McLachlan”s back – and captivating as ever
Because of a fight with laryngitis, Sarah McLachlan canceled her first four concert stops and ended up kicking off her “Afterglow” tour in Spokane.
If McLachlan hadn’t warned the crowd that her voice was on the mend, few would have noticed the minor vocal imperfections underneath her ultimately soaring voice and adroit musicianship.
More than up to the task, the multitalented McLachlan garnered heavy praise during an intimate, yet energetic, concert at the Spokane Arena’s Star Theater on Monday night. By the end of the two-hour, double-encore set, the nearly full Star Theatre was alive with applause, enough that McLachlan strolled back to the piano for one more number, “Dirty Little Secrets,” and left the crowd hungry for more.
Not bad for the opening night of her first tour in five years. After a subtly amazing support set by Sweden’s the Perishers, McLachlan started the night at full power – her seven-piece accompanying band in overdrive – with an unleashed rendering of “World On Fire,” which bled smoothly in the freaky-scary “Building A Mystery.”
With a fitting anachronistic stage backdrop that was something like cathedral ruins filled in with psychedelic video images, McLachlan’s show was a striking balance of dark, moody atmospherics with an upbeat – even lighthearted – touch. Between songs, she shared funny stories about how her life has changed since the last time she was in town, before becoming a mother.
McLachlan said she “went a little nuts,” because her daughter, India – who is on the road with Mommy – was a colicky baby. So she wrote a song, “Push,” for her husband as a “thank you” for holding the line.
McLachlan informed the crowd that the set list was simply composed of her favorite songs. Judging from the response, McLachlan’s taste is right in line with that of her audience.
“I Will Remember You,” from the film “Brothers McMillan,” was the “yes” moment of the night, easily drawing the most cheers.
Even though she sloppily fumbled through the lyrics of the Beatles’ “Blackbird,” McLachlan remained playful, dropping in a “whoops” here and there. Her smile was simply too infectious to deny. She even teased the women in the house, herself included, for being overly romantic: “What a load of crap,” she said.
Throughout the night McLachlan and her band put on a dynamic show by breaking into several different musical and physical configurations – sometimes just McLachlan and a piano, other times accompanied by a guitar and backup singer, or several singers. McLachlan played guitar – electric and acoustic – and switched to piano on several tunes.
Effortlessly charming, graciously comfortable, McLachlan’s show is sure to leave fans with an afterglow that could – but hopefully won’t have to – last another five years.