You can practically smell the estrogen in the air. There were hints of it for years, but a confirmation with Nettwerk CEO and tour co-founder Terry McBride via Twitter early last year made it official. Lilith Fair is returning in the summer of 2010. The tour recently announced plans to stop in 33 North American cities, including right here in Tampa. The most successful all-female tour in history — spearheaded by Grammy-winner Sarah McLachlan — brought more than 1.5 million people to its shows from 1997 to 1999, and donated upwards of $10 million to local and national charities.
Previous tours featured such diverse artists as Sinead O' Connor, Fiona Apple, Patty Griffin and Lauryn Hill. Returning performers include, among others, Erykah Badu, Tegan and Sara, Emmylou Harris and Sheryl Crow. This time around the show has recruited first-time performers Mary J. Blige, Brandi Carlile, Cat Power, Miranda Lambert, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and Sia to name a few. People often get the impression that Lilith Fair is a predominately singer-songwriter/folk tour, but having female-fronted bands like Heart, Metric and Gossip on the lineup helps break down those preconceived notions a bit.
Putting Ke$ha on the bill won't hurt either. The pop phenom came stumbling onto the music scene with her monster hit "Tik Tok." Ke$ha's pseudo-inebriated antics and banal lyrics ["O-L-D-M-A-N/you're just an old man/hittin' on me what?/ you need a cat scan"] might not be everyone's cup of tea, but she's sure to liven up the place a little bit. Besides, the festival is all about bringing female musicians from every genre together.
Adding to the already diversified line-up are the most recent list of participants: Kelly Clarkson, The Go-Go's, The Bangles, Lucy Schwartz, Courtyard Hounds (Dixie Chicks sans Natalie Maines), Suzanne Vega and Martina McBride to name a few. Clarkson expressed her excitement for joining the famed fair via Twitter.
Continuing its tradition of enlisting local acts to appear on the tour's multiple stages, Lilith Fair announced further details regarding its Lilith Local Talent Search. Artists can head over to OurStage to register and upload their best song for consideration. Fans can also register to take part in the selection process. Following a voting period that begins April 1, the winners will be announced in May.
OurStage also announced a partnership with MTV to help give local artists a larger platform. A weekly internet feature called "Needle in the Haystack" will introduce upcoming artists through downloads and interviews. In addition to MTV, Lilith Fair's multi-platform media partnership with ABC will ensure promotion opportunities for the tour throughout the summer. ABC will also be physically present at each tour date.
Head to the official Web site for a full list of performers and cities. Official tour dates and additional performers will be released soon, but in the mean time a few dates have leaked out through the official site of Lilith participant Missy Higgins.
July 2010
28 – Philadelphia, PA
30 – Boston, MA
31 – New York City, NY
August 2010
01 – Hartford, CT
03 – Washington, DC
This article appears in Mar 3-9, 2010.