A Barbra Streisand concert is more than just a performance; it’s an event. The singer, actress and filmmaker has never really been a regular touring act, focusing more on making movies and albums and appearing in Broadway productions. In recent years, her concerts have been even less frequent (she actually announced her retirement from live performances in 2000, although she changed her mind a few years later). Her current North American tour, her first since 2012, is hitting just nine cities—including Las Vegas on Aug. 6, and as always there’s the chance that it will end with her final bow.
Either way, seeing Streisand live is a one-of-a-kind experience, and this current tour (dubbed Barbra: The Music, the Mem’ries, the Magic) is only her seventh in the more than 50 years she’s been performing and recording music. Streisand’s latest album, Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway, is set for release just after the tour ends (although anyone who purchases tickets to one of her shows will get an advance copy), and she’ll be previewing material from it along with hits from throughout her career. Encore features Streisand performing show tunes alongside guests who are usually known more for their acting than their singing. Movie stars like Anne Hathaway, Alec Baldwin, Melissa McCarthy and Chris Pine all duet with Streisand on the new album, on songs from shows like A Chorus Line, My Fair Lady and The Sound of Music.
Streisand has long been an expert interpreter of standards and Broadway tunes, and she’s had hits with songs like “Memory” (from Cats), “Somewhere” (from West Side Story) and “Happy Days Are Here Again,” as well as original songs like “Woman in Love,” “Comin’ In and Out of Your Life” and “The Way We Were.” Hearing this living legend put her stamp on beloved songs is an opportunity not to be missed.
T-Mobile Arena, 8 p.m. Aug. 6, starting at $100 plus tax and fee. 888.929.7849
