McLachlan Surfaces to a Richer Level

Don’t worry about Sarah McLachlan being tripped up by the elevation from cult figure to cultural figurehead that came with her role as creator of the summer’s Lilith Fair showcase of female pop artists. Some have found such a move suffocating, but on Saturday at the Universal Amphitheatre, the Canadian singer-songwriter gave plenty of evidence that she has found it liberating.

It should be no surprise--exploring the razor’s edge between suffocating and liberating passions is her artistic stock in trade. And the material performed Saturday from her recent album “Surfacing” only adds to the poetic richness of her best work.

Most striking may have been “I Love You,” a haunting lament of words unsaid and emotions unsayable. As simple and potentially trite as that subject may be, McLachlan and her six-member band (equally adept at powerful dynamics and graceful nuances) swathed the song in sheets of atmosphere that made it sound like a great lost ‘50s ballad heard in a fevered dream. David Lynch could make terrific use of this song.

The key clue to how she is handling icon status, though, was the way she was genuinely embarrassed when a man--and later a woman--shouted, “Sarah, I love you!” Even after spending most of this decade cultivating a relationship with fans that inspires deep identification and attachment, McLachlan continues to be, in turn, surprised and inspired by it. As long as that’s true, she’ll be just fine no matter what heights she climbs.