As the new documentary Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery on Hulu revisits how Sarah McLachlan’s women-led festival reshaped ’90s music, her recent set at The Anthem brought that legacy home in the most powerful way: live.
And while there was plenty of the material from those long-ago salad days, when I was just a spry young pup and Lilith Fair was touring across the nation, this wasn’t just a nostalgia show: We got plenty of songs from the album McLachlan released earlier this year.
One striking element in this show was just front-and-center, and completely unapologetic, was its feminism. Introducing one of the new songs, “World on Fire,” Sarah talked about how upset she was when Roe vs. Wade was overturned. Before playing “The Last to Go,” she spoke forthrightly about the challenges of being a successful woman when it comes thaso relationships with men.
But at The Anthem on Nov. 16, McLachlan wasn’t confrontational or angry — she talked about how optimistic she is when she played “If This Is the End” at the close of her set (and referencing the movie On The Beach, starring Gregory Peck), but she didn’t water down her opinions. It’s refreshing to see that in this day, when so-called protest singers often fail to have any real viewpoint at all. Sarah definitely has a viewpoint, and she delivers it with poise and honesty.
Speaking of honesty, McLachlan is, in the tradition of singer-songwriters, willing to confront her own faults. She said she hasn’t really talked about the story behind “Adia,” because it doesn’t paint her in the most favorable light. The song is about falling in love with her best friend’s ex. Many years later, that guy is out of the picture, and they’re still friends. In her encore, she talked about how she’d gone to counseling to improve her communication and relationship with her daughter. I commend her for this: My parents’ approach was to just yell more and louder, which I don’t recommend. Sarah wrote “Gravity,” which she performed solo on the piano, as a love song for her daughter.
Watch the official music video for “Gravity” by Sarah McLachlan on YouTube:
To start the show, Sarah came out alone and sat down at the piano. She said, “I get to represent your being of your still-friendly neighbors to the north,” then got things off to a strong start with the title track from the new album, Better Broken. Between that one and her classic “Possession,” she talked about how, just a few weeks ago, she wrapped up the Fumbling Toward Ecstasy anniversary tour. She did another new one, “Only Human,” which is about “the fragile state of the world and how we all need to help each other,” before the band joined her during “I Will Remember You.”
After “Adia,” things moved right along with “Building a Mystery,” which I’ve heard her say was inspired by time spent in New Orleans. She wrote “Reminds Me” after going down a “Yellowstone rabbit hole” during Covid. The set continued with “Wait” and “Train Wreck.” For “Answer,” the rest of the band provided backing vocals while Sarah played the piano. The main set also included “Sweat Surrender,” “Fear,” Rivers of Love,” “Ice Cream,” and “Fumbling Toward Ecstasy.” In addition to “Gravity,” for her encore, she did “Rise” and finished with “Angel.” That one is a little rough for me; it’s been used for a long time by the ASPCA in their commercials, and I get super emotional about pets, especially dogs. What can I say? I’m a mushball.
More than three decades into her career, Sarah’s voice is still a phenomenal instrument. As evidenced by the material she shared from the new album, she’s still writing great songs. We’ve all been on this ride for some time, and we hope we don’t have to get off any time soon.
Here are some photos of Sarah McLachlan performing live at The Anthem on Nov. 16, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of James Todd Miller.
