I’ll freely admit upfront: I’m not a huge Sarah McLachlan fan. I have nothing against her or her music, which I’ve always respected. She’s just not my cup of tea

After seeing this taping, however, I may have to revise that opinion. She came to studio 6A to promote her greatest hits set Closer; rather than do a full-blown tour, she was doing select dates accompanied only by a guitarist and a harmony singer.

The stripped-down arrangements, combined with the intimate ACL space, really worked to her music’s advantage. The performance highlighted the finely crafted nature of her work, her ability to channel emotion without getting overwrought and her instant rapport with the audience. I imagine some fans might miss the rich production of her LPs, but it seems to me that this kind of presentation is her music’s natural home. It was a gorgeous set.

Find out for yourselves this Saturday (after checking your local station’s listings for the correct airdate, of course). Sarah will be followed by Grammy nominee Duffy.

This Saturday’s episode of ACL is a gluteus maximus-kicking good time with the Drive-By Truckers and Ryan Bingham. I’d long hoped the Truckers would appear on the show, as it seemed like a natural fit. When they finally got their chance, they did not disappoint. It’s one of the best shows I’ve ever seen the band do, and as fans know, they’re always great onstage. Diehards will be in heaven and newbies will become diehards. Check it out.

Ryan Bingham is a bit more on the country side, but rocks just as hard as the Truckers when he needs to. He gets lumped into the “Texas music” genre, but I don’t hear much similarity between Bingham and the likes of Cory Morrow or Jerry Jeff Walker. Bingham feels much more real - must be all that time spent slogging away on the rodeo circuit. At any rate, it’s also a great performance - Truckers fans will dig it, I suspect.

As always, check your local listings so you don’t miss this excellent episode.