with Streisand. “I got a phone call from Marty saying that Barbra is thinking about doing some concert dates in 2006,” Jay-Alexander told BarbraNews.com. “She and I spoke on the phone and I asked, point blank, why she was considering this. She then told me about the money that could be made for The Streisand Foundation, etc. I immediately said, ‘I’m in.’ I also told her, ‘I will die if you do this without me’ …. I know … it’s dramatic, but, hey, I work in the theatre!”


Streisand started rehearsals for her tour in mid-August 2006. 


“There were some mantras that drove this show,” Richard Jay-Alexander explained. “Like ‘the truth’... and we weren't going to consider songs that she doesn't really feel strongly about or that she didn’t want to sing ... We really laughed a lot putting the show together. We also sang a lot of songs that didn’t make it in and Barbra, Bill [Ross], Marty [Erlichman], Jay [Landers], Randy [Waldman, Barbra's pianist], me and Jeff [Richman] were constantly amazed at how she would ‘zero in’ on and edit, cut, improve and help to shape what eventually became the ‘template’ of the show.”


Barbra also described the new show as “more intimate, not as elaborate as I've done before. I have 58 musicians. But it's really about the singing. In listening to certain things from my past, I thought I could revisit them.”
The cover of the 2006 concert program, with an opaque “B” fold-over.
Jeffrey Richman, a writer known for his work on Modern Family, Frasier, and Desperate Housewives contributed to Streisand’s show. “I wrote Barbra Streisand’s tour dialogue and I worked with her on stuff she would say, and it would have to sound like Barbra,” he said.

Streisand and Richard Jay-Alexander were also figuring out how to integrate Il Divo into the concert. “I always look for ways to do the same thing differently,” Streisand said. “Il Divo sings ‘Evergreen,’ the song I wrote, with me, and they sound so beautiful on it, and it gives it another rich texture. It's lovely. And they're classical singers— the young hot stud tenors. It's fun working with them.” 

These songs were considered and rehearsed for the 2006 tour, but ultimately were not used:

  • “I Finally Found Someone” – Streisand would have played it on guitar, then finished it with the orchestra.
  • “Where or When” to open the second act (she did sing it once on the tour!)
  • “When the Sun Comes Out”
  • “Gentle Rain”
  • “Woman in the Moon” (she sang it in D.C. and Los Angeles)
  • “Love is a Bore”
  • In early planning for the show, Streisand’s manager approached songwriter Richard Kates about tailoring his song, “Streisand Got There First” for a “name singer” to sing on the tour. It’s unclear who that singer was, but since Il Divo ended up being her “special guest,” it doesn’t matter now.

Streisand Concert Set Design

Artist's rendering of the 2006 concert stage.
Computer model of Streisand's 2006 concert stage.
Jeremy Railton designed the stage for Barbra Streisand's 2006 tour. “As I started my initial design exercises for this tour, it became obvious to me that this show, more than all the others, was about designing for the sound,” Railton said. “This was not the show for elaborate decorative elements, huge LED screens, or drawbridges, but a show that had to move from city to city, in halls with sometimes less-than-adequate acoustic properties and yet truly reflect the genius of our artists.

“Another overriding design obligation,” Railton continued, “was to provide a comfortable home for the huge orchestra and ensure that our single artist would not be lost in a visual sea of musical instruments. She had to be able to visit different sides of the arena yet remain in eye contact with her conductor, and at all times, she had to be able to feel and be in contact with her musicians and her audience.”

“Ultimately,” Railton stated, “the stage became a series of ramps surrounding a sunken orchestra. I put small Juliet stages on all sides, creating intimate visiting spots with a table, a vase of flowers, and a pot of tea, which allowed for each side of the audience to receive a visit from our beloved diva.”
Another view of computer modeled stage set.
Liz Callaway on stage, standing in for Barbra Streisand during rehearsal.

Opening Night Approaches ....

Streisand and her concert team rehearsed September 25-29 at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, New Jersey.

Broadway singer Liz Callaway was hired as Streisand's stand-in. “[Richard Jay-Alexander] asked me what I was doing for the next week and a half, because Barbra Streisand was looking for someone who could learn the music and be ready to jump in and perform at any moment during rehearsals,” Callaway told the Chicago Sun-Times. 

It worked like this: Streisand would be onstage singing and need to go out into the house to check on lighting or technical details for the show. Callaway would pick up singing the song where Streisand left off so that they could see her onstage.

“I had very little contact with her, but when I did, she was so warm and down to earth,” Liz Callaway said. “I am so happy to have had this opportunity, I think I'm going to keep my backstage credentials forever.”

Invited Dress, Oct. 3, 2006

Friends and family members of Streisand's orchestra, along with celebrities like Donna Karan, director Rob Marshall, and Liz Callaway attended Barbra's dress rehearsal on a Saturday night at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

On that night, Streisand performed a set list that was almost like what she sang on tour. The differences were notable, though. At her dress rehearsal she sang “I Finally Found Someone”; “Music of the Night” was still in Act One; and “Don't Rain on My Parade” was still in. Streisand opened Act Two with “Where or When”; she sang “When the Sun Comes Out” after the George Bush skit and “Happy Days”; “Woman in the Moon” was still in the show; and “Gentle Rain” came after “Unusual Way.” Although she never sang “Rain” on this tour, Streisand finally recorded it three years later for her album Love is the Answer. 
Streisand holding her dog, Sammy.

Ticket sales were brisk for Streisand’s 2006 concert tour, except the October 18th Detroit show, which was canceled. “We apologize to the dedicated Barbra Streisand fans in Detroit who had purchased tickets, but it was impossible not to accommodate the extraordinary demand in Toronto,” said Michael Cohl of Concert Productions International. “… We are truly sorry for any inconvenience.”


This tour was the first time Streisand announced she would appear with another act (Il Divo), so excited fans wondered exactly how they would be incorporated into the concerts. In a pre-opening night interview, Streisand warned her audiences, “I open the show, and then Il Divo comes in while I get a bite to eat and take my shoes off. So they're not the opening act; come early!”


Streisand fans chatted in online groups, guessing what she would wear and what she would sing.  There was even a fast-circulating rumor that Barbra would open the show with the Barry Gibb disco song “Night of Your Life” from her recent Guilty Pleasures album!


As the tour progressed around the country, Streisand received favorable reviews and the men in Il Divo received mixed reviews.  No matter where she performed, Streisand and the George Bush skit received lots of press! “This is an election year, as you know,” Streisand told the Chicgo Tribune, “that's why I chose to do what I'm doing.”


About halfway through her tour, Streisand was happy. “It actually has never felt better,” she said. “I'm enjoying the audiences. I'm enjoying the love that I feel, and the support that I feel.  It's just kind of – I'm less frightened than I used to be. You know, less stage fright.”

2006 Concert Credits

  • Produced by: Barbra Streisand
  • Executive Producer: Marty Erlichman
  • Production Directed by: Barbra Streisand & Richard Jay-Alexander
  • Music Director: William Ross
  • Written by: Barbra Streisand, Jeffrey Richman, Jay Landers, & Richard Jay-Alexander
  • Music Supervisor: Jay Landers
  • Tour Manager: Marty Hom
  • Production Manager: Mike Weiss
  • Stage Designer: Jeremy Railton
  • Sound Designer: Bruce Jackson
  • Lighting Designer: Peter Morse
  • Supervising Producer: J.J. Erlichman
  • Road Manager: Bobby Herr
  • Assistant to Ms. Streisand: Kim Skalecki
  • Personal Assistant to Ms. Streisand and Samantha Brolin: Renata Buser
  • Martin Erlichman Associates: J-Me Diamond & Clara Martinez
  • Ms. Streisand's Wardrobe Designed by: Barbra Streisand & Donna Karan
  • Hair Stylist to Ms. Streisand: Soonie Paik
  • Dresser to Ms. Streisand: Kendall Errair
  • Wardrobe: Brendon Cooper, Jill Prewitt
  • Stand-Ins for Miss Streisand: Elizabeth Ward Land, Liz Callaway
  • Background Vocals: Tamara Haddon, Beverly Staunton
  • Scene Fabrication: Tait Towers
  • Merchandising: Designed by Barbra Streisand
Streisand looking gorgeous on stage.
Streisand 2006 concert tour merchandise.

Tour Sales ....

Illustration of Barbra Streisand by Kirsten Ulve.

Barbra Streisand's 2006 concert tour grossed more than $92 million, according to Billboard Boxscore, setting house gross records in 14 of the 16 arenas it played. The tour was undertaken in large part to enable Ms. Streisand to direct many millions of dollars to The Streisand Foundation to fund urgent efforts in three areas, environmental (with special emphasis on addressing global warming,) education and women’s health issues.


"To do good things you need lots of money," Streisand told USA Today.


Streisand's tour certainly sold! Her two night stand at Madison Square Garden grossed $11.3 million. At Chicago's United Center, Streisand took $9 million. The BankAtlantic Center show earned $9.6 million; Toronto was $9 million, too.


Eleven million dollars from the US and Canada tour were directed to The Streisand Foundation for charitable distribution. The first million-dollar donation from these funds was a contribution to the William Jefferson Clinton Climate Change initiative, the lead contribution to that cause. Bringing to nearly $16,000,000 her charitable contributions from the tours, $5,000,000 from her European tour was conveyed to Cedar-Sinai Women’s Heart Center as an endowment funding the Barbra Streisand Women’s Cardiovascular Research and Education Program.


Illustration of Barbra Streisand by Kirsten Ulve.
Concert promoter Michael Cohl's “thank you” full page ad
SOURCES USED ON THIS PAGE:

  • BarbraStreisand.com – official website and blog. June 8, 2006; June 12, 2006; June 22, 2006; and August 28, 2006 entries. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  • BarbraTour.com – 2006 official tour info website. Retrieved via Internet Archive on January 25, 2020.
  • “Barbra Today” by Howard Reich. Chicago Tribune, November 5, 2006.
  • DIVA TALK By Andrew Gans (Invited Dress Rehearsal). Playbill.com, October 6, 2006. Retrieved January 26, 2020. http://www.playbill.com/article/diva-talk-a-sensational-streisand-plus-a-chat-with-mames-sandy-duncan-com-135398
  • “Set Designing Around Sound” by Jeremy Railton. LiveDesign Wire newsletter. December 1, 2006.
  • “Streisand Eyeing Return To The Road?” Billboard Magazine, March 21, 2006.
  • “Streisand goes first on her own tour” by Elysa Gardner. USA Today, October 1, 2006.
  • “Streisand Taking Il Divo On Fall Tour” by Katie Hasty and Ray Waddell. Billboard, June 12, 2006.
  • “Streisand’s Return” by Ray Waddell. Billboard, June 24, 2006
  • “Streisand's tour tickets are like buttah” by Elysa Gardner. USA Today, June 14, 2006.
Streisand merch - a set of pins
End / 2006 North American Concert Tour – Main Page
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