Sarah McLachlan and Feist brought breezy summer nostalgia to Starlight

July 2, 2024

Andrew Dodderidge,

Sarah McLachlan. // photo by Andrew Dodderidge

Sarah McLachlan
with Feist
Starlight Theatre
Sunday, June 9

Both Feist and Sarah McLachlan had headlined KC’s Starlight Theatre before Sunday, June 9, an early summer double-bill that ravished those who have a soft spot for McLachlan’s ‘93 gem Fumbling Towards Ecstasy.

Leslie Feist’s previous stop in KC was nearly 16 years back, a date she also played on a Sunday night, this one with Juana Molina. The indie pop sensation was just coming off her biggest success thus far in her short career with the certified gold, The Reminder, which earned her four Grammy nominations and featured the ‘mastercraft’ single “1234”—known as the “iPod Nano song.” Did it fit on the album? Who cares?

Her previous trip to the center of the country came in a double bill for herself, where she opened for her main band Broken Social Scene in 2005 at The Granada in Lawrence, just after the release of their third, self-titled album, coming after the exquisite success of You Forgot It in People.

Feist. // photo by Andrew Dodderidge

Now, she’s moved on, and made a point early on in her ‘24 set that this was going to be a chiller kind of night, but it was up to everybody what exactly was going to go down.

“If you want rock n’ roll, we can do rock n’ roll,” said Feist, shortly after opening number “Mushaboom,” off Let It Die.

Other than a failed attempt to divide the audience between Kansas and Missourians for the bridge singalong on “1234”—which is actually a cover from Australian singer Sally Seltmann of New Buffalo—which resulted in varying degrees of participation, there was a warm warmth felt throughout the 55-minute excursion.

No showy theatrics that Feist has become known for throughout her career (she famously crawled up into the fetal position during a COVD show just three years back), with her two pink Ms on the bottom of her guitar – resembling mountains – giving off a sense of calm amidst the anticipation for McLachlan.

The concept for Feist’s shows (and she’s played a lot) during her Multitudes era has aimed at a more traditional and intimate affair, typically for smaller audiences, so to combine that same energy with six cuts from her most commercial successes (Let It Die, which just turned 20, and The Reminder) surely came as an experiment, paying off in some areas and leaving room for error in others. A cover of Lucinda Williams’ “Fruits of My Labor” took up some of that room, stopping and starting again about a minute into the classic track.

“Lucinda Williams would’ve done it better, but we’re gonna do it half as good,” she said, prefacing the cut.

Next, McLachlan.

McLachlan began her encore with a brand new cut titled “Gravity,” which initially garnered excitement from the nearly packed, probably 7,000-person crowd—including yours truly—but that excitement slowly faltered after 12 straight, really solid tunes, leaning more towards the quality of her latest work, Shine On, an LP that seems to be just going through the motions 27 years in.

The singer-songwriter – who was dealing with a strong cold and drinking what I think was tea throughout the elongated 24-song set, but still on her “MJ Flu Game” in the vocal department – has always relied on singles, like the set closer “Angel” or Surfacing sister “Building a Mystery” or the giant Toy Story hit “When She Loved Me,” usually a signature of an artist without a complete discography, but Fumbling’s status and consistent quality—heard quite well on this breezy Sunday night – breaks that tired trend. Her charm may also be another reason people love her so.

Whether it be her comments about her 20-year-old daughter telling her to change outfits in the middle of the set because she was not impressed with her presentation, or a story of McLachlan beginning to date her best friend’s ex (everybody lost it), her comfortability as a performer, a life advice coach, and an example of an established celebrity wanting to use her money for the greater good (something she preached in the middle of Fumbling) tightens the window of doubt of her relevancy.

All photos by Andrew Dodderidge

Sarah McLachlan

Sarah McLachlan 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 (new song)
Angel

Feist

Feist setlist
Mushaboom
So Sorry
A Man Is Not His Song
My Moon My Man
Hiding Out in the Open
Fruits of My Labor (Lucinda Williams cover)
The Water
In Lightning
1234
Let It Die

Categories: Music