Live Review: Sarah M cLachlan, Butterfly Boucher

Serendipity opens Sarah McLachlan’s second Melbourne show in the form of Aussie expat Butterfly Boucher. It’s yet another case of local talent (almost) lost to the States. Adelaide-born Boucher’s confident mix of soft rock and alternative tracks has the local audience wondering how we could have missed her before she relocated across the Pacific in her teens and garnered huge success. If her voice sounds familiar, it’s because her songs have featured on TV shows (Grey’s Anatomy, Charmed) and movie soundtracks (Shrek 2). 

Sarah McLachlan bounds on stage to an electrified reception. Effervescent despite jetlag, she is sweetly engaging and humble from her seat at the high altar – her sleek grand piano. Chatting casually between each track, she reveals much about her private life and the inspirations behind her songwriting. “So I put out a record in May, which I’m really, really proud of,” McLachlan says after starting with the oldie Possession. “There’s been a lot of changes in my life, and writing as a tool for catharsis has really been helpful.” The album, Shine On, catalogues a painful time just four years ago when her father passed away on Christmas Day, her marriage fell apart and she left a long association with her record company “all in the space of three days”.  She sings Broken Heart and is joined on stage midway by her band members, including Boucher on bass guitar. Global awareness also seeps into her latest album, particularly in In Your Shoes, which is inspired by the courage of Nobel Peace Prize co-winner Malala Yousafzai.

An elderly couple in the audience sway their arms up high. Some nod along in their seats. McLachlan doesn’t keep the faithful waiting long, as she liberally sprinkles her stalwarts Building A Mystery, Adia, Hold On and I Will Remember You throughout the setlist. In a self-deprecating manner – which only makes her more endearing – McLachlan acknowledges that she revels in darkness beneath her beaming façade. Before launching into a slower rendition of Sweet Surrender, she chirps, “I don’t have a lot of fast material, let’s be honest here. They’re all slow and depressing! But I’ve been through all of those times and, holy shit! Do I feel better now!” A brief Q&A halfway through sees her pulling questions from her hat and hugging four lucky fans onstage. She reveals that Angel is her favourite song and explains that she wrote it during a low point in her life and in emphatic response to the death by heroin overdose of Smashing Pumpkins drummer, Jimmy Chamberlin.

Although McLachlan’s vocals are just as pristine and enigmatic as in her earliest albums, she attempts to liven up some of her older tracks – such as Angel and Ice Cream – with the aid of Boucher on back-up vocals. Purists may be a little disappointed, but rest assured that the night still wholly belongs to McLachlan, the cheeriest of emo queens.