Sarah McLachlan has long been one of my favorite musicians and artists. Surely, she is my favorite female musician, at that. There are others I like and have seen multiple times in concert, like Fiona Apple and Alanis Morrisette, as well as Cindi Lauper (although I only saw her once). But McLachlan is the one whom I listen to the most often, and she is the one I kept checking for more information regarding either new releases or tour dates. Or both.
This year, there happened to be both a new album as well as a tour. Hell, there was even an album signing event, which I was determined not to miss. So this was a great year for Sarah McLachlan, and a great year to be a fan of her and her work.
The show started with her coming out alone, musing that she was going to be her own opening act of sorts. Then she seated herself in front of the piano and played soft versions of two of her songs, Better Broken and Only Human, before playing some chords to her hit I Will Remember You as the rest of her band came out.
She played a rich assortment of songs from her new album - the first in about a decade - as well as quite a few from her older body of work. Of course, these included some of her biggest hits.
As the night progressed, she also shared stories behind some of the songs. That included explaining how Adia was about a friendship which endured some serious trials, as well as explaining how one song from her latest album, Gravity, was written during a difficult time, when her daughter came home different, depressed. Sarah felt that there was a disconnect between the two of them, and this powerful song was a product of those troubled times. This was the first of two songs which she performed for the encore, and once again (for this song only), she was by herself and seated in front of the piano.
Quite typically, McLachlan was friendly throughout the night. Numerous times, audience members screamed out how they loved her. She always responded with a friendly "I love you too," before refocusing the evening on the music.
The final song was not a surprise. Having listened to some live albums and videos of her shows, as well as looked at the setlists, it seems that she often closes with Angel. So it was that this evening also closed out with that iconic song of Sarah McLachlan.
A perfect way to end a very enjoyable evening.
Funny, because she said that her voice was still recovering from being sick, which had forced her to cancel, or at least postpone, some of the Canadian shows for the tour. She warned that her voice had not fully recovered, so she might not be able to hit all of the notes that she usually could manage. However, there really was no trace of any sort of limitations that I could detect. Her singing was predictably powerful and amazing.
It made me recall the one and only other time that I had seen her perform in a concert. Yes, I had seen her at the book signing in New York back in September, but that was not a concert. The only other time that I managed to see one of her shows was all the way back in December of 1997, at the Z-100 Jungle Ball at Madison Square Garden in New York City. She was one of numerous big name performers that evening, which also included Fiona Apple, Aerosmith, the Wallflowers, Chumbawumba, and some lighter, pop acts like Savage Garden Hanson and 98 Degrees, if memory serves correctly. That was a great concert as well. However, I was really only beginning to get into Sarah McLachlan at that point. And with so many bands on the itinerary, few bands performed more than just a handful of songs. I still felt enormously privileged to have attended the show, but as a fan of Sarah McLachlan, her performance with more or less two hours or so to perform was a lot more rewarding for a fan like me.
Nov 17 2025 Sarah McLachlan Setlist at Metropolitan Opera House, Philadelphia, PA, USA Setlist share setlist:
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/sarah-mclachlan/2025/metropolitan-opera-house-philadelphia-pa-334f6451.html
Better Broken
Only Human
I Will Remember You
Adia
Building a Mystery
Reminds Me
Wait
World on Fire
One in a Long Line
Sweet Surrender
The Last to Go
Answer
Elsewhere
Rivers of Love
Ice Cream
If This Is the End...
Fear
Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
Encore:
Gravity
Angel
Here are a couple of reviews (well, one is more of a weird preview) of this show that I found online and thought would be worth sharing here:
Sarah McLachlan spreads love and positive vibes in Philadelphia by Chris M. Junior November 18, 2025:
The Canadian singer-songwriter, on a brief U.S. tour supporting her Better Broken album, shared personal thoughts and tales in transitioning from one song to the next.
https://www.goldminemag.com/reviews/concert-reviews/sarah-mclachlan-spreads-love-and-positive-vibes-in-philadelphia/
Sarah McLachlan, who has ‘trouble keeping her mouth shut’ in these times, is singing at the Met Philly by Dan DeLuca Published Nov. 15, 2025:
https://www.inquirer.com/entertainment/music/sarah-mclachlan-interview-better-broken-tour-lilith-fair-met-philly-20251115.html
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