The Concert 1995 CBS Version

Streisand / Television

Barbra: The Concert (1995)

  • SHOW CREDITS
    • Broadcast on CBS May 21, 1995
    • Taped in Anaheim July 1994 & MGM Grand 1993-1994
    • Conceived & Directed by: Barbra Streisand
    • Executive Producer: Martin Erlichman
    • Musical Direction & Arrangements by: Marvin Hamlisch
    • Written by: Alan & Marilyn Bergman
    • Produced for Television by: Barbra Streisand & Dwight Hemion
    • Directed for Television by: Dwight Hemion
    • Executive Producers for Television: Martin Erlichman & Gary Smith
    • Lighting Design: Peter Morse
    • Editor: Bruce Motyer
  • SONGS ON THE SPECIAL

    Act One


    Overture • As If We Never Said Goodbye • I'm Still Here / Everybody Says Don't / Don't Rain On My Parade (medley) • Can't Help Lovin' That Man of Mine • I'll Know • People • Lover Man • Will He Like Me? • He Touched Me • Evergreen• The Man That Got Away • On A Clear Day


    Act Two


    Entr'acte • The Way We Were • You Don't Bring Me Flowers • Lazy Afternoon • Not While I'm Around • Ordinary Miracles • Yentl Medley• Happy Days • My Man • For All We Know • Somewhere


Title logo of Barbra: The Concert
Barbra: The Concert had a second life after it aired on HBO and won the prestigious Peabody Award. 

In May of 1995, CBS aired an alternate 2-1/2 hour version of The Concert. CBS promoted the program as containing never-before-seen footage.  What people saw that evening was basically the HBO show, taped in Anaheim — However, some footage from the Las Vegas shows at the MGM Grand was incorporated. 

Streisand, Gary Smith and Dwight Hemion worked extra hard to recut the show — more than three weeks. Gary Smith told the N.Y. Daily News: “Barbra certainly wanted to include things people hadn't seen before,” he said. “For instance, we've added a bit with Mike Myers of Saturday Night Live, coming up on stage with Barbra that's very cute.”

Most of the changes came in the second half of the concert — a short version of the Linda Richman skit from Las Vegas, the Disney Medley (from Vegas, too), and "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life" (which was shot in Anaheim). All the new material was edited into the show seamlessly, and commercial breaks were added as well.

The national A.C. Nielsen Ratings reported that Barbra: The Concert was seen by 9.6 million people that evening.

It was certainly curious that The Concert ended up on network television, especially after having a successful run on the pay channel HBO, and also being released in September 1994 on VHS tape.  Columbia Records had just released a shortened CD of the concert, titled Barbra: The Concert Highlights, so many of the ads for the CBS version mentioned the CD.

Four months after the CBS version aired, Barbra and her team were awarded five Emmys for their work on the HBO special.
TV Guide write-up of the CBS version of The Concert.

More Concert ....

On March 30, 2004, Sony BMG released a DVD of The Concert: Live at the MGM Grand, taped in Las Vegas. This was a record of Barbra's performances on December 31, 1993 and January 1, 1994.

Live at the MGM Grand is substantially different than (and not to be confused with) Barbra: The Concert. In the MGM Grand concert, Barbra wore a different gown in the first act. She also sang her songs in a different order, including songs that were not in the Anaheim show. “Lazy Afternoon” and the Yentl medley—both sung in Anaheim—were not on the Las Vegas special (because Barbra did not sing them in Vegas!).

More differences: On the MGM DVD, the Mike Myers guest appearance is longer than what they used on the CBS broadcast. Several lines have been reinserted, making the skit funnier ("Don't toy with me, I'm not a play-thing.")

Also, "Not While I'm Around" is the same on both the Las Vegas DVD and the Anaheim special—the only difference is that in Anaheim, Barbra said her son Jason was there "tonight and opening night." On the Las Vegas DVD, Barbra said Jason was there "tonight and last night."

“The reason Vegas was never used that much,” explained producer Gary Smith, “is that the cameras had to be pulled back out of the way, and the lighting was designed for the live event rather than the TV taping. These are formidable differences in the approach to a final product on tape. Anaheim was done for the TV show, with special set-ups and more consideration for television. One of the most significant differences between the two concerts is Barbra’s reliance on the TelePrompTer. Obviously, at the end of the tour, she had become much more familiar with her dialogue and therefore didn’t need to constantly focus on those screens. However, even with her limited experience with prompters, she handled that aspect remarkably well.”

BELOW, LEFT TO RIGHT:  The Concert on VHS tape .... Laser disc .... The MGM Grand DVD [Amazon Link]  .... the 2009 DVD box set [Amazon Link], which contained the Anaheim concert (also known as the HBO special).
Different versions and formats of The Concert over the years.
End / Barbra — The Concert 1995 CBS Special
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