In 1993, Sarah McLachlan released her third studio album, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, a work that catapulted the Canadian singer-songwriter to wider mainstream recognition, especially in the U.S. At a time when grunge and alternative rock were the rage, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy’s introspective hybrid of folk and pop augmented by McLachlan’s lustrous voice provided a noticeable counterpoint. Its lyrics run the gamut of emotions – love, darkness, fear, loneliness, melancholy, resiliency, hope – all of which easily explains why the record resonated with fans then and now,
Thirty years later, McLachlan is celebrating Fumbling’s milestone anniversary on her current North American tour, playing all the songs from the record from start to finish. She and her band did exactly that when they appeared at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall in front of a sold-out audience Monday evening. For two hours, the show made the fans fall in love with the record and the singer once again.
In the first half of the show, which could be deemed as the “hits-plus-more,” McLachlan kicked off the proceedings with the driving “Sweet Surrender” off of her 1997 album Surfacing, followed by her other well-known songs including “Building a Mystery,” “Adia” and “I Will Remember You.” The segment also included some deep cuts from her subsequent albums Afterglow (“Drifting” and “World on Fire”) and Shine On (“Song for My Father” and “Beautiful Girl”).
Right after a beautiful and soulful rendition of “Witness,” McLachlan and the band went headlong into the performance of the Fumbling Towards Ecstasy album, starting with the haunting “Possession,” the breakthrough single inspired by McLachlan’s experience with an obsessed fan. From there, it was a stroll down memory lane song after song for chose who cherished the album, from the reflective balladry of “Wait,” “Ice,” “Elsewhere” and “Hold On” to the uptempo-sounding “Circle” and “Plenty.” Like the original album, the show reached its maximum climax with the lush and and dramatic “Fear” and the defiant and hopeful title song.
McLachlan returned for the encore on the grand piano in which she previewed a new ballad titled “Gravity” (she is currently working on her next record). The night concluded properly with the lovely “Angel,” which has since become the singer’s signature number.
While her songs carry heavy emotional weight at times, McLachlan was in lighthearted – even humorous – spirits during her banter with the Radio City audience between songs. The performance of the song “Ice Cream,” a popular singalong that involves the crow participation, Overall, the mood of the show provided a sense of community and comfort at a time when things feel divisive across the world.
Accompanied by a terrific cast of backing musicians — among them Melissa McClelland on bass and vocals — McLachlan was in superb form at the Radio City show. Her singing hadn’t diminished at all in the 30 years since the release of Fumbling, as evident of her performance of “Fear,” in which she truly scaled those high notes.
The importance of Fumbling Towards Ecstasy in the context of McLachlan’s career cannot be overstated: it created the path to McLachlan’s greater success with her next album Surfacing and Lilith Fair, the festival that she co-created, in 1997. “I love this record,” she told the Radio City audience about Fumbling. “I was single, I had no kids…just unencumbered and I could completely sequester myself away in the woods and live, eat and breathe music all day long.” As demonstrated by this show, it’s understandable why the singer felt that way about Fumbling Towards Ecstasy — it remains her definitive work.
Setlist
Sweet Surrender
Building a Mystery
I Will Remember You
Drifting
Song for My Father
World on Fire
Adia
Beautiful Girl
Answer
Witness
Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
Possession
Wait
Plenty
Good Enough
Mary
Elsewhere
Circle
Ice
Hold On
Ice Cream
Fear
Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
Encore:
Gravity
Angel
