July 28, 2014

Publication title: citypaper.net, vol. -, Iss. -, pg. –
Place: Unknown
Writer: Chris Sikich

Concert Review/Photos: Sarah McLachlan @ The Mann

As a musician with 25 years of work under her belt and boatloads of classic songs, Sarah McLachlan is, in my mind, critic-proof. Not that she needs to be, as she showed Thursday at the Mann Center. Heavy on songs from her newest release, Shine On, but with a healthy serving of her classics, the show was a testament to her quality as a performer and songwriter.

With a glorious backdrop of bold lighting arrangements blown up for the whole of the Mann to see — strings of lights on the sides of the stage, a halolike light display and a palette of blues, purples and reds — McLachlan transported the highly receptive crowd through the highs and lows of love and existence. Describing Shine On as a record about “gratitude” and “thankfulness,” McLachlan played, among many others, the gorgeous and heartbreaking “Song for My Father” (about her recently deceased dad) and “Brink of Destruction” (about her new love in her life). And of course she brought the hits, including “Building a Mystery,” “I Will Remember You” and “Sweet Surrender.” Her voice, rich and soulful as ever, was spine-tingling on the hits and the new work.

McLachlan’s gratitude towards her fans was also very evident. She answered questions posed by audience members before the show and during the break for the second set. She does love her job but does sleep in the nude — except on the tour bus. (Yes, her questions did stray that way.) And winners of a social-media contest got to sit on a couch on stage during various moments in the show. It was a cool idea and added a further intimacy to a performer whose work has always strived to get into the heart and soul. Ending with the final track to Shine On, “The Sound That Love Makes,” was quite apt, with McLachlan strumming a ukulele, sending the swooning crowd out on a high.