Sarah McLachlan
Avalon Ballroom (inside Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort)
Niagara Falls, Ontario
November 9, 2017
Review by Kevin Barrie
On Thursday, November 9th, Sarah McLachlan performed at the Avalon Ballroom Theatre inside Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls, Canada. Sarah opened the show in an unassuming fashion, walking to her piano, greeting the audience, and performing the song Possession in a solo piano/vocal rendition. She was performing to a full house of appreciative and enthusiastic fans.
Her band joined her for the second song, and remained with her for the majority of the show. The band consisted of the husband-wife duo who often perform together as Whitehorse, and who have performed with Sarah frequently in the past, along with drummer Johnny “O”, performing his first show with Sarah.
The relaxed and informal atmosphere established with the first song remained for the rest of the evening, as many songs were performed in stripped-down versions compared to previous’ tours performances, which had fuller backing bands. Sarah spoke frequently to the audience, remarking more than once that even though many of her songs seemed depressing, the song-writing process and its results were very cathartic for her.
Sarah’s most recent release is 2016’s Christmas/Holiday album Wonderland, her second holiday-themed album, after 2006’s Wintersong.Sarah did not perform any of the songs from either of these albums, aside from the Joni Mitchell cover River. She did, however, perform five songs from her most recent studio album featuring original material, 2014’s Shine On.
Sarah performed a second night at the Avalon Ballroom Theatre on November 10th.
BAND:
Melissa McClelland (bass, keyboards, background vocals)
Luke Doucet (Guitar)
Johnny “O” (Drums)
SETLIST:
Possession
I Will Remember You
In Your Shoes
Building a Mystery
Adia
Beautiful Girl
World on Fire
Elsewhere
River (Joni Mitchell cover)
Rivers of Love
Fallen
Loving You Is Easy
Monsters
Song for My Father
Angel
ENCORE:
Sweet Surrender
Ice Cream
The Sound That Love Makes
All photos by Paul Barrie
©2017. Please DO NOT copy or use without permission.
