Sarah McLachlan celebrated 30 Years of Fumbling Towards Ecstasy at the Mann Center in Philadelphia. She was supported by the extaordinary Feist. It was another hot and muggy night here in the northeast. The weather forcast looked quite grim for this evening's show as thunderstorms were sourding the area. Due to this, both played a shortened set and Sarah's setlist was rearranged from previous shows on this tour. The fans appreciated the effort put in by the artists and the venue to pull off the entire show. As we were all filing out you could see the lightening not far off in the distance, we all made it to our cars just in time.
Feist is a Canadian indie singer-songwritter who has been an intergral part of the scene since the early 1990's, breaking into the industry at just 15 years old. Due to the impending storms Feist was only able to squeeze in a 30 minute set. Previous tour dates she played for one hour. She touched upon several of her albums during this perfomance leading the audience down a road of nostalgia. Her performance was ethereal and captivating with a sense of intamacy even though there were thousands in attendance.
The first time I saw Sarah McLachlan was at Lilith Fair in 1998. It was the summer before my senior year of college and I was at home for break. Her music was not something my childhood friends were into so I bought myself a ticket and went to the PNC Arts Center in NJ by myself. That festival and experience made me a forever fan of Sarah as well as many of the other women on the bill.
This night however Sarah was celebrating 30 years of her blockbuster album Fumbling Towards Ecstacy. This album got me through a lot during my later highschool years and college. I remember playing songs like "Possesion", "Hold On" and "Ice Cream" over and over.
Sarah waltzed onto the stage with a smile and flowing white gown. She performed 3 of her greatest hits before starting the Fumbling Towards Ecstacy portion of the concert. She opened the show with "Sweet Surrender" which got the crowd out of their seats. Everyone was dancing, singing and and swaying with their best friends. For her second song she chose "Building a Mystery". Sarah played acoustic guitar as she sang and the crowd continued the party. She closed out the shortened greatest hits portion at the piano with "I Will Remember You". The crowd sat and took in the breathtaking performance. The one thing that stood out most about this crowd was the lack of cell phone use. I could count the number of people I saw taking photos and video. That's a rarity for any concert these days.
Sarah said now it's time for Fumbling Towards Ecstacy. She performed the entire album, taking some time to explain how the album was written before she started. I was trying to pick a favorite song that she performed during this set but it's hard. Each song meant something different and held a place for different points in my life. One highlight for me though was when Sarah took a pause at her piano before singing "Elsewhere". She spoke to the crowd about everyone coming together and putting aside their differences for the show. Sarah said that everyone was a beautiful unique person and that there is only one of us in this world. Sarah emphasized to let your freak flag fly and shouted Happy Pride. Being part of the LGBT community in these current times can be challenging but being at a show knowing you're surrounded mostly members of the community and allies is actually freeing. Her performance of "Elsewhere" was beautiful and haunting. I will carry that moment around for some time.
Sarah commented a few songs later before "Ice Cream" that she was struggling with her voice and was appreciative of the crowd singing along and asked everyone to continue to help her through. If she didn't mention it, I don't think anyone would of had a clue that she was having a vocal issue. Each performance was flawless and as good or better than the recordings.
Since the greatest hits portion of the show was shortened we ended up getting an extra long encore. Sarah performed 4 songs including a new one called "Gravity". She gave some background saying that it was about the struggles of her navigating her oldest daughter having undiagnosed anxiety. She said that it caused a strain on their relationship and they received family counseling to overcome it. She says her daughter is now 22 and they have an amazing relationship, she even came out on the first 10 days of the tour.
Sarah closed out the show with fan favorites and hits; "Adia", "Answer", and "Angel". "Angel" hits me two ways . Of course, I cannot hear the song without thinking about the ASPCA and the second is nostalgia based, some college friends used to randomly perform this song around my campus. It was a great way to close out the show.
I believe each fan had the best time. Sarah curated the best set list covering the album as well as the most beloved songs. I can almost guarantee that most fans heard their favorite song during this show. I watched fans light up around me during different moments. I love seeing people get that spark and connection with the artist, it makes the show an experiece. This tour continues through the US during the summer and ends with a second Canadian leg in the fall. Get out and enjoy this tour.
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