October 3, 2026
Back in August I hit three concerts in three days. Sometimes an entire slew of great shows just kind of rain down in the same week, and such was the case when I saw country star Junior Brown Friday, the dancing violinist Lindsey Stirling Saturday, and the Canadian angel Sarah McLachlan Sunday. Who knows? If there had been something else worth listening to on Monday evening, I might have taken in that show as well. Sometimes you just can’t go to enough concerts.
This was the fourth Sarah McLachlan concert I’d seen, and the fourth place I had seen her play live. The first time I saw the lady belt out the tunes was at the Texas Trust CU Theater in Grand Prairie Texas which is a place custom made for performers like McLachlan. Apparently, she had just broke up with her husband back then and was complaining how her daughter was picking up some of her bad language. The next time I saw her play was at the Winstar Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma. I remember that show because the concert was during a North Texas winter storm. A winter storm which I’m sure the Canadian girl laughed at. The third time I saw Sarah was when she stripped down her act to just her and a cellist, and the duo performed at some small, intimate concert hall on the SMU campus in Dallas.
For this fourth McLachlan concert, the lady was playing at the Toyota Music Factory in Irving, Texas. It’s by far the largest place I’ve seen Sarah play, and the place was pretty packed for the Sunday evening. Several years had passed since the first time I had seen Sarah play, but for the present she was taking the stage with Melissa McCelland who had joined her on stage during that first show in Grand Prairie. However, the young daughter who had been picking up Sarah’s bad language is now a young woman in her twenties. Regardless how time might fly, here’s the review I posted for the Sarah McLachlan concert.
SARAH McLACHLAN Toyota Music Factory Irving , Texas July 26, 2026
After seeing my favorite violin player Lindsey Stirling Saturday, I decided to make the trip down to the Toyota Music Factory in Irving, Texas to see my favorite Canadian singer, Sarah McLachlan! Well, I would after I recovered from the shock of having to dish out 55 bucks for parking! That’s more than the ticket to the Stirling concert cost me! For that price I expected to have my oil changed and tires rotated during the concert! The last time I saw McLachlan play was at an auditorium at SMU with only a cello player. This concert was on a bit larger scale, and for this show Sarah brought along fellow Canadian Allison Russell to enchant us with some amazing soul sounds along with a little clarinet. I have to say that I loved the little cheer that her band did before they grabbed their instruments.
I think the last time I saw Sarah McLachlan take the stage she was dressed in jeans and a tee shirt, but for this evening she looked like she was headed off to the academy awards! She’s blonde now too! Not only was she sporting a new look since I saw her last, but a new album as well, and of course she wanted to play some new songs. The lady was almost apologetic every time she pulled out one of her new tunes. However, with her breathy voice that stretches out of the stratosphere she could have pulled out the dictionary and sang through the letter E, and that might have still been worth the 55-dollar parking!
Indeed, the lady’s voice was as silky smooth as the evening gown she was wearing, and as her voice drifted between HOLD ON and POSSESSION, I nearly expected her to break out into Phantom of the Opera. The internet claims she’s a mezzo-soprano, whatever that is, but her flawless drifts into falsetto seem so effortless and natural. Okay, it probably is for her, and the way Sarah shifts from guitar to piano seemed pretty natural as well for the lady.
Like the last three times I had seen Sarah play, she wasn’t shy about spilling out a few personal issues she’s suffered through over the years, such as hooking up with her best friend’s boyfriend. As awkward as that might have been, it provided a great intro to her song ADIA. Of course, at Sarah McLachlan’s shows 70% of the crowd are women, so all of Sarah’s songs tend to turn into a bonding, therapy session of sorts. The ladies behind me were all giddy and laughed at Sarah’s jokes while taking great joy in belting out the lyrics “Beautiful fucked up man!” while singing along with Sarah’s song BUILDING A MYSTERY. I think me and the guy next to me might have been the only two guys in the entire venue who were there by themselves.
However, we could all relate when Sarah said she was overjoyed to play Dallas, because this was the first INDOOR show she’d played in a while. Apparently, the little Canadian is not in love with the Texas heat. However, we were all in love with her voice, and as Sarah sit down at her grand piano and flowed through the tantalizing vocal miracle of ANGEL, I could literally feel chills. If there is a more emotional sounding voice on the planet, I’ve yet to hear it.
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