At the end of 1996, Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan was angry. Having been told by men in the music industry that all-women concerts don’t sell, McLachlan was hungry to prove them wrong.
McLachlan’s response was Lilith Fair, a traveling music festival with an all-female lineup featuring artists such as Lisa Loeb, Tracy Chapman and the Indigo Girls. Despite critiques of hosting predominantly white artists and accusations of performing “mom music,” the event was a major success. Over the show’s three-year run, Lilith made $60 million in ticket sales – making it one of the highest-grossing festivals of the time, NPR Reports.
Now, 27 years later, Club Passim’s Folk Collective will present its second “Reimagining Lilith Fair” on Saturday.
The event, produced by singer-songwriter Naomi Westwater, showcases musical performances from women and gender-expansive artists from across Boston’s folk scene. After the performances is a discussion on intersectional feminism moderated by Boston poet laureate Porsha Olayiwola.
Having grown up in the ’90s and loving “that singer-songwriter kind of folky scene,” Westwater says that reimagining Lilith Fair is an opportunity to “pay tribute to those women and the wave of feminism that I experienced as a kid.”
Although Lilith Fair began to include more Black artists in its 1998 lineup, including Missy Elliott and Erykah Badu, the ticket remained largely white. For Westwater, who identifies as queer, nonbinary and Black-multiracial, Lilith Fair had room for improvement. “There’s a lot that was left out of that wave of feminism, including people of color,” Westwater says.
Westwater also sees a disparity in queer and transgender representation at Lilith Fair. Despite performances from queer artists Chapman and the Indigo Girls, Westwater says many queer and gender-nonconforming artists still lived in the shadows. “In the ’90s a lot of people still weren’t even out of the closet,” Westwater says.
Westwater seeks to “reimagine” the festival by exploring the intersection of music and contemporary feminist thought and practice. Through the discussion with Olayiwola and highlighting gender-nonconforming and Black artists, they hope to “hold space for the reality of where music and intersectional feminism is at today and where we want it to be in the future.”
The musical portion of the show features artists Rosa Joe Jacobs and Heather Scott. Jacobs, a singer-songwriter, has a basis in American roots music. Scott, a longtime friend and collaborator of Westwater, is an artist who takes inspiration from folk masters and modern rock and has a contemporary spin on classic vocals.
Joe Jacobs and Scott perform covers of the songs from Lilith Fair along with original music. “We’re having a lot of fun singing these ’90s songs,” Westwater says.
In addition to their artistry, Westwater emphasizes the importance of Jacobs and Scott’s identities: Jacobs is a Black woman and Scott is queer and nonbinary. Westwater says they “wanted to make sure we take up space.” They explain that because the artists hold “identities that were not highlighted at the original Lilith Fair,” it is especially important that the modern feminist folk movement makes space for them.
Westwater also views the show as an opportunity to highlight the next generation of folk artists. Remembering how difficult it was to find gigs as a younger artist, they always try to give younger artists opportunities to perform – “continuing to pass the torch.”
Westwater is a member of the Folk Collective, which works to diversify the musical offerings at Club Passim. Westwater says the Folk collective’s work creating events such a “Reimagining Lilith Fair” has been instrumental in “helping create the folk scene in the Boston Area.”
Folk Collective’s future offerings include an Indigenous Peoples Day celebration organized by Kim Moberg and Maxfield Anderson on Oct. 12 and Alastair Moock’s “Pastures of Plenty” happening Nov. 8.
“The Folk Collective: Reimagining Lilith Fair” takes place at 8 p.m. Saturday at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $20.
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