At Daisy Chain Fields, the Lilith Fair generation passes the torch

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Set us as preferred For three magical summers between 1997 and 1999, the women’s festival known as Lilith Fair was a touring caravan of musicians, feminist activists and organizers that carried the message of women’s empowerment across North America.In the 2025 Hulu documentary “Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery,” Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan said she founded the festival in reaction to male music executives, who argued that a tour with two women on the bill wouldn’t sell tickets.Despite getting commercially successful acts like Sheryl Crow, Jewel and Paula Cole on board, the backlash was fierce: Macho radio jockeys and female critics alike wrote off the festival, and in 1998 organizers received a bomb threat for allowing Planned Parenthood to table at the fest.When Vulture asked McLachlan if she would bring Lilith Fair back to life, she said: “I’m happy to offer my advice if I can, if I’m asked.

But the younger generation needs to carry it forward now.”It was 23-year-old pop superstar Olivia Rodrigo, a fiercely pro-choice advocate, who answered the call.Galvanized by the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that eliminated federal abortion rights, among other attacks on healthcare, education and workplace protections by the Trump administration, Rodrigo founded the one-day women’s festival, Daisy Chain Fields — which kicked off Saturday afternoon at Great Park in Irvine.

On the poster, the multi-genre, multigenerational lineup was organized not by popularity, but by the alphabetical order of artists’ names: among them Bikini Kill, Chappell Roan, Doechii and Garbage.Music Best of Daisy Chain FieldsDecked in flowers and art by women like Jenny Holzer, the Guerrilla Girls and Ilse Valfré, the festival counted 45,000 attendees and $10 million in donations for various nonprofits working to benefit...