Italian consumer groups are calling for Barbra Streisand's first-ever concert in Italy to be cancelled in protest of what they feel are exorbitant ticket prices.

The Oscar-winning U.S. singer and actress is set to kick off a European tour on June 15 with a concert at Rome's Stadio Flaminio. She is also scheduled to travel to countries including Austria, France, Ireland and the U.K.

Barbra Streisand, seen here in New York in 2006, began this latest tour in North America last year.
(Seth Wenig/Associated Press)

However, consumer groups Adusbef and Codacons have called on the city government and the Italian Olympic Committee — the venue's owner and manager, respectively — to oust the scheduled concert from the 24,000-seat stadium.

In a statement issued Monday, the two groups called the ticket prices "absurd and shameful."

Ticket prices range from just under 50 euros (about $73) to more than 900 euros (about $1,315). However, the cheapest tickets have already sold out.

The groups argued that since the stadium is public property, it should not be "used for contracts that are immoral and which heap shame on a civilized country."

Last year, when Streisand began her tour in North America, her Toronto and Montreal concerts were among the venues that sold out. Ticket prices ranged from $85 to more than $1,700 in Toronto and up to $750 in Montreal.

The concerts — her first in many years — caused some controversy because of a recurring skit where she brought a bumbling George W. Bush impersonator onstage.

Tours are often money-making ventures for recording artists, but over the years, fans have begun grumbling against rising ticket prices, especially for big-name artists such as the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Madonna and U2.

Some artists have tried to counter this by visiting smaller venues, taking lower salaries and selling tickets for their concerts online.

This year, heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne and his manager and wife Sharon decided to offer free admission to their annual Ozzfest summer tour as a way to thank fans who have attended over the years and to buck the trend of rising ticket prices.

With files from the Associated Press