You would think McMahon Stadium had never hosted an event before. The home of the Calgary Stampeders left a very negative impression on the attendees of Lilith Fair in Calgary on June 27th. Attempting to avoid lines I arrived shortly before 4:30 and spent over 30 minutes waiting for them to process 8 people in line ahead of me. Walking into the venue saw more lines, for drinks, for food (which they ran out of several times), for bathrooms. From an organizational standpoint, it was a nightmare. Many fans grumbled that they likely would not return to Lilith again at McMahon.
Fans showed up to discover their view blocked by a giant tent. Other fans who shelled out $150 for “general admission” on the field saw their space filled with a line up for drinks. It’s fairly clear, based on the show, why Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium sees the likes of Bon Jovi, U2, and The Police while McMahon does not.
“I have never been to an outdoor concert, and have only ever been to McMahon Stadium once before. It was a beautiful day to have it outside. I didn’t mind the venue as far as the seats and sound system. The rest of the venue was not the greatest although I am not sure I would know what to suggest to have made it any better,” said Heather Steele, who won tickets from the GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine online draw, after the show. “I arrived at 3:15 hoping to avoid the 2pm rush of people but instead I got stuck in the Will Call line for about an hour so I did miss the stuff in the parking lot. I could hear the performers so that was ok. They could have done a better job of managing the re-assigned tickets so that people just wanting to pick up will call tickets didn’t have to wait in line with all the cranky people who were mad that their original tickets were cancelled. Or [have] someone there to let them know what was happening with the tickets and the reason they were being reassigned. The theme of the day was line ups, line ups and more line ups. The line ups for food were insane. They even ran out of food!”
“Deva” Dave Richards had a similar experience, he said.
“I just wished that the concession stands would get it figured out. Many attendees lost a lot of stage viewing time trying to get food. My boyfriend was gone for more than 45 minutes to just get a hotdog.
Never got to check out the festival in the parking lot. I though they could have fit that on the same grounds as the event itself which would have harnessed all that energy. If they had more regular and lower priced tickets with more standing and dancing room, closer to stage on the grounds, that would have taken it up to the next level.”
Despite the issues, Lilith is really about celebrating women in music, and those that wanted to enjoy that aspect certainly did.
“My fave was Sugarland, she was amazing and left me exhausted! It was like taking in a sign language class, you cannot look away or you would be lost forever trying to catch up. [Jennifer Nettles] has incredible voice and stage presence. I now own 3 of their albums,” Richards said. “I was deeply disappointed with the appearance of Erykah Ba’Don’t [she] just was off her game. Black vinyl PVC pants and Persian carpet wrap? Hooker, please!”
Sugarland also surprised Steele, who was most looking forward to headliner Sarah McLachlan. However, due to a curfew McLachlan’s set was cut short before the intended finale featuring all of the artists singing Patti Smith’s Because The Night.
“I have seen Sarah in concert before and saw her at the Opening Ceremonies in Vancouver for the Olympics. She was amazing as always and didn’t disappoint. I was disappointed that Sarah’s set was cut short due to the bylaws/curfew. I had heard there was supposed to be a final number with all the women on stage together. That would have been great to see. My biggest surprise was Sugarland. I have never listened to her/their music before but was pleasantly surprised and think she/they did a fantastic job of entertaining the crowd. Sheryl Crow was also a highlight.”
After the concert it was announced that 1/3 of the upcoming Lilith dates were cancelled. High ticket prices and disappointing lineups prevented the event from being the draw it once was, especially with the economical issues in North America. In fact, a rumor was floating around that the Calgary date was going to be cancelled 48 hours prior to the event.
“There are a lot of idiots out there with a lot of stupid opinions that become fact. That becomes a little annoying,” McLachlan told media at a backstage press conference. The media event also featured Nettwerk manager Terry McBride, headliners Sheryl Crow and Eryka Baduh, newcomers Kate Morgan, Frazey Ford, Ash Koley, and winning Ourstage artist Sierra Noble. They all admitted to being overwhelmed to be sitting next to musical idols and touring with them.
“It is incredible. I can’t even really believe it. It is our first tour ever, so doing it next to these people is insane for me,” Koley said. Morgan got the biggest laughs of the festival when she admitted she was three years old when the first Lilith Fair took place in 1997, causing Crow to look horrified and McLachlan to shake her head in her hands. “I literally grew up with my parents telling me about these songs and the powerful women in music. It is really amazing to be a part of this.”
Australian Frazey Ford was excited to play in Canada for the first time.
“I can’t believe how lucky I got. In Australia we have never had a Lilith Fair but I remember when I was learning to play piano, I was going through the racks of my local store and found the sheet music for Lilith Fair. I took it home and started playing Sarah and Tori Amos and it became a really formative influence on my own stuff. It is pretty insane.”
Nobel especially was pinching herself, as it was online votes that had determined her kicking off the show on the village stage.
“It was pretty amazing. There were a couple of other artists in the competition here today and I talked to them. There were so many talented people and when you are in with that much talent you have no idea how it is going to turn out. To be picked by the fans to be here is the best way to end up. It is a huge honor to me to be beside incredible women period, but to be next to artists that inspired me since I was a kid starting in music...”
Many of those in attendance were members of the LGBT community, something that GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine brought up during the press conference.
“I think it is wonderful that we are supported by the gay and lesbian group, I think it is lovely that we are supported by human beings,” replied McLachlan. “I don’t look at a person as gay or straight, that is not how I definite a human being. So I don’t really know how to answer that. I am really happy that people want to come see the show and believe in what we are doing.”
Women in music are a powerful entity now, but a particular challenge to mitigate is that of being a parent. McLachlan, Badu and Crow are all single moms. The younger women listened raptly while the moms discussed motherhood on the road.
“There is no being away from my kids. My son was born 7 weeks ago and at two weeks he was loaded into the tour bus just like we did Wyatt. My son Wyatt is being acclimated to my life. When he starts school we become weekend warriors and go out Fri to Sun,” said Crow. “I am a working mother and my priority is taking care of my kids first, being there in the morning and tucking them in at night. It is about their welfare and a safe and loving atmosphere. If that is on a tour bus or home, it is about consistency and them being with me. You make it work and like most working Moms you just figure out how to make it work out.”
“We are quite different from most working mothers in that most have to leave their children and go to work everyday, we get to take our children to work and are very lucky in that regard,” added McLachlan. “I don’t show up for my day job until 3:00. Then the kids are with me, I do the work I have to do, have dinner with them and then mommy goes to work on stage. I am only touring for the summer other than charity gigs or one-offs. It depends on the child but my oldest is the kind of kid that needs that routine structure.”
For Badu’s children, life on the road is the norm as well. “I home school. The bus is the school, the doctor’s office, the playground, the house of procrastination. It is everything.”
So in the end, despite the glitches and drama, the 9,000 people in attendance got a pretty good day of music. Was it worth the up to $250 per ticket? No, and that is something Lilith organizers should consider next year (McBride confirmed plans for Lilith in 2011) as more reasonable prices may pack the venue and not result in cancellations. DevaDave, for one, hopes for a return.
“The highlight for me was the surprising realization that I do not hate people and crowds after all. It is just the type of people gathered in that crowd - my people [Calgarians] made me want to hug and chant with them more and more. …Next time have better advance promo as many did not know about the event, and more affordable tickets. Close or far, it was all about what the performers brought to the stage in passion and talent.”
Watch the full Lilith Fair press conference at GayCalgary.com.
