An Ecstatic Anniversary

Sarah McLachlan is touring this summer, 30 years after the release of 'Fumbling Towards Ecstasy,' the album that made her a star

- DAVID CHIU

"PEOPLE KEPT SAYING, 'DO YOU KNOW IT'S GOING to be 30 years? You need to do a tour.' I [said], 'No, it's not been 30 years.' I did the math, and I was like, 'Oh my gosh.' Then I talked to my management. They're like, 'Yeah, you should do a tour. Let's do it."

In recalling the making of her third album, 1993's Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, Sarah McLachlan had no initial thoughts that it would be her breakthrough. Rather, she remembers the period of writing and recording as a time of a new personal outlook. "I was unencumbered," she tells Newsweek. "I was single for the first time in my adult life for a good chunk of time. I just felt very free. It felt like a joyful light process."

McLachlan had established herself in her native Canada with her sophomore album, 1991's Solace, but Fumbling was the work that really introduced her to a wider audience, especially in the U.S. where the record has since sold 3 million copies. Followed by diligent touring, Fumbling was the prelude for McLachlan's mainstream success a few years later with her next record Surfacing and the launch of the Lilith Fair festival that she co-founded.

The idea of celebrating Fumbling via this new tour came from people McLachlan knew who reminded her about its approaching milestone. To mark the record's anniversary, McLachlan is embarking on a North American tour that will see her perform the album from start to finish, beginning May 23 in Vancouver. A dollar per ticket will go to the nonprofit Sarah McLachlan School of Music that provides free music education for kids.

Opening for her tour will be two fellow Canadian musicians, Feist and Allison Russell. "I've tried to have other women open up for me or play with other women," McLachlan says. "And this is a wonderful opportunity to get to know them better, to hear their music. I'm a huge fan of both of their music."

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