June 29, 2014
Publication title: Reno Gazette-Journal, vol. -, Iss. -, pg. –
Place: Unknown
Writer: Katrina Smith
Local muse: Sarah McLachlan shines in Tahoe concert
I was lost — somewhere between Newport Beach and Eugene, Ore., in the early-2000s — when a song belting out of my car speakers brought clarity to my life.
I was post-breakup, confused about my future, wandering and didn’t know up from down when Sarah McLachlan’s voice sang, “We all begin with good intent; love was raw and young; we believe we could change ourselves; the past could be undone.”
“Fallen,” from McLachlan’s 2003 album “Afterglow,” tore through my heartbreak and confusion and hit me in my core. She helped me realize that the hard times in life are just as powerful, and important, as the good times.
So began my deep appreciation and love of Sarah McLachlan’s raw, emotive music, which speaks to the basic experiences of the human condition: passion, loss, anger and sadness.
I recently was taken back to that long-ago road trip in Oregon when McLachlan plays Harveys Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena during her 2014 Shine On Tour, presenting a series of new, personal songs from her new album, “Shine On.”
A Softer Side
While many of McLachlan’s top hits are filled with expressions of angst, intensity, transformation and understanding, her new album features a softer side.
Several of her songs are focused on love, family and taking chances, including the song honoring her late father, “Song for My Father;” an ode to her daughters, “Beautiful Girl;” and her ventures into ukulele-playing in “The Sound Love Makes.”
The sun begins to set over the arena, casting pink into the blue sky. Tops of pine trees surround the back side of the stage, and a dreamy energy is cast over the crowd as McLachlan began singing “Adia.”
She thanks the crowd for coming out and remarked on exactly what I was thinking: “It’s beautiful up here. You’re lucky to live here.”
Then, she cracks a joke about the altitude and getting sunburned, and many in the crowd agree.
Someone shouts, “You need to drink more water.”
McLachlan’s show is intimate, even in a large arena. It’s what she brings to the show that creates the ambiance — herself. She is funny, honest and loves to perform. Her voice is astounding — sweet and melodic — and more than once, she spikes high notes that leave me in disbelief that they came from her petite frame.
Midway through the concert, McLachlan says, “So much of this record started out being breakup songs because that’s what I became familiar with — I know I write a lot about that because things screw up a lot and it has to be discussed — I went to town on that with the last record. I thought, ‘I don’t want to keep writing the same song, telling the same story. I want something new to say.’ And then I met somebody and my whole world opened wide. I met this person, and everything became exponentially larger and sweeter, and it let me finish a bunch of these songs with a more hopefully spin. This is for my sweetie.”
She begins a song about picking up the pieces from previous destruction, taking a chance with love and finding a home within someone’s arms in “Brink of Destruction.”
McLachlan plays a series of well-loved songs, such as “I Will Remember You;” “World on Fire;” “Burn in Heaven;” and “Possession.”
Many sing along.
There are tears.
Sniffling.
People murmuring about times remembered.
Then, she starts “Ice Cream” and people rise to their feet singing word-for-word. She stops singing, and lets the crowd take over.
McLachlan isn’t one for just standing on stage, playing music and then waving goodbye.
In between about every two songs, she chats about how the tour’s going, her thoughts on her music and invites people onto stage to sit on the couch to listen to a couple of songs.
There is a black top hat in which crowd questions occupy slips of paper.
After each one she pulls out, she answers with honesty and humor, giving the audience insight into her personal life and career.
One fan writes, “What are you thinking when you’re singing?”
She replies, “It’s an interesting question and I never really think about it, but I’m completely and utterly in the moment and I’m not really thinking about anything — I’m feeling and I’m connected. For me, this is why I was placed on this earth — to make music and share that with people. This is very much where I feel the most grounded and alive and full of passion. It’s about being in the moment and feeling that connection, energy. It’s pretty magical.”
The evening concludes with an encore three-song set highlighted with “Angel.”
More tears.
And, a standing ovation. McLachlan and the four members in her band exit the stage.
Leaving the show, I look up at the stars. I feel grateful to have had this moment, and I’m reminded of just how deeply I love live music and how magical Harveys outdoor arena is.
It’s one of the greatest starts to the summer I’ve had in years, and thanks to a trip down memory lane with McLachlan’s music, I am appreciative of the upcoming, unexpected twists and turns on my road ahead.
