REVIEW: Sarah McLachlan + Feist at the Walmart AMP

If you love women in rock, the Walmart AMP was the place to be on July 2nd, as Sarah McLachlan and Feist took the stage in summer heat. While both performers dominated their eras (90s and late 00s respectively), the music sounded timeless.

Feist opened the show. Having collaborated with the likes of Broken Social Scene and Peaches, the Canadian singer/songwriter has long been a force in music. The four-time Grammy nominee dug deep into her catalogue ignoring her 2017 album, Pleasure. She opened with “The Bad in Each Other” followed by “The Circle Carried the Line,” both from 2011’s Metals. She performed “Hiding Out in the Open” from last year’s Multitudes.

While many artists love to play the new stuff, Feist didn’t forget the albums that made her famous—The Reminder and Let It Die. Much of the set featured songs from The Reminder such as “My Moon My Man,” “The Water,” “I Feel It All,” “The Limit of Your Love” and “1234,” the latter of which skyrocketed her into pop music zeitgeist after appearing in an iPod Nano commercial. From Let It Die, she performed the album opener “Gatekeeper,” the catchy-as-hell “Mushaboom” and closed her set with the album’s title track.

Having been a long-time fan who’s never had the chance to see her perform, this was a treat. She mentioned this was her first time in Arkansas, but name-dropped some of her family’s roots in Missouri (her father is from the U.S.). The band was tight and she put on a fantastic show, replying solely on her voice and melodies instead of fancy stagecraft to hold the audience’s attention on a steamy Tuesday evening.

McLachlan closed out the evening. The tour was in celebration of the 30th anniversary of Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. The 1993 album brought her stardom in music circles in the United States after being an established performer back home in Canada. McLachlan opened the evening with two of her biggest hits from the Grammy-winning Surfacing—“Sweet Surrender” and “Building a Mystery,” both of which were everywhere on late ‘90s pop radio. She performed many of her other popular tracks including “I Will Remember You” and “Adia,” the latter she confessed was about being in a relationship with her best friend’s ex. After ten songs, McLachlan played Fumbling Towards Ecstasy in its entirety before closing with an encore of “Gravity” and “Angel,” the closing tune having garnered a level of vitality due to its use in an ASPCA commercial.

McLachlan remains as talented and charming as when she graced the stages during the Lilith Fair tour. Despite the heat, this show was certainly worth the wait.