Resurfacing - After a few years out of the public eye, Sarah McLachlan is back on the road touring. Last night, Kevin and I went to her Sacramento concert. It's the fourth time I've seen Sarah live, and hearing her in person reaffirms for me just how remarkable her voice is. Perhaps feeling slightly guilty for not devoting much attention to her fans, Sarah put on an astoundingly long and thorough show, two full hours without a break, featuring all but two of the tracks from her most recent album plus highlights from "Surfacing" and "Fumbling for Ecstasy." Most people seemed surprised that she came back after 90 minutes to continue with a five-song encore. The soaring vocals and incredible enthusiasm of the band kept the largely lesbian crowd excited throughout the show.

However, her set list felt too safe to me. She could have done something to really shake up one of her classic songs. Alternatively, she could have added a version of the Delerium remix on which she was featured or sung the theme from Toy Story 2. I did appreciate the fact that McLachlan appeared to consciously vary the vocal arrangements the songs she performed that also appeared her live album, "Mirrorball." And while the backup singer did a fine job last night, I really missed the vocals provided by Camille Henderson whose staggeringly good voice made many of the songs on "Mirrorball" so memorable. It was a great show for Sarah fanatics, but I'm not sure how much excitement would be generated for a casual fan.

By the way, this was the first time I'd been to Arco Arena in probaly 5 years. The place is a dump! Dirty floors and crappy seats didn't make for the most enjoyable concert. No wonder there is so much talk about building a new arena. I'm fully supportive of that plan...that is, as long as it doesn't involve any public financing.