In the wake of the sad passing of singer Sinead O’Connor at the age of 56, fans in the Capital Region might be wondering if they ever missed a chance to see her perform locally.
According to web archives of her numerous live shows spanning back to the mid-1980s, there was only one opportunity to catch O’Connor in the greater region. It took place on September 6, 1993, when she participated in the WOMAD Festival as part of their North American tour debut.
The WOMAD Festival, conceived by former Genesis frontman Peter Gabriel, aimed to showcase a blend of well-known performers like Crowded House and P.M. Dawn, alongside lesser-known talents from different parts of the world, including India, South America, and Africa. The SPAC show featured a lineup of 15 acts.
A review by Times Union music critic Greg Haymes highlighted the strength of the festival’s diverse array of lesser-known artists, who delivered non-stop music on two stages throughout the day. These included El Cabrero’s flamenco, reggae music by Inner Circle, Santee Sioux poet John Trudell and his blues-rock band Grafitti Man, and Indian vocalist Sheila Chandra’s a cappella performance.
Haymes described Gabriel’s awe-inspiring 90-minute closing performance as “nothing short of magnificent.” He also praised O’Connor as a “special guest,” emphasizing the brilliance of her voice on the opening song “Come Talk to Me” and the joyous celebration of “Shaking the Tree.”
Prior to the WOMAD tour, O’Connor had been touring with Gabriel. However, their time together and their occasionally romantic relationship were not warmly remembered in O’Connor’s 2021 memoir “Rememberings.” The tour took place roughly a year after O’Connor faced controversy for tearing up a picture of Pope John Paul II on “Saturday Night Live” and was subsequently booed by the audience at Madison Square Garden during a gala concert commemorating Bob Dylan’s three decades in music.
In a diary-style article, Paul de Gooyer, a publicist for one of the labels associated with the WOMAD tour, offered a description of the scene and the show during their cross-country journey.
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