Review of Sarah McLachlan's SF Concert

[ez003338@rocky.ucdavis.edu (Tara)]

Here's yet another review from my school newspaper, _The California Aggie_...

SARAH MCLACHLAN TOUCHES SAN FRANCISCO WITH MUSIC
By Rosemary A. Peters
 
Amid the 1920s ballroomesque splendor of the San Francisco night
club Bimbo's, with its red velvet walls and high, arching
ceiling, a totally down-to-earth show might seem incongruous.
 
Sarah McLachlan, who played Bimbo's Thursday, made certain that
her show had an appropriate, sturdy balance of ethereal, time-
gone-by mysticism and the earthy currency of her modern sound.
 
Beginning with "Drawn into the Rhythm" [sic], McLachlan displayed
her elegant vocals and the smooth sensuality that distinguishes
her from most contemporary polished talent.  McLachlan's "polish"
comes from years of classical training and consistently rigorous
self-demands, not from an expensive mixer in the recording
studio.
 
One of the most surprising elements of her live show, in fact,
was her singular, lyrical proximity to album quality.  At times
it was difficult to believe she was singing spontaneously; yet
she never lapsed into bloodless superficiality, but maintained a
steady fricative edge that heightened the energy and intelligence
of her music.
 
And on cuts like "Lost," "Black" (dedicated to "all the corporate
pigs in the world"), and "Steaming," when McLachlan used her
creative license to update or alter the work, her energetic
proficiency demonstrated that McLachlan is not only well-
rehearsed, but also expert at improvisation.
 
"Home," an evocative ballad about grief and location, was rich,
lyrical, and cradling; McLachlan's raw emotion gave her
performance the fine splintery edge it needed.  And "Shelter,"
which the singer took down to about two-thirds of its album speed
and prefaced with a moving dedication to "creatures who are put
into cages because of other people's vanity and greed," escaped a
potentially maudlin bog by virtue of her driving insistence and
intensity.
 
While most of the show was extracted from McLachlan's 1992
release _Solace_, several songs from her earlier and more airy
work, _Touch_, spiced the evening with grace and musical variety. 
"Out of the Shadows," "Ben's Song," "Steaming," and the final
encore number, "Vox," all brought to the show a necessary degree
of McLachlan's amazingly operatic range and showcased her swift
ability to change styles and tempos.
 
"Into the Fire," the first single from _Solace_, sparkled across
the stage with its phoenix-like, mystical themes of regeneration
and recovery, especially in the bridge section, when the 24-
year-old sage murmured huskily, "I will stare at the sun / Until
its light doesn't blind me, / I will walk into the fire / Till
its heat doesn't burn me."  McLachlan's concern with rebirth and
self-acceptance burned into the evening's ethos with a feeling of
electricity and magic.
 
One of the most notable moments of the night came with
McLachlan's disco remix of the sultry "Steaming," which was
layered with samples of Madonna, Dee-Lite, Chic, and, of course,
"Stayin' Alive," as well as the swirling retro effect of a disco
globe.  McLachlan even went so far as to chant a passage of
"Vogue" in a brief and witty interlude.
 
Called back to the stage for encores, McLachlan performed and
quick and tuneful "Happy Birthday," followed by a long list of
thank-yous to the myriad people who helped plan and organize this
tour.  She then sang the first cover of the show--Talk Talk's "So
Far America," which deserved a lot more attention than it
received.
 
Upstaging even her finesse with other band's songs was
McLachlan's flawless finale of "Vox."  If you haven't heard this
work on _Touch_, or haven't seen Sarah sing it live, you should
make it a point to do that.  Quickly [?].  This work was enough
to send the audience home in a daze of glorious admiration, and
brought a luscious close to a show already replete with tasty,
artful zingers [Okay...].
 
Sarah McLachlan should be returning to the Northern California
circuit in a couple [of] months, after a brief period of rest and
the commencement of another tour.  Don't let the Halifax, Novia
Scotia native escape your listening ears next time she's around. 
She's worth the wait--and the drive.

-- 
 |        Tara         |  "I am you,  |   "To live is to fly, low and high,   |
 |---------------------| and you are  |  So shake the dust off of your wings  |
 |---------------------|    not me."  |   And the sleep out of your eyes."    |
 |ez003338@ucdavis.edu | -REM, "LMR"- | -Cowboy Junkies, "To Live is to Fly"- |