Barbra Streisand is performing live in the UK in July for the first time since 1994, playing three shows in London as well as Manchester. But if you want to see her, it'll cost you – with prices starting at £75 for the cheapest seats and going all the way up to a whopping £500.
A less expensive option then, if you're a fan, would be to stay at home and invest in a copy of Streisand Live In Concert 2006, which features the whole show – 22 songs in total, most of them classics and 15 of which have never appeared on a live Streisand album before.
If you're a fan of Babs, you'll be on familiar territory here as she works her way through the likes of Funny Girl, Evergreen, Don't Rain On My Parade and Smile, with help from a 58-piece orchestra.
And there's also a guest appearance from Italian opera quartet Il Divo, who appear on a number of tracks including Streisand's version of Phantom Of The Opera classic The Music Of The Night.
To maintain the live feel, the tracks are punctuated with appreciate crowd noises and some words of wisdom from Babs herself, who chats enthusiastically to the crowd, explains the origins of songs and generally sounds as though she is enjoying herself immensely.
As live albums go, there's very little that's novel or innovative about it, and of course it's not the same as actually seeing the show itself – it feels more like the soundtrack to a Broadway show than it does a concert.
That said, it's slickly produced and captures the feel of the show very well, and it's a pleasure to hear Streisand singing some of her best-known tunes all over again. It's not the same as being there, of course, but it's a very acceptable substitute nonetheless.
