Women's Lifestyle August 31, 2026 0 Comments

Why Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields Festival Broke Me Down Emotionally—And What It Reveals About True Artistic Power

Back in the ’90s, when music execs claimed that a festival headlined by not just one, but two women would be a financial flop, Sarah McLachlan stood up and flipped the script. Imagine that — betting against female powerhouses like Fiona Apple, Tracy Chapman, and Missy Elliott? It was a gamble that paid off big time with Lilith Fair, a groundbreaking all-women festival that shattered expectations and raised millions to support women’s causes. Fast forward to last night, and Olivia Rodrigo, picking up the torch, didn’t just honor McLachlan’s legacy — she doubled the impact in one night with her own Daisy Chain Fields festival. It wasn’t just about the music; it felt like witnessing a ripple of change, a gathering of fierce, fearless women from different generations, coming together like a family bonded by strength, respect, and a shared mission. Ever wonder what would happen if the world’s biggest stages were truly led by women? Well, this festival might just be the glimpse we need. LEARN MORE

5 min read

In the 1990s, music executives told Sarah McLachlan that any festival with two female headliners would be unprofitable. She proved them wrong, of course, creating the first all-women music festival, which toured the country from 1997 to 1999 with the likes of Fiona Apple, Tracy Chapman, Sheryl Crow, Liz Phair, Missy Elliott, and the Chicks. Named after a mythological figure who symbolized female independence and defiance, Lilith Fair quickly became the highest-grossing touring festival, raising over $10 million in profits for local and national organizations supporting women. Last night, Olivia Rodrigo honored McLachlan’s work by raising double that in just one evening.

The inaugural edition of the artist’s Daisy Chain Fields festival, held in Irvine, California, on a 95 degree Saturday, welcomed a cross-generational lineup to its two stages, with Bikini Kill, the Breeders, Garbage, and María Zardoya’s Not for Radio running one side of the park and Mitski, Doechii, and Chappell Roan holding down the other. All performers offered their time for free, meaning 100 percent of net proceeds went to Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields Fund—which raised $10 million for organizations benefiting women and girls, such as Planned Parenthood, Baby2Baby, the National Women’s Law Center, and the Black Mamas Matter Alliance.

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Rodrigo herself closed out the evening with an 80-minute-long set, preceded by an announcement that Melinda French Gates pledged to double the earnings from the event, making the grand total $20 million. Additional special guests continued to hop on and off of the stage throughout the headlining performance, with McLachlan performing a Dolly Parton tribute with Rodrigo, Alanis Morissette making a surprise appearance on a duet of “Ironic,” and Stevie Nicks coming out for an emotional encore. (I cried the whole way through their rendition of “Landslide.”)

The “Drop Dead” artist also performed her own hits, sprinkling in singles from her first two albums and treating the crowd to a handful of tracks from her latest record, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love. And she debuted the live performance of her new protest song, “Serena Joy.” But even with the stacked lineup, most of the people in attendance came for more than the music alone.

“My mom went to Lilith Fair,” one attendee told me while we were huddled on the ground, squished between flower crowns and handheld fans as we waited for Rodrigo’s set. A political science major at nearby Chapman University, 20-year-old Hannah drove over with her sister. “I didn’t know much about it until after Daisy Chain was announced and my mom went nuts. She was so excited for us. She was like, ‘You get to experience what I did when I was young.’”

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McLachlan and Rodrigo

Throughout the day, there was an undercurrent of familial, female connection unlike at any festival I had attended. Little girls were hoisted onto women’s shoulders to catch a better view; groups of friends flipped through the Daisy Chain Fields zines between sets; three generations of women braved the crowds together hand in hand; strangers shared lockers. At the entrance, Yoko Ono’s wish tree allowed all those in attendance to write their hopes and dreams on cards and hang them from the branches. Further into the grounds, young attendees were introduced to the work of the Guerrilla Girls and the Riot Grrrl movement through art installations. Bite-sized history lessons were painted onto the main sidewalk, reminding us of all of the change-making women who paved the way, and during her set, Rodrigo asked us all to turn to the women we came with and give them a hug. (Yes, I cried again.)

Trish, a late-40s mom who brought her 12-year-old daughter, Polly, to the festival, wanted me to know this atmosphere was rare. Born in Philadelphia and based in Los Angeles, she used to work for MTV, and in 1999 she had the opportunity to go to Woodstock’s 30th anniversary festival. “I love that Olivia has tied Sarah McLachlan into this, and paid homage to her, and really understood that she laid the groundwork for this. You know, it was much different at that time. I went to Woodstock ’99 and it was horrific. It was so scary. You walked into the fairgrounds and you could feel the male aggression.” Trish had special access due to her job, but she says she still felt unsafe, adding, “We left early.”

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“Bringing together women and girls and female-friendly patrons just creates a whole different vibe to a concert. Even on the shuttle on the way here, we were like, ‘It’s so respectful. People aren’t screaming and being crazy. It’s chill.’ And I think that women, when they come together, genuinely create a different vibe of respect. And the world is crazy enough, we don’t need more aggression right now. Let’s all be peaceful and enjoy music and art on a beautifully hot 92 degree day.”

While—thanks in part to McLachlan and Lilith Fair—today’s mainstream festivals might not be as male dominated as their ’90s counterparts, Daisy Chain Fields still felt like a rarity. At a time when women’s rights often feel like they’re being stripped away by the second, the grounds offered a safe escape, a soft and powerful and gracious and loud micro-society that gave a glimpse at what the world might look like if women were at the helm.

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Even the multi-hour-long delay getting out of the festival grounds felt like a community effort, with girls running to the front of the long line of cars to chat with security and then stopping by each driver’s seat window to report their findings.

“I’ve been to a lot of festivals where etiquette is not great in crowds, especially when there is a predominantly male crowd,” Brooke, a 25-year-old editor (and frequent festivalgoer) from New York City, told me as we made our way back to the Cameo Beverly Hills hotel. “It’s nice to see a lot of women coming together and respecting each other and respecting the general sense of community that we clearly all have with each other and share through music, and it’s especially cool to see that being passed down generations.”

When we finally got back to Los Angeles, my hair a mess of frizz, dried daisies, and knotted braids, I slipped into my hotel robe and immediately marked my calendar for next year’s Daisy Chain Fields. And the one after that.