In response to Lopate’s query about her long break from touring, Streisand explained, “I don’t like live performances. I’ve always had a bit of stage fright…I forgot my words in front of 150,000 people in Central Park…I remember it was a traumatic moment to go blank and I wasn’t charming and cute about it. And it just stopped me from performing. For 27 years I didn’t sing and charge. I only did it for free for fundraisers. That’s all.”
When asked what brought her back to the concert stage, Streisand said, “What brought me back was I saw Liza Minnelli sing in a living room. And I was a guest and I thought, ‘My God, look how she gets up and sings in front of these people…with the lights on.’ I have to have blackness when I sing, so these arenas give me the blackness. I can’t perform. I’m just very uncomfortable performing live. This tour, I’ve been told that people say I’m the most at ease…and in a sense I am. I’m the most grateful. I’m grateful that people still come to see me.”
Streisand will offer two concerts in May in New York, featuring songs from her new album, ENCORE: Movie Partners Sing Broadway.
The entire interview with Streisand can be accessed by clicking here.
