Just when you thought this year’s Lilith Fair couldn’t possibly face anymore hardships, it’s just been announced that Carly Simon has dropped out of the female-friendly festival. (Cue: Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust.) This news comes hot on the heels of the fact that Norah Jones and Kelly Clarkson have recently also announced their departures, leaving just a handful of legitimate musicians left to carry on the Lilith torch.
So what does this say? When the comeback of the 90s festival was first announced, anyone who’d grown up idolizing female musicians rushed to their local ticket outlets in glee “ but were soon stopped dead in our tracks due to the following reasons:
1. Price: If we’re going to shell out nearly $100 for a day-long music event, the last thing we want is to be holed up in an indoor venue.
2. Speaking of venue: Remember the days when Lilith Fair was just that (a music fair)? Now it’s become the equivalent of a big ticket concert. Which is fine, if it hadn’t already been introduced a decade ago as an interactive festival that abided by music event guidelines. (If we wanted to sit in assigned seats, we’d go to a Lady Gaga concert.)
3. Talent: Once upon a time, Lilith Fair boasted the likes of Fiona Apple. And now? There’s Ke$ha. (Who’s fine to dance to, but not to think about “ and certainly not appropriate to celebrate feminist ideals with.)
So here’s to hoping that somehow a lineup sticks and the women who’ve bought tickets will be treated to the musical ride they were originally promised. After all, if we loved Sarah and friends in the late 90s, we can love them again.
