Barclays Center survives second big traffic test: Barbra Streisand

When few people drove to the Jay-Z concert two weeks ago, there was relief among the locals. A Traffic Armageddon didn't materialize. More than half of the audience came to the shows by subway, LIRR or on foot. The reaction among some was wait till Barbra. Jay-Z's fans are more urban, younger, more willing to take mass transit. Streisand fans are the opposite!

Not so. Most reports out of Barclays Center indicated it is now cool to ride the subway to the arena, whether for Jay-Z, the Harlem Globetrotters or Streisand. There were complaints about idling limousines on local streets, but the gridlock to end all gridlocks hasn't happened yet, giving hope that the Nets games, starting with Monday's pre-season opener in Brooklyn, will be orderly affairs.

There were no reports of Streisand wearing a Nets cap on stage (as the Nets wanted), but she did honor the team and Jay-Z. When she performed "You’re the Top," Streisand changed the lyrics, name-dropping fellow Brooklynite Jay-Z. She sang lyrics like: "You’re a Brooklyn Net, on a private jet" and "it’s an accent you can’t drop." She also opened the concert, the first of two, with "Hello Brooklyn."

• For Barbra, I’ll Take the Subway — Brooklyn’s Barclays Center Passes Second Traffic Test - Alex Goldmark - Transportation Nation
• Barclays Center Subway Stop: Mornings, It’s Totally Dead - Andrea Bernstein - Transportation Nation
  
• Streisand at Barclays: no Carmageddon, but lots of idling limos on nearby streets - Norman Oder - Atlantic Yards Report
• Barbra Streisand is full of Brooklyn pride at Barclays Center concert - AP