Sarah McLachlan • Allison Russell • July 30, 2026 • Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe
There are certain artists whose music seems to age alongside us. Sarah McLachlan is one of those artists. Her songs have been part of weddings, breakups, quiet nights, road trips, and countless personal milestones. Hearing these songs performed live can feel like revisiting pieces of your own life. I have very specific memories of being both introduced to her music and moments where her music was a soundtrack of sorts to certain moments in life.
Memories flooded back when McLachlan took the stage at Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre. She delivered an evening filled with powerful vocals, beautiful melodies, and the kind of emotional honesty that has defined her career for decades. Allison Russell opened the night. It was a nice pairing of two artists who understand how music can connect with an audience on a deeply personal level.
Allison Russell
Allison Russell got the evening started with a performance that immediately established a warm and soulful atmosphere. I should have used the adjective hot, but that would be describing the temperature. Allison took the stage when the sun was blasting the stage. She didn’t seem affected and performed her set beautifully. Her music brought its own blend of energy and vulnerability to the stage, giving the crowd a strong introduction before McLachlan took over.
None of this comes as a surprise to us here at UCR. We had the opportunity to see Russell back in 2024 when she opened for Hozier. She left an impression on us then that we did not forget. When we saw that she would be supporting McLachlan, we knew the audience was in for a great tandem of artists.
Russell evenly blended songs from her album The Returner and her latest release, In the Hour of Chaos. Despite the heat and being an opening artist, Allison Russell did an amazing job of engaging with the crowd. I could see many people had arrived early to catch her set. I also noticed people, as they were arriving, asking friends if they knew who was performing because they loved what they were hearing. It was clear to me that Russell gained quite a few fans on the night.
Sarah McLachlan
When Sarah McLachlan took the stage, the sun had gone down and so had the hot temps. Utah First Amphitheatre was a much more intimate setting than it normally feels like. It was fun to see people’s excitement watching the headliner walk out.
She opened with “Better Broken,” the title track from her latest release. This set the tone for a night that would move seamlessly between reflective ballads, radio favorites, and songs that have become staples of her catalog. “Hold On” and “Possession” followed, and it didn’t take long for the audience to settle into the comfort of hearing these songs live.
McLachlan shared that she felt like there were so many forces trying to pull us apart, stating that “Music is one of the last places where we can come together regardless of our social, political, or religious beliefs. Being in union with each other and being reminded of our shared humanity. I think a lot of people are struggling and continue to struggle. It’s important to reach out. Small gestures can mean so much. Just asking if someone’s ok or giving someone a hug when they look like they could use it. So I guess this is kind of my hug for everybody. ” She went on to perform “Only Human.”
That song off of Better Broken was hugged by some huge hits of Sarah’s. “Adia” and “I Will Remember You” came just before it, and following “Only Human” was “Building a Mystery.” It feels needless to say, and yet I want to emphasize that this was a very strong part of the set. The stories behind the songs were interesting and honest, and the memories the fans had with these songs were evident.
It surprised me when I realized that Sarah McLachlan has been around for quite some time now. Much of that shock is due to her voice sounding as clear and strong as it always has. Never once did I think, “Oh, she’s losing her voice with this one. Or she might need to drop this a half step so she can hit the notes.” Never happened. She could have recorded this concert and released it as a live album without editing anything. I was very impressed by how much her voice has stayed intact.
“World on Fire” added another dimension to the set, followed by “One in a Long Line,” “Sweet Surrender” and “The Last to Go.” Sarah did a great job with the setlist. She featured seven songs off of “Better Broken.” Some might think that’s one or two new songs too many. But they fit right in the set. She explained the history behind the songs which made the fans interested in what she was about to play. Seven new songs might have been a lot if the songs weren’t good. But she can still definitely write good songs.
The latter portion of the main set was particularly strong. “Elsewhere” and “Ice Cream” offered moments of warmth and nostalgia before “If This Is the End…” led into “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy.” The latter was a fitting choice to close the main portion of the show, bringing together the emotional intensity and musical beauty that had characterized the entire evening.
The encore began with “Gravity,” followed by what was arguably the night’s most universally recognizable moment: “Angel.” You could hear a pin drop when McLachlan performed this song. Wow. I know this song has been used in commercials and in satirical social posts. But it’s an amazing song, and it pierces the soul. I look forward to hearing her perform it each time I’ve seen her live. I noticed fans tearing up. Others embracing the person next to them. It was an emotional moment, and everyone there has a story and connection with this song. I feel like Sarah McLachlan knows this and treated the moment with the tenderness it deserved.
“Fear” brought the evening to its conclusion, giving fans one final reminder of just how expansive her music can be. What I couldn’t believe, and what I heard many others discuss on their way out, was why she sang this song last. It seems so difficult to sing. Don’t get me wrong, it was flawlessly performed. So the answer is probably she sang it last because she knows she can. But I couldn’t believe she could sing that strong all the way to the final note. Again, impressive.
What made the concert work so well wasn’t simply the strength of the setlist. It was the feeling that McLachlan wasn’t merely performing songs from different points in her career; she was taking the audience through moments. Moments of when she wrote these songs and why she wrote them. And Moments when we first got to hear them. For some people it was at this show. And I believe they left Utah First Ampitheatre like the rest of us. Moved and blown away by what we had seen.