The Lilith Fair

The Lilith Fair
Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View
Wednesday, July 14

In it’s third and final year, Lilith Fair, a festival organized by Sarah McLachlan to promote and celebrate women, seems to have hit it’s stride with comedienne Sandra Bernhard and musicians Beth Orton and Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders) bringing in the best performances of the evening.

The show opened not inside the amphitheater, but at the very cramped, difficult to view, second stage. Beginning the day’s music was The Shelly Doty X-tet, who were winners of an online Lilith Fair talent search. Supporting their newest release, My Insomnia, the group, fronted by San Francisco native Shelly Doty, performed a powerful mix of songs that were influenced by jazz, rock and world music. Tekla, a Swedish singer-songwriter, who just released her American debut album, Somebody Else, performed a set of songs that brought to mind Tori Amos and Alanis Morrissette. On their first day of four touring with Lilith Fair, the Japanese duo Cibo Matto performed a tight set of sugary-sweet, sample-laden pop songs. The Murmurs, fronted by Heather Grody and Leisha Hailey, played a saucy grouping of songs off their two releases, Blender and Pristine Smut. Closing the second stage performances was Sixpence None The Richer, a string and vocal oriented band, which played a mix of songs from their three critically acclaimed records.

The most stunning performance to reside on the second stage was given by British phenomenon, Beth Orton. It was obvious that Orton would have been better suited on the main stage. Her performance was moody and captivating, her vocals were sensitive and aching, with sparse accompaniment on guitar; the songs sounded like a beautiful grouping of traditional lullabies.

Opening the main stage performances was Luscious Jackson, who managed to produce a completely uninspiring set of jungle-groove based songs. Backed by a turntablist, several guitar players and conga drums, their dour performance seemed more appropriate for a backyard barbecue than an amphitheater. Two of their radio friendly hits, "Naked Eyes" and "State of the World," encouraged the crowd to stand and halfheartedly dance.

Sandra Bernhard, who graced the stage twice, performed monologues from her current comedy show, I’m Still Here... Damn It! She mixed her biting stand-up with singing, accompanied by a keyboard player. Bernhard, who dished almost every major movie and rock star and also poked fun at Lilith Fair, stating, "They got hip... they got me this year." Every word she uttered was filled with acerbic wit that had the crowd cackling. Her section on black divas alternately mocked and celebrated performers such as Whitney Houston, Foxy Brown and Mariah Carey. About Courtney Love, she innocently stated, "I was just riveted by her haunted beauty," and later concluded the story with, "You may live to be 100, but what plastic surgeon is going to go in there and fix your broken heart?" as she bust into a fierce version of Aerosmith’s "Dream On." It was truly dazzling.

R&B singer, Mya, backed by a creepy and cartoonish band—four dancers and two full-of-attitude back-up singers—began her performance with her (only) hit, "Ghetto Superstar." Throughout her performance, it became obvious that Mya was more concerned with dancing than singing, but maybe that was because she could actually do the former. Her microphone was turned down so low she couldn’t even converse with the weary, unimpressed crowd.

When Chrissie Hynde, wearing a striking, magenta, lamé blazer, walked onstage the crowd squealed with delight and rose to their feet in applause. Hynde, who possessed the best showmanship of the evening, ripped through Pretenders classics—which she dedicated to members who have passed away—and their newest single ("This is our new single, you probably haven’t heard it yet, you can sit down."). Hynde, who seemed to take the pretentious disposition of Lilith Fair with a grain of salt, had the best interaction with the crowd, told jokes—which some appreciated and some didn’t. ("What do you say to a woman who has two black eyes? You shouldn’t have to say anything. She’s already been told twice.") I laughed like hell, but most didn’t, preferring to twist in their seats in horror, and when one bold crowd member actually booed Hynde she screamed, "Nobody fucks with me!" and immediately began strutting and singing.

Sheryl Crow’s set was well executed, yet stiff. Performing a shortened version of her tour set, Crow played her hits, "Strong Enough," "If It Makes You Happy," along with newer songs off her third album that the crowd loved and eagerly danced and clapped to.

After a tight—moving at times—but overly self-indulgent and pompously-dramatic set, Sarah McLachlan closed the show by inviting all of the day’s performers to join her for the last song, closing the day with a sickening, touchy-feely sensation.

The one disappointing yet common theme found in each of the Lilith Fair bands was the fact that although this is supposed to be a festival celebrating women and music, all of the actual bands or backing musicians were men. It brought to mind the Thurston Moore quote regarding Lilith Fair: "I want to see more women in rock, not just women backed up by rock."

– Nicole Seredszun

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