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Belated Lilith Fair

Sarah McLachlan at Lilith Fair, Ambleside Park.

Sarah McLachlan at Lilith Fair, Ambleside Park.

At the Vancouver press conference before last week's Canada Day Lilith Fair, it was pretty clear that the big question on the mainstream media's collective mind had to do with the news that the tour had canceled eleven shows and was suffering from poor ticket sales. Questions having to do with the fate of the Fair were inevitable and Sarah McLachlan was keen to take the negativity head on, insisting that the audience for Lilith was still very present and that the festival had no intentions of slowing down or coming to a halt. Sheryl Crow addressed the unexpectedly lax sales as something of a "bummer," speaking earnestly and frankly about the "hard times people are faced with around the world" in the current economy. Erykah Badu made a point of saying that she, and the rest of the women, are "performers" whose job it is to entertain at any venue, and "if it means performing in a theatre or something more intimate, then that's where we go."

McLachlan's point of focusing on the many positive aspects of the Fair - like the 9600 tickets sold or the independent musicians who have an amazing opportunity to perform for a wide and eager audience - was further underscored when she presented a cheque for $9,500 to Vancouver's WISH Centre, one of many charities benefiting from Lilith's mandate of community giving.

When women organize rock concerts in West Vancouver, this is what happens.

The atmosphere at Lilith hasn't changed much since I last attended one in Thunderbird Stadium in the late 90s. Perhaps the smell of patchouli was less noticeable and the West Vancouver-heavy crowd looked less UBC-granola and more yoga-chic. At one point I did hear some woman enthusiastically telling her girlfriends how pleased she was with her new crocodile-skin purse which was a "steal for $2,500!"

Frazey Ford (The Be Good Tanyas) in red; Kate Miller-Heidke (in blue) hits all the right notes.

Although Luna Bars were being offered in the village I had really hoped for more in the way of noshable SWAG, as the interminably long lines but a kibosh on my ability to get any actual food during the concert, though there was lots (as in, lots) of menstrual SWAG to be had. No food because of long lineups may have been a pressing issue for some but if you suddenly found yourself in need of a tampon - no worries, you were covered.

Erykah Badu

Having been to Lilith in the past I had a pretty good idea of what to expect, and I wasn't really expecting too much beyond that. So when Erykah Badu hit the stage I found myself entirely taken aback by her bad-ass set. The lush beats and strains of funk backing her impeccable voice (pitch-perfect, her voice is as controlled and clear as any wind instrument) made me stop and question where I was, because I didn't recall my pelvis wanting to thrust at my last Lilith (granted, I'm in my 30s now). Badu left me feeling excited and wanting more ... if I had my way she would have played longer. Her albums don't do her justice - she is far more whimsical, personable, interesting, charming and utterly endearing live. When debuting a new song upon the crowd she thoughtfully asked for our consideration and for us to bear in mind that "I am an artist and sensitive about my sh*t."

She was utterly captivating and the next time she plays Vancouver, I will definitely be in the audience. And so should you.

Sheryl Crow

Sheryl Crow is easily the most musically dynamic of Lilith's headliners. As soon as she hits the stage you get the feeling you are in the hands of a pro and she always manages to deliver a solid set that feels fresh and spontaneous in spite of the fact that so much of her catalogue is, to her credit, standard radio play at this point. She managed to pump the crowd enough so that by the end of the show pretty much everyone was dancing and singing along with her. As a die-hard cover-lover, Crow provided a couple of highlight moments of my day when she busted out with Terence Trent D'Arby's "Sign Your Name" and Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll."

Sugarland

Sugarland are a guy-girl country duo from Georgia, and I only know this because I saw them on Oprah. Truthfully I didn't quite get why they were there, or why they were on after Erykah Badu and Sheryl Crow. I thought they seemed out of place on the bill, but the legions of ladies waving their arms and singing along to their songs caused me (for a mere moment) to reconsider my thinking.

Lead singer Jennifer Nettles bears a striking resemblance to Kirsten Dunst and has a voice like Ethel Merman by way of the Grand Old Opry. She bounced around the stage a lot and seemed at ease singing a high-energy medley that included Miley Cyrus and Beyoncé. It struck me as mildly amusing or even curious that Sugarland would even be on the Lilith marquis, as Kristian Bush is a ... dude. That being said Metric is playing some dates on Lilith and Josh Winstead is decidedly male. I will give Lilith some propers for some much needed diversity in this incarnation of the tour. I can't deny that Sugarland put on a great show though they will forever be associated with the time I spent in three different food line-ups.

Three different food line ups that didn't end with me and food at the end of them.

Sarah MacLachlan

Even if the concert did get downsized from Pitt Meadows to Ambleside Park, you'd never know it based on the crowd's effusive reaction to their hometown girl. Yes, Lilith may be a bit rusty from her extended hiatus, but since Sarah McLachlan had the foresight to schedule a show on Canada Day (fireworks!) in her hometown all was forgiven. In spite of chilly weather that threatened Lilithgoers with rain the entire day ("We're Vancouverites, we're used to it!") the audience became electrified when McLachlan took the stage. By the time the opening piano chords of "Angel" hit the air, it was clear that any residual energy from the previous musicians had diffused entirely, their collective presence reduced to nothing more than that of a very long and glorified opening act for the Lady of Lilith herself.

Sarah engaged with her devoted crowd and gave them the personal interaction they craved. Her voice is as lovely and remarkable as ever, the power of her presence undeniable. The Lilith Fair wheel may be off to a slow and possibly even rough start after its recent detour, but I think the momentum of pure musicianship will see it settle back into the groove of summer.

All the day's musicians came on stage for an encore performance of Patti Smith's "Because the Night." Then Sheryl got carried away by Sarah (bottom right corner) ....