In the 1990s, it was a musical haven—a heaven on earth for singer-songwriters and multi-instrumentalists. A playground of authentic, illustrious performers. We couldn’t get enough, glued to endless hours of concert premieres and footage, whether it was live, on VH-1, or MTV.
But it all started with a gal named Sarah McLachlan.
Just a talented young musician from Halifax—a self-described “good Canadian girl”—who wanted to perform with other women like her. Despite climbing the charts and selling records, the industry told her no one would buy tickets to an all-female show. She ignored them all. In 1996, she brought Paula Cole on tour as her opening act. It went so well, McLachlan decided to organize a festival featuring women-led bands and solo female artists.
Now, drawing on over 600 hours of archival footage, the new documentary Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery tells the story of that groundbreaking concert tour.
Watch it now on CBC Gem and the CBC Docs YouTube channel, streaming September 17.
