Photos: Sarah McLachlan celebrates 30 years of 'Fumbling Towards Ecstasy' in Chicago - Rebellious Magazine
On June 11, Sarah McLachlan brought the Fumbling Towards Ecstasy 30th Anniversary Tour to Huntington Bank Pavilion in Chicago. Sarah McLachlan celebrated the 30th anniversary of her studio album, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, with a special tour in Chicago. The event was held at the Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island in Chicago and featured live music by the lake. The album, which was a look at complicated romances, peaceful love, and self-discovery, included songs like "Possession," "Good Enough," "Hold On," and "Ice Cream". McLachland shared her thoughts about her songwriting process and her love for the record. The concert was attended by local singer-songwriter Annalee, who was unable to perform due to illness. $1 of every ticket sold during the event was donated to charity.
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Back in October of 1993, Sarah McLachlan released her now-iconic studio album, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. With songs like “Possession,” “Good Enough,” “Hold On,” and “Ice Cream” on the tracklist, the album was – and still is – a refreshing look at complicated romances, peaceful love, and self-discovery.
In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, McLachlan set-off on a special tour – fueled by love, positivity, and harmony – which stopped at the Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island in Chicago on June 11. It was an absolutely beautiful night to enjoy live music by the lake as groups of girlfriends, couples in love, and fans of introspective songwriting came together to sing along with hits that have served as the soundtrack to their lives for three decades.
“That’s my favorite record,” said McLachlan early in the “Fumbling” section of the show. “It was such an easy, joyful record to make. Usually, making records, writing songs is kind of like extracting blood from a stone. Not so much the music, but the lyrics. I really toil over them. It doesn’t come naturally, but that record [did].”
The “Fumbling” portion was certainly the main course of the evening, but McLachlan and her incredible band – including Luke Doucet, Melissa McClelland, Lyle Workman, Matt Star, and Vincent Leslie Jones – built the anticipation by beginning the show with a collection of McLachlan’s biggest hits. “Sweet Surrender,” “Building a Mystery,” and “I Will Remember You” kicked-off the performance, while later the tender lyrics of “Song for My Father” and the thumping build of “World on Fire” gave the musicians a chance to explore their range.
Throughout the set, McLachlan shared a bit about her songwriting process, what inspired her lyrics, and how the music continues to resonate within her soul. Before playing “Adia,” the timeless single from 1997’s Surfacing, she confessed that the song was inspired by the aftermath of the experience of falling in love with her best friend’s ex, which led to over a year of estrangement between the friends who later reconciled and are still close to this day.
“I crossed a line that you’re never supposed to cross. I fell in love with my best friend’s ex. Yeah, shit got real. On one hand, as this door swung open and there was no closing it, there was this epic beautiful love there, but on the other side, I was really hurting my friend. I was young and dumb and didn’t handle it very well and she was obviously upset for good reason,” McLachlan explained, later adding, “So thankfully, she took me back and she forgave me which I’m ever grateful for, but the next song is the early stages of the aftermath of all that. In the young and dumb part.”
McLachlan has always wielded her music as a force for good. Whether she was lending her song “Angel” to the ASPCA to help raise awareness to the plight of mistreated animals or launching Lilith Fair back in the mid-nineties in defiance of misogynistic industry practices, McLachlan finds ways for music to be a remedy to any given situation.
Throughout the Fumbling Towards Ecstasy Anniversary Tour, $1 of every ticket sold benefits the Sarah McLachlan School of Music, a music and mentorship program for kids and youth facing barriers to access, which McLachlan founded in Vancouver over 20 years ago. Building on the benevolent power of music, McLachlan explained that she likens the communal aspect of concert-going to that of attending church.
She said, “The world is so divided and crazy and fucked up right now and yet I feel like music is one of the last places where we can all come together despite perhaps coming from different walks of life, different religious or political beliefs. Tonight we can all just be here together and be part of this beautiful energy that’s all about love and positivity.
Earlier in the night, local singer-songwriter Annalee filled in for Feist who was unable to perform due to illness. Annalee delighted during her opening set sharing original songs as well as covers from the likes of Joni Mitchell and Neil Young.
Check out photos from Sarah McLachlan’s June 11 show in Chicago below and click here to pick-up tickets to future Northerly Island concerts. More information can be found at Sarahmclachlan.com.