Divine, Sublime

Saw Sarah McLachlan in concert tonight at the Arena. I do not have proper words to express the feelings I had there, but I will try in my imperfect way. Her voice is astonishingly good, even in an arena. (Brief aside: if I ever hear her in concert singing God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen as she did with The Barenaked Ladies for a Christmas album a few years back, I will probably pass out. Her voice in that song practically brings me to tears. Unlikely to happen, I know.) I have never seen anyone who looks so ecstatic while singing. And she is so fey and beautiful. I have no trouble believing her ancestors came from Britain.

I don't think I breathed much through the show. At one point in the show she did two songs in a row ("Hold On" and "Fear", I think) that so enraptured me that I felt kinda like I was having an endorphin rush and an asthma attack all at the same time. My heart was in a vise and I could feel my throat and sinuses seizing up like I was going to burst into tears at a funeral. But in a good way. I couldn't really clap afterward, I was so drained. I think that was the climax of the show, although it was a gradual comedown.

When she played "Possession" later in the evening, I practically snatched my friend Carl's binoculars out of his lap. It didn't grab me in quite the way her soaring voice had earlier, so I was able get on my feet and clap like a madman afterwards. I love the lyrics on that song so much. And I can still identify with them, though not as much as I did long ago. I still think of the person in question and this song from time to time (usually when I hear it).

They played a sweet version of "Blackbird" for the first encore of two. I guess McCartney was good for something, after all. :-)

Oh and in reference to a question someone asked earlier, she's married to her drummer, not her guitarist.

Man, what a good show. That's easily the high point of my month.

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Listening to: Sweet Surrender from the album Surfacing by Sarah McLachlan