The Lilith Fair Is Back

During the late nineties, musician, Sarah McLachlan, put together a female-centric summer festival that had the whole world buzzing. Named the Lilith Fair, this music experience was the first of its kind. McLachlan, among others, was sick of the lack of women performers at most summer concerts and so she decided to do something about it. The result was an instant success, which carried on for three years. Now, in the summer of 2010, a revival is underway.

Looking back on the original Lilith Fair, there is no wonder why it was the highest grossing summer tour that year. With acts like Tracy Chapman, Fiona Apple, Joan Osmond and Lisa Loeb, fans must have been counting the days until it stopped at their town. Although the 2010 line up has not been announced yet, one can assume that current acts such as KT Tunstall and Colbie Caillat are just a few who have been influenced by the original festival and may perform.

This festival, in particular, gained a reputation for having a real community vibe. While most summer concerts are filled with rowdy crowd members, pushing and shoving their way toward the front, this was another story. Not only were audience members polite, but they genuinely interacted with each other. It was common to see someone pull out a Takamine acoustic guitar and break into song. This is why many enjoyed it so much.

There are a lot negative stereotypes still floating around regarding the tour. Some people called it 'Girlapalooza' and others used even worse names. Probably because it was something new and different, people just didn't understand it. Many just assumed the festival would be filled with women stepping off motorcycles with a black helmet in hand. At was very much not the case.

The fair was an all-around cultural force, spreading its impact not only to the music industry, but to the fashion world as well. Many new trends and styles evolved through the hordes of fans that congregated. Although biker jackets made little-to-no appearance, there was no shortage of audience members who seemed to have donned their best eye cream for the masses of people watchers.

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.

With a 2010 revival on the way, the Lilith Fair is sure to make its presence felt once again. Not only will old fans come to reconnect and look back, but a whole new generation will be introduced to a cultural phenomenon that once revolutionized the summer tour.

Tags: Lilith Fair, music festival, sarah mclachlan