Yesterday’s birthday girl, Sarah Mclachlan (she turned 55 in case you were wondering) was busy showing again why she was given the Order of Canada. And that the message of Live Aid lived on two decades later. On this day in 2005, she headlined a concert at GM Place in her adopted hometown of Vancouver that she’d hastily arranged along with Nettwerk Records boss Terry McBride. It was to raise funds for charities helping victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami which had occurred a month earlier.
Sarah was winding down her tour and promotion for the late-’03 album Afterglow but had done a set on Good Morning America the previous week. She had, of course, experience setting up multi-star concerts through her involvement in the successful Lilith Fairs or the late-’90s.
A sell out crowd of 18 000 turned out to see the event, including according to local newspaper the Georgia Strait, an “older portion…dressed in their Sunday best.” The crowd was “bitch-free” according to the newspaper, with only one police officer, a female patrolling the arena halls “eating an overpriced hot dog” seen. Sets included ones from Avril Lavigne, Sum 41, the Barenaked Ladies (whom apparently “drew the largest applause and brought everyone to their feet”) , Raine Maida (of Our Lady Peace) and his wife Chantal Kreviazuk and perhaps most surprisingly, comic Robin Williams “resplendent in a crimson suit” were on before Sarah’s set. the four hour event was event hosted by TV comics Brent Butt and Rick Mercer and . The show raised over a million dollars (about $3 million by some accounts) and she did it again two nights later in Calgary. The event took place a week after a similar and even larger benefit concert in Wales drew 66 000 to see a lineup headlined by Eric Clapton, with Jools Holland and Manic Street Preachers among others on the bill.
A Sound Day 
Sarah McLachlan is still young. For some reason, I thought she would be well into her ’60s. That said, I only know a handful of her songs I heard on the radio and never followed her. I’ve always liked her vocals. “Angel” and “I Will Remember You” are pleasant tunes.
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Definitely one of the better female voices in pop/rock, I think by any standard. She might seem older because she started her career quite young and seemed to have virtually retired, recording wise, by the time she was about 35… not sure why that is.
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I like a lot of her music but the song that hooked me was Building A Mystery…great song and recording. Great thing she did with the benefit concert.
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I need to go back & listen to that song. I know it of course, but you’ve mentioned a few times how well recorded and produced it is. The song ‘Vox’ was the one that really got me, back in the 80s when she was still an indie artist and probably a teenager. Song itself isnt extraordinary but her voice was like something else!
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Oh yea…her voice is something else. I guess the reason I keep bringing it up lol…is cause it’s so good…in every way.
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I’m more with Christian than Max here; know some songs…
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Great voice. Trippy especially on Building A Mystery.
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To me she has the voice Mariah or the late Whitney have, but the knowledge of how to use it as well.
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