I didn't know much about Sarah McLachlan before I bouth this CD, but now after listening to it for several months, she is one of my favorites. I wonder if it's because I heard this live album first, but when I listen to the studio albums, I don't think the songs are nearly as good as they are here. The studio versions I found somewhat wooden and cold by comparison, but live a great amount of emotion comes though. Sarah's voice is incredibly expressive and she gives flawless performances. It's really impressive for someone to sound so good live, and I like that she doesn't hide her voice behind tons of effects and other instruments. Gee she plays guitar and piano very nicely too, what more do you want? I also get the idea from how she interacts with the crowd that she's a genuinely nice person too. Maybe you don't care but it makes me appreciate her even more.

The production is very good, so you will not feel like you are compromising quality. I feel it's one of the best-sounding live albums I've heard, right up there with Supertramp's "Paris", Dire Straits' "Alchemy", and Joe Jackson's "Big World". Originally I only liked a few songs on this album. I'm glad I gave a few of the "disposable" ones a chance because now I love pretty much all of them -- there are no tracks that need skipping over here. There's a good range of emotional textures presented, from the semi-rocking (for a folk artist) "Building a Mystery", "Possession", and "Sweet Surrender", to fun to nostalgic power ballads like "Adia" and "Good Enough", to haunting and sad piano introspections "Do What You Have to Do" and "Angel".

I really hope some guys get over their anti-female-artist bias and try this album. Trust me this is NOT Britney Spears (no choreographed background monkeys here!). It's touching and intelligent and honest songwriting, sung by one of the most beautiful voices you will ever hear and it is well worth your fourteen bucks.

I would give this CD 5 stars if it was from anyone else. But, since it's Sarah, I have slightly higher expectations... also, I found the crowd noise distracting, as I tend to do on "live albums" that aren't a single concert. Also, I would have liked to see more of her earlier work. Specifically, "Vox", "Into the Fire", and "Drawn to the Rhythm" come to mind, although I don't know if she performs the latter two in concert. To me it comes across like a greatest-hits compilation in some ways. I recommend it for people who either: 1) Like Sarah from radio exposure and want the songs they've heard along with some new ones, but don't want to spend lots of money to buy all the CDs. 2) Sarah fans who'll buy anything just because it's Sarah. (I admit that at times I'm included in this group...) But it has its moments. Good Enough, Path of Thorns, and Angel come to mind. I don't think there's any songs that Sarah really ruined by putting on here... some people say I Love You sounds too similar to the studio version. What's wrong with that? It's still a good song.

...this really is worth buying even if you already own the original Mirrorball. There are enough songs on here that aren't on the earlier release, including a far more generous selection from her first two albums (Vox, Into the Fire, I Will Not Forget You in addition to Path of Thorns), to make it worth the price. The album as a whole also has a much better sound - it's less produced and actually sounds live, unlike parts of its very polished predecessor. It does bug me that they didn't just release the complete concert in the first place though.

I really enjoyed "Fumbling towards Ecstacy" and "Surfacing", but what I love most about "Mirroball" is the wonderful accoustics and just the overall sound of this cd. As opposed to her studio recordings, from which you can tell are recorded in a rather small room, Sara and her band really get a great sound on stage. She sounds every bit as good live as she does in her other recordings, and I happen to like her voice better live, because she is more expressive. This CD is definately worth checking out.

I am usually quite miffed when Sarah and Nettwerk decide to re-release old Sarah songs but in this case I am *very* happy! This two-disc edition of "Mirrorball" is perfect for long-time Sarah fans as it covers her first four (and best) albums and it isn't as polished as the 1999 release. The sound quality is excellent and it almost feels like being at a McLachlan concert. An excellent addition for die-hard Sarah fans!