Streisand concert demands promise a peachy evening

People. People who need peach towels. Are the, er, luckiest people in the world

People. People who need peach towels. Are the, er, luckiest people in the world. Unfortunately concert promoters MCD wouldn't comment yesterday on reports that singing diva Barbra Streisand is demanding a couple of hundred of the fluffiest peach-coloured bath towels to be placed backstage in preparation for her concert tonight in Castletown House, Co Kildare.

Along with the plentiful peach towels, the double Oscar-winning singer is said to have shipped her own specially upholstered suites of furniture and tables to the concert site.

A hefty security team is also expected to protect her from prying eyes while in residence at Dublin's Four Seasons Hotel. Reports suggest the 65-year-old singer will be guarded at all times to ensure fans or even hotel staff do not approach her or even look the performer in the eye. Funny girl.

Despite the diva rumours, Irish fans are in a state of high excitement about seeing the American star perform signature tunes such as You Don't Bring Me Flowers at the Celbridge venue.

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She will have a less restrictive set list for the Irish gig than she had in Manchester this week when the singer would have been warned of the possible consequences of bursting into another of her trademark ditties, the Liverpool football anthem You'll Never Walk Alone.

Italian fans never even got the chance to hear her earlier this summer when a planned Streisand concert was cancelled after complaints about ticket prices. Consumer groups said the prices of the tickets, which ranged from €150 to €900, were "absurd and shameful".

This hadn't bothered the person on eBay who yesterday afternoon was hoping to flog two front-row tickets for the Castletown House gig for almost €1,500, which is €500 more than their face value.

A limited number of tickets were still available from the concert promoters yesterday afternoon.

The organisers, meanwhile, have announced that nobody is going to rain on this parade. According to the MCD website, the concert will go ahead even if the unseasonal weather continues: "Please note that this concert is an outdoor event and will go ahead rain or shine . . . ladies who wish to wear high-heels should bear in mind that all approaches to the concert arena will be over grass, so we would recommend suitable footwear."

Maybe good old Babs will do the rest of us a favour and demand that concert promoters ensure the sun shines and the rain holds off for the duration of the outdoor concert.

Now wouldn't that be just peachy?

Róisín Ingle

Róisín Ingle

Róisín Ingle is an Irish Times columnist, feature writer and coproducer of the Irish Times Women's Podcast