Few artists have remained as immediately recognizable over the course of three decades as Sarah McLachlan. With ten studio albums to her name and a catalog that helped define the singer-songwriter landscape of the 1990s, her songs have always drawn listeners inward through intimacy, vulnerability, and remarkable vocal control. Or, maybe they’re just drawn by her voice and the beautiful melodies. Fans of either or both were treated to a phenomenal showcase on the second stop of her 2026 Better Broken tour, her first album of new material in over ten years.
Given her decades of activism, Peter Gabriel’s rendition of Bowie’s “Heroes” served as a fitting prelude before McLachlan and her band quietly took the stage. (“We can be heroes, just for one day.”)
The production matched the music throughout the evening. Candles adorned her piano while understated lighting provided warmth and atmosphere without ever becoming a distraction. Everything about the presentation directed attention where it belonged: McLachlan and her songs.
Early in the performance, she acknowledged the obvious. “It’s really warm,” she observed, referring to Atlanta’s summer heat and humidity. Then, smiling, she added, “This feels good,” referring not to the weather but her warmth for performing to a live audience.
Unlike artists who offer little more than a quick “thank you” between songs, McLachlan introduced more than half of the set, sharing the relationships and life events that inspired them. The themes, by her admission, are often sad and depressing, so when she joked that she finally had a “feel good” song to share, longtime fans probably knew “Ice Cream” was next on the list.
But some of those sad stories are interesting as well. McLachlan laid bare the story behind “Adia,” recounting how she fell in love with her best friend’s former boyfriend, costing her that friendship. Years later, Adia reached out, and after marriages, divorces, and children, McLachlan now counts that restored friendship one of her great joys.
McLachlan also spoke briefly about the three music schools she founded, programs serving more than 1,000 children and youth facing a variety of challenges. Equally telling was her note that she personally covers every administrative expense, ensuring donations go directly toward music education rather than overhead. “Heroes,” right?
Given the tour name, McLachlan started with the title track and interspersed six other songs throughout the set, including the encore. They were good and enjoyable but obviously less familiar than the trove of hits she released from 1993 to 2003. Smartphones found their first of many upliftings during “Possession,” but the audience often became part of the performance singing along, best heard during the quieter passages of “I Will Remember You.”
For those who have never seen McLachlan live or saw her many years before, fear not. Time has been kind to McLachlan’s voice. It remains every bit as rich, expressive, and nuanced as listeners remember from her landmark recordings. That was perhaps most evident during “Sweet Surrender,” where her remarkable control allowed her to stretch the “sweet” in the title with delicate breathiness and precise phrasing, drawing every ounce of emotion from that single word.
Musically, the band proved the perfect complement to McLachlan’s songs. Guitarist Luke Doucet was especially noteworthy, adding tasteful embellishments throughout the evening while stepping forward when the music invited it. His extended outro solo on “The Last to Go,” which McLachlan introduced as reflecting on her difficult relationship with her mother, provided one of the night’s most memorable instrumental moments.
Later, she admitted she had never really written a protest song while introducing a new song, “If This Is the End…,” calling it the closest she had come. She explained that the song was inspired by Gregory Peck’s film On the Beach, in which humanity quietly awaits inevitable radiation death. With a broad smile, she confessed, “It’s joyful for me to sing these songs.” It wasn’t exactly a joyful song.
That contrast may define Sarah McLachlan as a songwriter. Few artists write so consistently about loss, tested relationships, and regret while presenting those emotions captured in such beautiful arrangements. Better Broken proves that nearly thirty-five years into her career, she remains one of popular music’s most gifted interpreters of beautiful sadness. The Better Broken tour continues through August in the U.S.
Setlist:
Encore:
