First off, let me give you a brief description of my "relationship" with Sarah Mclachlan. I first heard Sarah back in 1991, when my sister bought a copy of the album, SOLACE. I gotta say, I didn't much care for what I heard. I enjoyed the song, "INTO THE FIRE", but didn't care for much of the rest of the album. Fast forward to December, 1993, when my friend Craig ordered in copies of her latest release, FUMBLING TOWARDS ECSTASY, which was released in her native Canada several months before the American release. From the first 30 seconds of the opening cut, "POSSESSION", I was blown away. I loved the atmospheric nature of the songs and the apparent influence of one of my favorite bands, TALK TALK.
During 1994, we not only saw Sarah perform at local ski and summer resort, Deer Valley, but we also found ourselves taking a road trip to see her perform in Bozeman, Montana, in the Bozeman High School auditorium. Amazing, to say the least. Then, the following Spring, she returned to Salt Lake... this time a little more popular... where she played at the Huntsman Center on the University of Utah campus.
Later that year, she released an E.P. entitled, THE FREEDOM SESSIONS. Here, she took songs from FUMBLING TOWARDS ECSTASY and altered them, creating a more gritty, ethereal sound. I had hopes that her next album of original material was going to be incredible.
In 1997, when her follow-up release, SURFACING, was released, I was a tad bit disappointed. I loved the lead single, "BUILDING A MYSTERY", but found the majority of the album to be very watered down and stripped of personality. I have since fallen in love with the album, but must say that for years I found myself not nearly as enticed by her music.
The concert in Spring 1995 was the last time that I saw Sarah... until tonight. A friend from work had mentioned that they were buying tickets, and asked me if I wanted one. I agreed, but admittedly wasn't that excited for the show. I didn't really know what to expect. First off, Sarah has recently been through a divorce, so the songs were not the most upbeat. Considering I am going through the same thing, one would think that I would immediately connect to the album... but I didn't.
The concert was billed, "SARAH MCLACHLAN & FRIENDS", although I didn't really know who these friends were. I expected a couple of opening acts, but was shocked when (at 7:40 PM) the house lights went down and Sarah and her full band took the stage. Little did I know that said "friends" (Melissa McClelland and Butterfly Boucher), a couple of extremely talented singer/songwriters. Not only were their contributions to Sarah's set EXTREMELY complimentary, but when Sarah took the back seat and sang backup vocals and played piano for the other two ladies, it was incredibly flattering sound for everyone.
Not only that, but between the two sets of music (with a brief intermission in the middle), the show contained 30 songs and the better part of three hours of music. Not only did Sarah completely outdo herself this tour, but her included Q&A sessions made the show most personal. We even learned that Sarah's drapes don't match the carpet. She insisted on being very honest in her answers...
The following is a link to a similar setlist, from an earlier show in the tour.
http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/sarah-mclachlan/2011/dar-constitution-hall-washington-dc-6bd2e67a.html
During 1994, we not only saw Sarah perform at local ski and summer resort, Deer Valley, but we also found ourselves taking a road trip to see her perform in Bozeman, Montana, in the Bozeman High School auditorium. Amazing, to say the least. Then, the following Spring, she returned to Salt Lake... this time a little more popular... where she played at the Huntsman Center on the University of Utah campus.
Later that year, she released an E.P. entitled, THE FREEDOM SESSIONS. Here, she took songs from FUMBLING TOWARDS ECSTASY and altered them, creating a more gritty, ethereal sound. I had hopes that her next album of original material was going to be incredible.
In 1997, when her follow-up release, SURFACING, was released, I was a tad bit disappointed. I loved the lead single, "BUILDING A MYSTERY", but found the majority of the album to be very watered down and stripped of personality. I have since fallen in love with the album, but must say that for years I found myself not nearly as enticed by her music.
The concert in Spring 1995 was the last time that I saw Sarah... until tonight. A friend from work had mentioned that they were buying tickets, and asked me if I wanted one. I agreed, but admittedly wasn't that excited for the show. I didn't really know what to expect. First off, Sarah has recently been through a divorce, so the songs were not the most upbeat. Considering I am going through the same thing, one would think that I would immediately connect to the album... but I didn't.
The concert was billed, "SARAH MCLACHLAN & FRIENDS", although I didn't really know who these friends were. I expected a couple of opening acts, but was shocked when (at 7:40 PM) the house lights went down and Sarah and her full band took the stage. Little did I know that said "friends" (Melissa McClelland and Butterfly Boucher), a couple of extremely talented singer/songwriters. Not only were their contributions to Sarah's set EXTREMELY complimentary, but when Sarah took the back seat and sang backup vocals and played piano for the other two ladies, it was incredibly flattering sound for everyone.
Not only that, but between the two sets of music (with a brief intermission in the middle), the show contained 30 songs and the better part of three hours of music. Not only did Sarah completely outdo herself this tour, but her included Q&A sessions made the show most personal. We even learned that Sarah's drapes don't match the carpet. She insisted on being very honest in her answers...
The following is a link to a similar setlist, from an earlier show in the tour.
http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/sarah-mclachlan/2011/dar-constitution-hall-washington-dc-6bd2e67a.html
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