Artpark fans were treated to a masterful performance of Sarah McLachlan’s “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy” Tuesday night. The album, released 30 years ago, is not McLachlan’s most popular, but it is the one that firmly established her as an artist and laid the groundwork for what has been an extraordinary career. On one of the hottest June nights in recent memory, the McLachlan faithful came out in droves.
There was measured excitement throughout the venue, and even with the weather conditions, fans were milling around pre-concert in a great mood, even as they waited patiently in line for concessions or to get into the venue. Feist, a Canadian singer-songwriter, opened the show shortly after 7 p.m.
and performed a dozen songs, with four from her 2007 breakthrough album, “The Reminder.” Feist and her band were a joy to watch, especially as she seamlessly swapped out guitars between songs, fighting the heat and humidity to keep them in tune. She closed with a fantastic rendition of “1234.
” McLachlan appeared onstage to a massive ovation at 8:20 p.m. Dressed all in white, she launched into three of her biggest hits, “Sweet Surrender,” “Building a Mystery,” and “I Will Remember You.
” From the first note, the crowd was mesmerized, and even the people recording with their cell phones kept them low enough not to provide a huge distraction. “Father’s Day” was an early highlight in the show, as McLachlan shared some beautiful memories of her father. McLachl.