Reconnecting With The Lilith Fair
The first Lilith Fair was in 1997. The brain child of Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan, it would introduce summer festival goers to a female-centric music experience for the first time ever. McLachlan had grown tired of the lack of female musicians at other festivals. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one, since the Fair became a massive success. Although it hasn’t taken place in over a decade, the festival is gearing up for another tour in 2010.
Although the new lineup has yet to be revealed, a list of prior festival acts include Tracy Chapman, Fiona Apple, Joan Osmond and Lisa Loeb. With that kind of star power, it’s no wonder the tour was such a success. Current acts that would fit the bill include such newcomers as KT Tunstall and Colbie Caillat. There’s no doubt many younger female musicians were influenced by the concert and would be honored to play at the revival.
In prior festivals, there was a real community vibe. People wouldn’t just stand there and listen to the music; they’d interact with each other, sometimes performing themselves. It wouldn’t have been strange to see someone pull out a Takamine acoustic guitar while a small crowd circled around them. It was this kind of atmosphere that helped spread the word and drew large crowds to the event.
It hasn’t been all love and admiration for this festival, however. Like anything popular, it’s had its share of detractors. Nicknames such as ‘Girlapalooza’ or worse have been given to the concert, and the average audience member has been portrayed as a butch biker with black helmet in hand. Of course, this is far from the truth, as most who attended the event would know.
Once they got beyond the stereotypes, people realized that it was quite a fashionable event. It was the birthplace of many new styles, and rather than leather jackets, many women looked like they had put on their best eye cream. In fact, it wasn’t just females who were able to enjoy the event.
Those who were unable to attend the original tour might be inclined to think the audience was entirely female. This is not true. Although the acts were all women musicians, the crowd was quite diverse, which was proven through the sheer number of concert goers tallied over the summers.
So after ten years, the Lilith Fair is back. It will give former concert goers a chance to live out their heyday from the late nineties while allowing the next generation to experience just what made it so special. If it’s anywhere near as successful as previous tours, this revival is sure to be one of many to come.
Tags: Lilith Fair, music festival, sarah mclachlan
