One of my first memories of Sarah McLachlan is listening to an interview while lying on a bed in my hotel room in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She was promoting her second album, Solace.
She made a minor splash with her first album, Touch, with the catchy “Vox”. Her second album, my favourite, Solace, had three hits: “Drawn to the Rhythm”, “Into the Fire” and “The Path of Thorns (Terms)”.
I first saw her in concert in Fredericton, New Brunswick at the Playhouse. With only two albums in her catalog, she played most of the songs on the albums.
I remember when she sang “Ben’s Song” from Touch – it was so beautiful. Her voice was just perfect. Tears were streaming down my face.
She came back to Fredericton and I went to see her again. It might have been to support her third album, the smash Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. I think Stephen Fearing opened for her both times, and I should write about him sometime. Look him up.
Fumbling had the smash hits “Possession” and “Hold On”, and fan favourite “Ice Cream”. It’s a great album and it’s my wife’s favourite. Solace remains my favourite.
My wife and I saw Sarah in concert twice. The first time was on May 31, 2005 – after Surfacing came out. She was wonderful. I loved the atmosphere of the concert – very intimate. The way she and her band sang “Witness” was magical.
My wife kept the ticket stub. I do not remember who the “special guest” was.
We saw Sarah again when she was touring to support Afterglow. The songs “Fallen”, “World on Fire” and “Stupid” stand out, and “Answer” was really good in concert. We saw her at the Centennial Concert Hall here in Winnipeg. The opening act was Butterfly Boucher, a very talented Australian singer.
The last time I saw Sarah in concert was in late 2014, in Kamloops, British Columbia. My friend Andrew invited me to join him and his wife. The concert photos in this post are from that concert.
It was my first time watching from a box seat and it was interesting, although my experience was marred by two people constantly talking through the first half of the concert. Who goes to a concert to talk through it?
Since Afterglow, she has released four more albums, and honestly they haven’t been her best work, in my opinion. Wintersong is a Christmas cover album. Laws of Illusion was, well, meh, and so was Shine On. Her latest album, Wonderland, was another Christmas cover album.
If I have one criticism of Sarah McLachlan, or perhaps her promoters, it’s that she makes a large proportion of cover albums and compilations vs. original work. Along with her 9 studio albums, she has released 2 live albums, 7 compilation albums and 3 remix albums.
As I was writing this, I learned that Canada Post is releasing a Sarah McLachlan stamp!
Let’s hope a new album is coming.
Just One More Thing
Before I close, I should mention Lilith Fair. This all-female tour was founded by McLachlan together with Nettwerk’s Dan Fraser and Terry McBride, primarily touring in 1997, 1998 and 1999. The list of female solo artists and bands that performed is impressive and really showcased their talents. It was a phenomenon. Personally it introduced me to artists like Paula Cole, Lisa Loeb, Jill Sobule and Meredith Brooks, for which I am grateful.