Final Lilith Fair Lineup Sends Mixed Message
GEORGE, Wash. Symptoms of Lilith Fair's mild but
chronic case of schizophrenia lingered on this past
weekend at the Gorge in George, Wash., the second
stop on the third and final tour of the
femme fest (which wraps up its North American
dates on Aug. 31).
The stage was buttressed with huge scrims
picturing the Lilith '99 logo, a curlicue image of a
depressed-looking 18th century woman playing a
lyre under a deco-ish tree.
But then the second act on the bill was bitchy,
bellicose Sandra Bernhard, who hauled out tired
road show material in which she dissed anything
remotely related to folk singers or to women and
music. Sarah McLachlan must have been craving
a doppelganger when she made that hire.
The crowd had a bit of a multiple personality too,
with lesbians and coeds and sweet-faced
teenaged girls and hetero hippie couples sporting
nose rings 霠all peacefully coexisting.
Then there's Lilith's affirmative action
problem. Critics complained the first
year that it was strictly a white-chick
affair, so last year McLachlan made an
all-out and laudable effort to bring
performers of color into the mix. Maybe that
explains the choice of Mya, the mainstage
opener, who seemed less Lilith than aspiring
Broadway musical star. The 19-year-old African-
American dancer-turned-R&B singer did a
fabulous tap number on a portable floor,
accompanied only by drums. And she sang
several carefully choreographed, artificially
sweetened numbers backed by what appeared to
be the cast of a Gap khakis ad. Fun and
energetic, but rather out of kilter for Lilith.
On to the good stuff: Luscious Jackson got
Lilith's rock thing going, finally, with an eclectic,
flashy sound. They came off like an urban
sampler for 20-somethings 霠a little prep with
some cowgirl, beat poet, and grunge all stirred up
together but still retaining the individual flavors.
The group was especially strong on its hits
"Naked Eye" and "Ladyfingers," and got
everybody pogo-dancing to "Citysong."
Back to Sandra B for a few excruciating
moments of 钙omething.
Then Liz Phair picked up where Luscious
Jackson left off, by announcing, "I feel the
need to rock." And she did, with "Never
Said," "Johnny Feelgood," and
"Polyester Bride" (the last two from her most
recent album, whitechocolatespaceegg). We
were a little worried she'd end up with "shaken
rock star syndrome" from all the head twirling,
but it was especially effective on the new song
"Love/Hate."
Ah, yes, things were definitely improving. And
with the arrival of Sheryl Crow onstage, Lilith Fair
stock rose precipitously. Decked out in a white
dress embroidered with red flowers and slashed
on the diagonal at the hem, Sheryl cranked up
the energy level and volume through sheer force
of talent. Everything about her 霠the band, her
enormous stage presence 霠made the multi-
hour wait worthwhile. From "My Favorite Mistake"
to "There Goes the Neighborhood" to a joint
venture with Luscious Jackson on the old
double-entendre song "Squeezebox," Crow
controlled the crowd with subtlety and strength.
Now, that's the essence of Lilith, even more than
Sarah McLachlan 霠a strong woman coming on
strong.
Crow's problem, if she had one, was one that
also dogged McLachlan's set: the sing-along.
Everybody at Lilith knew all of the lyrics to both
women's songs, turning it into a good old-
fashioned hugfest where only new tunes
prompted a collective sit-down.
But then, that's why fans go to these things,
right? To sit in the sweltering summer sun for
hours for a few precious moments of face time
with their faves. As McLachlan, shimmering in
sequined blue cargo pants and white tank, said
at the Saturday night close, "Last night, I got
flashed during my set 贸t worked for me." It
worked for the Lilith Fair swan song crowd, too.
They ate up all of her mellow soul food and
begged for more. It was "Sweet Surrender" all the
way around.
Even the second stage boasted some jewels:
Bijou Phillips, Beth Orton, and Sixpence None
the Richer all offered stand-out sets. No. 3 may
not have been the best Lilith Fair in terms of
talent range and musical spirit (No. 2 takes that
honor), at least at the Gorge shows, but it surely
accomplished its feed-the-starving-women
mission.
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