June 23, 2014
Publication title: The Oregonian/Oregon Live, vol. -, Iss. -, pg. –
Place: Unknown
Writer: Robert Ham
Sarah McLachlan shows her many musical moods to sold out Edgefield crowd (review)
When Sarah McLachlan arrived onstage at Edgefield on Sunday night it was with zero fanfare. The only indication was the Sigur Ros CD playing over the sound system at the outdoor venue suddenly stopping about a minute before McLachlan and her four-piece band walked out. And as she spoke to start off the show, she became apologetic, asking the audience to indulge her as she planned on playing a lot of material from her recently released album “Shine On.”
A strange disclaimer from the Canadian singer/songwriter, and an unnecessary one judging by the reaction that she and her backing band received for songs both old and new.
While McLachlan did right by her fans, keeping up a pattern of playing something from “Shine On” followed by a better-known track from one of her five previous studio albums, the nearly two-hour set was constructed to move swiftly between her various musical moods.
She opened with a batch of her most sparkly pop tunes, with her 1997 top 20 hit “Building A Mystery” making an appearance alongside mid-tempo Beatles homages from her current album. Moving to play the grand piano, she became balladeer, exploring both the end of her marriage and the recent passing of her father. And she closed out the show’s first half with some of her more musically playful material — the jaunty “Loving Is You Easy,” and a version of the otherwise heartbreaking “Stupid” made lighter by the psychedelically inspired work of guitarist Joel Shearer.
The second half played out like a slowly moving wave, starting off calmly and building bit by bit to a big crescendo. It mirrored the content of the songs as well. She began mournfully, with the aching acoustic ballad “Song For My Father” and her wistful Grammy winner “I Will Remember You,” transitioning into songs of triumph, love and, with the set closing one-two punch of “Sweet Surrender” and “Possession,” both rendered with massive guitar chords and McLachlan using her voice’s highest register.
Beyond the music, this tour seems like a reflection of McLachlan’s current position in the pop landscape. “Shine On” did hit #4 on the Billboard charts, but has steadily edged down in the six weeks since its debut. And the only songs of hers that you are likely to hear on the radio these days are close to 20 years old.
In response, she hedged her bets with her pre-show warning about new material and using an austere stage setup (lamps and minimalist lighting rigs above the band; three LED screens that made appearances here and there during the set). She also made every effort to remind the audience that they were, as she put it, “all in this together,” by inviting some folks to sit onstage for a few songs and answering fans questions that ranged from innocuous (“What did you have for dinner?”) to personal (“How did your divorce impact your writing?”). It’s all the mark of a savvy mind that plans to be in the music business indefinitely. Long may she run.
