by Jeff Stackhouse
Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan’s Shine On Canadian Tour came to Vancouver’s Orpheum Theatre on October 20th and 21st 2014.
From the living room set, to the ambient lighting, the venue’s sound clarity, and Sarah’s angelic voice, all in attendance at both sold out shows witnessed a show of a lifetime.
The concert began as the massive chandler atop the artistically painted Orpheum ceiling dimmed and Sarah and band took the stage. They jumped straight into her huge hits Building a Mystery and Adia. It was great to hear a mixture of songs from all albums spanning her entire career. All songs were performed with a pronounced clear tone and excellent projection. Her music, lyrics, and voice were inspirational and ethereal.
I was asked to appear on stage with Sarah after submitting an essay on overcoming diversity. She recently lost her father and divorced her husband so the purpose of her new album was to explore her new philosophy and album title Shine On. “Shining on” means to overcome dark moments of your past and shine in the present moment. In my winning essay I explained what I have overcome and she respected the honesty and bravery it took for me to share such personal experiences with her and her fans.
The second set began with the emotional Song For My Father and I Will Remember You, which got the whole crowd singing (and crying) along. Sarah then called me up on stage and gave me a hug and kiss. She sat me down on her personal red velvet couch and we talked and took pictures together. I had 20 minutes on stage with Sarah and enjoyed every minute of it as she performed Fear and her #1 hits Sweet Surrender and Possession.
She finished the show with the extremely touching Angel and there was not a dry eye in the house.
