Sarah McLachlan brings Shine On to Edmonton

It was such a pleasure to watch and listen to Sarah McLachlan perform at the Winspear Centre in Edmonton. I never thought it could be possible, but her voice has grown more powerful with time and I am a fan all over again.
Sarah McLachlan played two sold out shows in Edmonton on October 30 and 31st. She opened with In Your Shoes which is one of my favourite songs off of her new album, Shine On. This was followed by an old audience favourite, Building a Mystery, from her 1997 album Surfacing.

Sarah McLachlan sings at the Winspear Centre in Edmonton.
For Adia, Sarah moved over to the piano to play and stayed there for Answer, Broken Heart, and Fallen. Then it was back to centre stage for World on Fire before taking a break to talk to her first round of social media winners.

Sarah McLachlan on piano during her Shine On Tour in Edmonton
Sarah is running a social media contest where you can share how you shine on through either Facebook or Twitter and select entrants will be invited to join her on stage. If she hasn’t made it to your city yet, the details to enter are found on her website.

Full stage at Sarah McLachlan Shine On tour
Sharing that she doesn’t have a lot of ‘happy’ love songs, she starts back up with Loving You Is Easy from Her 2010 Laws of Illusion album.

Sarah McLachlan, Shine On Tour in Edmonton.
Sarah then talks about dealing with difficult people, saying “It’s taken me this many years to be able to see people more clearly for what they are a little sooner, rather than later. I try to find a silver lining in every cloud so I look at those experiences when you rub against really difficult people. It’s all a learning experience, it sort of helps you to define your own boundaries. So, lesson… this is called Monsters.” She then goes into playing this other favourite of mine from her new Shine On album.

Sarah McLachlan in Edmonton with the Shine On Tour
Her last song before a short intermission was Stupid from the album Afterglow.

After the intermission, Sarah starts back strong with a touching song she wrote for her father who passed away titled Song for my Father, and eased seemlessly into her old hit, I Will Remember You.

Sarah McLachlan in Edmonton, Shine On Tour
The remaining songs in the last half of the set were:

  • Brink of Destruction
  • Hold on
  • Love Beside Me
  • Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
  • Fear
  • Sweet Surrender
  • Possession

If you can imagine it, Sarah’s voice has become stronger over the years. It feels more confident and it was moving and powerful to experience. The audience reaction? Sarah got a well-deserved standing ovation, then came back with a fabulous surprise.

Sarah McLachlan on piano during her Shine On Tour in Edmonton
A four-song encore, beginning with In the Arms of an Angel. Sarah first came on stage alone and played solo piano while singing. She then transitioned to Beautiful Girl which she wrote for her daughters. Ice Cream was her second to last song and it was quickly recognized by the audience. Sarah demonstrated her singing talents by ending this song on a high note – literally.

She shared that she learned how to play the ukulele for her last song of the evening, The Sound That Love Makes.

Presented by Live Nation, Sarah’s next three stops are Saskatoon (Nov 1), Regina (Nov 2), and Winnipeg (Nov 3).

*All photos are copyright to This Bird’s Day. All rights reserved.

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Comments on this entry are closed.

  • Matthew Tully Oct 31, 2014, 7:45 pm

    Sherri, you sold yourself short. Your pictures are great and you did a fab job on it!
    :-)

    • Sheri Landry Oct 31, 2014, 10:53 pm

      Thanks Matthew. I was changing between various settings and some worked out.

  • Doris Calvert Oct 31, 2014, 1:26 pm

    Her voice is so amazing, she is one of my favorites!

    • Sheri Landry Nov 1, 2014, 12:59 am

      I agree Doris. She has that sound that can’t be duplicated. I can recognize an old or new song of hers almost immediately.