Lilith's L.A. lineup set
McLachlan, Merchant among performers
The all-women traveling tour, now in its second year and expected to be the most-attended music event of the year, announced its 57 dates and more than 50 participants Thursday at a press conference at the El Rey theater. The tour, which last year was the highest grossing festival tour (about $16.5 million on 37 dates), starts June 19 in Portland, Ore., and ends Aug. 31 in Vancouver, B.C. Lilith Fair will play multiple nights in Seattle, San Francisco, Detroit, New York, Houston, Toronto, Milwaukee and Washington.
"This was a success last year so lots more (performers and sponsors) are involved," tour organizer McLachlan said at the press conference where she was flanked by nine of her Lilith Fair performers, among them Paula Cole, Bonnie Raitt and Colvin. "We got a lot of artists we wanted last year. ... It's artists who have had, or who we think will have, an impact on music."
Each stop will feature three stages: An acoustic Village Stage that will feature local artists and a talent search winner; a second stage of up-and-comers (Rose Bowl will see K's Choice, Billie Myers and Lhasa); and a mainstage that, at various venues, will showcase Me'Shell Ndegeocello, Missy Elliott, Queen Latifah, Liz Phair, Emmylou Harris, Neneh Cherry, Joan Osborne, the Cowboy Junkies and others.
The Rose Bowl, perhaps the largest venue on the tour that includes shows July 15 and 16 at Jones Beach in New York, will be configured for a crowd of 40,000.
Lilith Fair is sponsored by Biore, Royal Neighbors insurance, Starbucks Coffee, Tower Records and VH1. As it did last year, Lilith Fair will make donations to local chapters of the Breast Cancer Fund, Lifebeat, Planned Parenthood and RAINN.
Arista/Tyde will release a two-CD set culled from last year's perfs on April 28 with 50% of the proceeds going to RAINN and Lifebeat.
