Lilith Fair Stops the Music

Sarah McLachlan, founder and front woman of Lilith Fair, says she's halting the festival.

Miranda Lambert, Emmylou Harris, Loretta Lynn, Court Yard Hounds, Indigo Girls, Sugarland, Sheryl Crow and other top-rated performers have participated through the years at the traveling event that spotlighted female-fronted music acts. Ticket sales for last year's event were poor and some dates were canceled or moved to smaller venues.

"Bringing the same thing back last year really didn't make any sense, in retrospect, without due diligence being done on how women have changed," Sarah tells Toronto's Globe and Mail. "In 12 years, women have changed a lot. Their expectations have changed, the way they view the world has changed, and that was not taken into consideration, which I blame myself for."

Lilith Fair was a powerhouse festival from 1997-1999 and there was great excitement when the festival was revived for 2010. Almost from the start, though, there were poor tickets sales and and rumors -- some started by Sarah herself -- of Lilith's demise.

"Welcome to the very last Lilith," Sarah announced from a Washington, D.C.-area stage last August, causing swift intakes of breath before she uttered, "of 2010."

This news doesn't mean that Sarah has given up on the idea that inspired Lilith. "I'm just excited about looking forward and thinking of carrying forth the ideas from Lilith and maybe doing something new and different," she says.

That's likely good news to many performers especially those who were inspired to become musicians after attending Lilith Fair.

"When I found out I got to play Lilith, it was a real accomplishment for me," Americana singer Lissie told The Boot before performing in last year's Washington, D.C. area show, adding that she attended Lilith with her cousin when she was 16 and was enraptured by the vocals performances of Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks and Sarah. "I remember just thinking I wanted to do this."