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 Fiona Apple Tracy Bonham Meredith Brooks The Cardigans Mary Chapin Carpenter Tracy Chapman Paula Cole Shawn Colvin Sheryl Crow Indigo Girls Emmylou Harris Jewel Lisa Loeb Sarah McLachlan Joan Osborne Suzanne Vega
Second stage artists Leah Andreone Autour de Lucie Mary Black Holly Cole Patty Griffin Juliana Hatfield Susanna Hoffs Katell Keineg Dana Anton Mary Jane Lamond Yungchen Lhamo Lhasa de Sela Tara MacLean Dayna Manning Abra Moore Mudgirl Once Blue Madeleine Peyroux September '67 Wild Colonials Wild Strawberries Dar Williams Victoria Williams Kelly Willis Cassandra Wilson
Village Stage artists Fleming and John Dido Pat Benatar Kinnie Starr Lauren Hoffman Kim Fox Garrison Starr Lori Carson Joy Askew Jill Sobule Alana Davis Beth Orton Michelle Malone Holly McNarland Elise Knoll Coco Love Alcorn Lovechild Dayna Manning Catherine Kidd Oh Suzanna Camille Alisha's Attic Gena and Sum Girl Marley & Lizann Sensual World Jenny Labow Suz Andreasen Davina Morcheeba K's Choice
Dates and venues
Date City Country Venue July 5 GeorgeUnited States The Gorge July 6 Salem L. B. Day Amphitheatre July 8 Mountain View Shoreline Amphitheatre July 9 Irvine Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre July 10 Phoenix Desert Sky Pavilion July 12 Winter Park Winter Park Music Festival July 14 Bonner Springs Sandstone Amphitheatre July 15 Maryland Heights Riverport Amphitheatre July 17 Cuyahoga Falls Blossom Music Center July 18ClarkstonPine Knob Music Theatre July 19 July 20 Canandaigua Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center July 22 Mansfield Great Woods Center July 24 Hartford Meadows Music Theatre July 25 Wantagh Jones Beach July 26 Holmdel PNC Bank Arts Center July 27 Camden Blockbuster-Sony E-Centre July 29 Columbia Merriweather Post Pavilion July 30 Raleigh Walnut Creek Pavilion
Date City Country Venue July 31 CharlotteUnited States Blockbuster Pavilion August 1 Atlanta Coca-Cola Lakewood August 3 The Woodlands Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 4 Dallas Starplex August 6 Antioch Starwood Amphitheatre August 7 Cincinnati Riverbend Music Center August 8 Noblesville Deer Creek Music Center August 9 Tinley Park New World Music Theater August 10 Columbus Polaris Amphitheater August 12 Burgettstown Star Lake August 13 Scranton Montage MountainAugust 14OttawaCanadaFrank Clair Stadium August 15TorontoMolson Amphitheatre August 16 August 17 Montreal Stade Du Maurier August 19 MilwaukeeUnited States Marcus Amphitheater August 20 Shakopee Canterbury Park August 22 CalgaryCanada McMahon Stadium August 24 Vancouver Thunderbird Stadium December 16 West Palm Beach United States Coral Sky Amphitheater
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 Sarah McLachlan Bonnie Raitt Chantal Kreviazuk Cowboy Junkies Des'ree Diana Krall Emmylou Harris Erykah Badu Indigo Girls Joan Osborne Lisa Loeb Liz Phair Luscious Jackson Mary Chapin Carpenter Meredith Brooks Meshell Ndegeocello Missy Elliott Natalie Merchant Paula Cole Queen Latifah Shawn Colvin Sheryl Crow Sinéad O'Connor Suzanne Vega Tracy Bonham
Second stage artists K's Choice Mono Sister 7 Heather Nova Morcheeba Rebekah Lucinda Williams Victoria Williams Abra Moore Neneh Cherry Elise Knoll Mary Lou Lord The Tuesdays Billie Myers N'Dea Davenport Martina McBride Litany Paris Hampton Davina Beth Orton Holly Cole Diana King Chantal Kreviazuk Eden aka Wild Strawberries Patty Griffin Lhasa de Sela Angélique Kidjo Imani Coppola Lucy Gamelon Kacy Crowley Holly McNarland Ebba Forsberg Catie Curtis Letters to Cleo Neko Case Fisher
Village Stage artists Tara MacLean Sinéad Lohan Autour de Lucie Ana Gasteyer Garrison Starr Emm Gryner Anggun Kacy Crowley Bic Runga Melanie Doane Abra Moore Mae Moore Joaelle Ndine Romero Tia Texada Jenny Bird Sherri Jackson 1/2 Mad Poet Mono Thornetta Davis Julie Kryk Lori Amey Fontaine Donna Martin Abba Rage Deni Bonet Jabber Victoria Hogg Eden White Antigone Rising Paris Hampton Nancy Falkow Dead Girls and Other Love Riot Trish Murphy The Nields Glassoline Roadie Ray INHOUSE Audra Jost Clandestine Gordian Knot Cling Frankly Scarlet Sixpence None the Richer Robyn Ragland Rose Polenzani Alexis Antes Amy Rigby Erin Echo Syd Straw Laurie Geltman Melissa Ferrick Lenni Jabour Ali Eisner Swamperella Alison Pipitone Nina Storey Julianne Blue Idina Menzel Noëlle Hampton Arone Dyer India Arie
Dates
Date City Country Venue June 19 PortlandUnited States Civic Stadium June 20GeorgeThe Gorge Amphitheatre June 21 June 23Mountain ViewShoreline Amphitheatre June 24 June 26 Del Mar Del Mar Fairgrounds June 27 Pasadena Rose Bowl June 28 Phoenix Desert Sky Pavilion June 29 Bernalillo New Mexico Wine Festival July 1 Oklahoma City All Sports Stadium July 2 Bonner Springs Sandstone Amphitheatre July 4 Noblesville Deer Creek July 5 Columbus Polaris Amphitheater July 6ClarkstonPine Knob Music Theatre July 7 July 8 July 10 Canandaigua Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center July 11 Hartford Meadows Music Theatre July 12 Saratoga Springs Saratoga Performing Arts Center July 13 Holmdel PNC Bank Arts Center July 15WantaghJones Beach Theatre July 16 July 17 Camden Blockbuster-Sony E-Centre July 18ColumbiaMerriweather Post Pavilion July 19 July 21 Virginia Beach GTE Virginia Beach Amphitheatre July 22 Raleigh Hardee's Walnut Creek Amphitheatre July 23 Charlotte Blockbuster Pavilion July 24 Atlanta Coca-Cola Lakewood Amphitheatre
Date City Country Venue July 26 West Palm BeachUnited States Coral Sky Amphitheatre July 27 Orlando Central Florida Fairgrounds July 29The WoodlandsWoodlands Pavilion July 30 July 31 Austin South Park Meadows August 1 Dallas Coca-Cola Starplex Amphitheatre August 3 Antioch Starwood Amphitheatre August 4 Maryland Heights Riverport Amphitheatre August 5 Tinley Park New World Music Theatre August 6 Cuyahoga Falls Blossom Music Center August 8 Cincinnati Riverbend Music Center August 9 Burgettstown Star Lake Amphitheatre August 10 Hershey Hersheypark Stadium August 11MansfieldGreat Woods August 12 August 14 OttawaCanada Lansdowne Park August 15TorontoMolson Amphitheatre August 16 August 17 DarienUnited States Darien Lake Theme Park Resort August 19MilwaukeeMarcus Amphitheater August 20 August 21 Shakopee Canterbury Park August 23 Greenwood Village Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre August 25 Park City The Canyons/Wolf Mountain Ski Resort August 26 Nampa Idaho Center Amphitheatre August 28 CalgaryCanada McMahon Stadium August 29 Edmonton Commonwealth Stadium August 31 Vancouver Thunderbird Stadium
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 Sandra Bernhard Shawn Colvin Deborah Cox Sheryl Crow Dixie Chicks Indigo Girls Queen Latifah Lisa Loeb Luscious Jackson Martina McBride Sarah McLachlan Monica Mýa Meshell Ndegeocello Liz Phair The Pretenders Joanelle Romero Disappear Fear Suzanne Vega
Second stage artists Battershell Cibo Matto Kacy Crowley Dance Hall Crashers Dido Melanie Doane Patty Griffin Emm Gryner The Innocence Mission Joan Jones Elise Knoll Band Jennifer Knapp K's Choice Sinéad Lohan Tara MacLean Aimee Mann Melky Sedeck Mediæval Bæbes Morley Trish Murphy Bif Naked Beth Orton Kendall Payne Bijou Phillips Samsara Sixpence None the Richer Splashdown Susan Tedeschi Wild Strawberries Victoria Williams Kelly Willis
Village Stage artists Christina Aguilera Coco Love Alcorn Badi Assad Bertine Zetlitz Toni Blackman Diana Braithwaite Cowlily Kacy Crowley E.G. Daily Keren DeBerg Anne E. DeChant Jennie DeVoe Eden AKA Ana Egge Essence Nancy Falkow Amy Fairchild Fleming and John Nelly Furtado Fuzzy Comets Glassoline Grace in Gravity Greta Gaines Kitty Gordon Nina Gordon Kay Hanley Kristin Hersh Noella Hutton Jarah Jane Brenda Kahn Jennifer Kimball Nikol Kollars Nicol Lischka Ginger Mackenzie The Marty Winkler Group Melissa Mathes Lori McKenna Tiffany Shea The Murmurs Leona Naess Juliana Nash Kari Newhouse Leslie Nuchow Maren Ord Ginny Owens Deborah Pardes Adrienne Pierce Melissa Reaves Renann Doria Roberts Loni Rose Rachael Sage Tegan and Sara Summer Sage Lisa Sanders Stephanie Schneiderman Bree Sharp She-Haw Shelley Doty X-Tet Alexandra Sleightholm Soul Miner's Daughter Sozzi Surrender Dorothy Kinnie Starr Melanie Susuras Kashi Tara Tekla Too Cynical to Cry Deborah Vial Victoria White Wendy Woo Zoebliss Xolie Morra & The Strange Kind
Dates and venues
Date City Country Venue July 8 Vancouver Canada Thunderbird Stadium July 9GeorgeUnited StatesThe Gorge Amphitheatre July 10 July 11 Portland Civic Stadium July 13Mountain ViewShoreline Amphitheatre July 14 July 16 Chula Vista Coors Amphitheatre July 17 Pasadena Rose Bowl July 18 Phoenix Desert Sky Pavilion July 20 Austin South Park Meadows July 21 Dallas Starplex Amphitheatre July 23AtlantaLakewood Amphitheatre July 24 July 25 Antioch First American Music Center July 27 Charlotte Blockbuster Pavilion July 28 Columbia Merriweather Post Pavilion July 30 Camden Blockbuster-Sony E-Centre July 31 Hershey Hersheypark Stadium August 1 Canandaigua Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center August 3 Mansfield Tweeter Center