Wikipedia / Lilith Fair
Wikipedia / Lilith Fair
Lilith Fair was a concert tour and travelling music festival, founded by Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan, Nettwerk Music Group's Dan Fraser and Terry McBride, and New York talent agent Marty Diamond. It took place during the summers of 1997 to 1999, and was revived in the summer of 2010. It consisted solely of female solo artists and female-led bands. In its initial three years, Lilith Fair raised over $10 million for charity.
History
In 1996, Canadian musical artist Sarah McLachlan became frustrated with concert promoters and radio stations that refused to feature two female musicians in a row. Bucking conventional industry "wisdom", she booked a successful tour for herself and Paula Cole. At least one of their appearances together—in Vancouver, British Columbia, on September 14, 1996—went by the name "Lilith Fair" and included performances by McLachlan, Cole, Lisa Loeb, and Michelle McAdorey, formerly of Crash Vegas.
The next year, McLachlan founded the Lilith Fair tour, taking the name "Lilith" from the medieval Jewish legend that Lilith was Adam's first wife who refused to be subservient to him.
In 1997, Lilith Fair garnered a $16 million gross, making it the top-grossing of any touring festival. Among all concert tours for that year, it was the 16th-highest grossing. McLachlan followed this success with two more rounds, in 1998 and 1999.
In 2010, Lilith Fair staged a revival with mixed results, as several dates were cancelled and many performers backed out of scheduled performances.
In March 2011, McLachlan declared that the Lilith concept was no longer being considered for future shows, due to changing audience views and expectations.
Three volumes of Lilith Fair: A Celebration of Women in Music documented the performances and a retrospective documentary, Lilith Fair: Building A Mystery - The Untold Story, premiered in 2025.
Performers
1997
The artists appearing at Lilith Fair varied by date (with McLachlan and Suzanne Vega the only artists to play all dates). Appearances were organized into three stages. Almost all Village Stage artists performed only one or two dates. Many of them won slots on the bill in a series of local talent searches in their home cities.
Main stage artists
Second stage artists
Dana Anton
Once Blue
Village Stage artists
Kim Fox
Joy Askew
Elise Knoll
Lovechild
Catherine Kidd
Gena and Sum Girl
Marley & Lizann
Sensual World
Jenny Labow
Suz Andreasen
Dates and venues
1998
The artists appearing at Lilith Fair varied by date (with McLachlan the only artist to play all dates). Appearances were organized into three stages. Though Neneh Cherry and Lauryn Hill were scheduled to play some shows, both had to cancel. Almost all Village Stage artists performed only one or two dates. Many of them won slots on the bill in a series of local talent searches in their home cities.
Main stage artists
Second stage artists
Elise Knoll
Litany
Paris Hampton
Eden aka
Lucy Gamelon
Village Stage artists
Joaelle Ndine Romero
Jenny Bird
Sherri Jackson
1/2 Mad Poet
Julie Kryk
Lori Amey
Fontaine
Donna Martin
Abba Rage
Jabber
Paris Hampton
Dead Girls and Other
Glassoline
Roadie Ray
INHOUSE
Audra Jost
Gordian Knot
Cling
Frankly Scarlet
Robyn Ragland
Alexis Antes
Erin Echo
Swamperella
Nina Storey
Julianne Blue
Dates
1999
The artists appearing at Lilith Fair varied by date (with McLachlan the only artist to play all dates). Appearances were organized into three stages.
Main stage artists
Second stage artists
Battershell
Joan Jones
Elise Knoll Band
Morley
Samsara
Village Stage artists
Cowlily
Jennie DeVoe
Eden AKA
Essence
Amy Fairchild
Fuzzy Comets
Glassoline
Grace in Gravity
Kitty Gordon
Noella Hutton
Jarah Jane
Nikol Kollars
Nicol Lischka
Ginger Mackenzie
The Marty Winkler Group
Melissa Mathes
Tiffany Shea
Juliana Nash
Kari Newhouse
Leslie Nuchow
Deborah Pardes
Melissa Reaves
Renann
Doria Roberts
Summer Sage
Lisa Sanders
Stephanie Schneiderman
She-Haw
Shelley Doty X-Tet
Alexandra Sleightholm
Surrender Dorothy
Melanie Susuras
Kashi Tara
Too Cynical to Cry
Deborah Vial
Victoria White
Zoebliss
Xolie Morra & The Strange Kind
Dates and venues
2010 revival
In an April 25, 2009, Twitter post, Nettwerk founder Terry McBride announced that a Lilith Fair tour through North America would be relaunched for the summer of 2010, with a two-week tour of Europe to follow.
The tour was plagued with financial problems from the beginning. The first seven shows were sparsely attended and the eighth show was the first to be cancelled. Initially, Sarah McLachlan claimed (in an interview posted on the Arizona Republic website on July 9) that the July 8 Phoenix show was cancelled in protest of Arizona Senate Bill 1070, which she strongly opposes.
The tour fell apart on the road as headliners Carly Simon, Norah Jones, Kelly Clarkson, the Go-Go's, and Queen Latifah dropped out, fearing that they would not be paid for their performances.
Due to poor ticket sales, thirteen shows (about one-third of the tour) were scratched (two announced on June 25, ten more on July 1, one additional on July 2) and one reassigned to a smaller venue.
The artists appearing at Lilith Fair vary by date (with McLachlan the only artist to play all dates). Appearances are organized into three stages. Below is a list of artists who performed at Lilith Fair in the 2010 revival.
Main stage artists
Ann McNamee / Ann Atomic
Second stage artists
Jasmine Chadwick
Village Stage artists
Xolie Morra & The Strange Kind
Airplanes
Amanda Lucas & Audrey Cecil
Bella Ruse
Cara Salimando
Joy Ike
Julia Othmer
Katie Todd
Meagan Smith
Sara Swanson
Steph Macpherson
Winterbloom (Antje Duvekot, Anne Heaton, Meg Hutchinson, Rose Polenzani, Natalia Zukerman)
Dates
Cancelled dates and venues
See also
Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery, a 2025 documentary film about the festival
References
External links
Sarah McLachlan Official Lilith Fair website Archived June 12, 2010.
Lilith Fair: 20 things you never knew for the festival's 20th anniversary