Timeless: Live in Concert
Timeless: Live in Concert is a live album released by Barbra Streisand on September 19, 2000 (see 2000 in music). It was her fifth live album and was released on Columbia Records (catalog no. 63778). The album was issued a week before what were said to be her final concerts in September 2000 and would reach platinum certification.
Content[edit]
Timeless is a double album which includes moments from Streisand's New Year's Eve, 1999 and New Year's Day, 2000 shows at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on the Las Vegas Strip, which were part of her Timeless concert tour.[1] The release is set up like a play in two acts and even has a two-minute entr'acte featuring conductor, Marvin Hamlisch, who is also present throughout the performance. It opens with a dramatization of her first, amateur recording session, in which Lauren Frost plays a part described in the credits as "Young Girl" though Streisand later refers to her as "my little-girl self" and "mini me". The rest of Act One traces Streisand's career from her club days to Broadway and her movie performances.
Act two opens with several of Barbra's duets. This section is followed by dialogue and songs both reminiscent and optimistic thanks to the backdrop of the New Year's holiday. As the midnight hour approaches, Barbra is joined on stage by husband, James Brolin. Much of the dialogue takes place as small scenes or skits about time and timelessness. The CD version includes songs that span Streisand's career up to that time, such as "Cry Me a River" and "Happy Days Are Here Again", from her debut album, and "At the Same Time" from her 1997 album Higher Ground.
The 24-page CD insert includes photographs, portraits and concert shots as well as an account of the dress rehearsal written by producer, Jay Landers. The 2-CD set includes over two hours of performance divided into 37 tracks. The album debuted at No. 21 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for fifteen consecutive weeks. On the Top Internet Albums chart, Timeless peaked at No. 2. On October 20, 2000, the album received gold and platinum certification from the RIAA. According to Nielsen Soundscan, the albums sold over 477,000 copies as of 2007.[2]
Barnes & Noble offered a bonus in their sale of the CD package: a CD single "Come Rain Or Come Shine" recorded live during one of Barbra's Australian performances.
Works cited