Spectators had to pass through metal detectors to see her shows because cameras of all types were banned. Streisand was ably supported by a 78-piece orchestra comprising local and American musicians, conducted by Marvin Hamlisch. A large choir in casual dress also joined her briefly, which could have been a schmaltzy moment, but wasn't, in a night studded with superfluous showbiz gestures. Sometimes the effect was intimate, as in the song dedicated to her late father, or the kind of duet she performed with home-movie footage of her son. But sometimes it was just hokum, such as the endless happy snaps on a large screen of her and her husband, James Brolin.
Few performers try harder than Streisand and just as few are as needy.
The feeling was palpable after her rendition of Somewhere , which had the crowd on its feet during the first of two encores. Ascending a staircase, Streisand watched and beamed as the applause rang out. She threw her head back, closed her eyes and stood there soaking it in. Again, they had loved her. Barbra Streisand performs tonight at Colonial Stadium.