Philly’s Lilith Fair tribute honors women artists, raises funds for queer youth

“In my Lilith Fair era,” writes one woman on the r/AskWomenOver30 subreddit asking for music recommendations — and she’s not alone. Her sentiment speaks to a broader trend in music right now: The ’90s, and specifically the women who remarkably lit the industry on fire, are back. Sheryl Crowe, PJ Harvey, Alanis Morrisette, Bjork, Tori Amos, Liz Phair, Natalie Merchant, and Sarah McLachlan have all released new music in the last five years. And their music that first touched our hearts is reaching a new audience. 

While there’s certainly books yet to be written as to why our current climate is ripe for the emotional, confessional songwriting these artists made popular, without intellectualizing – if you watched Hulu’s latest documentary on Sarah McLachlan’s beloved Lilith Fair, or better yet, attended Johnny Brenda’s Lilith Fair Halloween tribute show, then you know it to be true.

Let’s talk about Johnny Brenda’s Lilith Fair tribute show. The two-set concert organized by JB’s DJ Lily Cope and local talent buyer Lucy Stone was a who’s who of Philadelphia talent. Much as Lilith Fair was a showcase of the industry’s brightest, so was the tribute show — on a local level. Both Cope and Stone performed songs, as well as Ali Wadsworth, Frances Quinlan, Sadie Dupuis, Rachel Andie, and too many more to keep track. Last month, when this show was introduced to me and I asked who was playing, my friend’s response was simply, “EVERYONE!”

“Lilith Fair was revolutionary not just for the music, but for the message that every person who’s been made to feel less than or unwanted deserves a place on stage — together,” said Cope in Instagram. “With this tribute, we want to honor that legacy while raising awareness and funds for The Trevor Project, which is doing life-saving work for LGBTQ+ youth.”

Lizzy of pop act Lizdelise opened the show with Sheryl Crowe’s “If It Makes You Happy,” a belt-out loud, crowd-pleaser to set the mood, followed by Bobby Brown of Rentboy singing The Pretenders’ “Brass In Pocket.” (And before you Google it, yeah, Chrissie Hynde played Lilith Fair in 1999, and Sarah McLachlan famously flashed her on stage.) The night proceeded with a memorable performance from Sam Rise, who sang Shawn Colvin’s “Sunny Came Home” dressed as “Crushed ICE.” It was Halloween, after all. “The only good ICE is crushed ICE,” said Rise, and gestured to her sash of silver numbers reading “814-205-3293,” the tip hotline for Vamos Juntos, an immigrant organization based in South Philadelphia.

Reese Florence gave everyone in the crowd goosebumps with her cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason,” and Sadie Dupuis played double duty as both Aimee Mann and Liz Phair. Ali Wadsworth sang “Possession” by the queen of Lilith Fair herself, Ms. McLachlan; Grocer’s Elle Lovier, dressed as a carrot, performed The Cardigan’s “Lovefool”; and Eliza Hardy Jones closed set one with Pat Benatar’s “We Belong,” another one that had the crowd shining cellphone flashlights. Though not all mentioned above, every artist was phenomenal, and they’re included in the setlist below.

In between sets, UgLi’s Dylan Durante, who brought feminine rage to Tracy Bonham’s “Mother Mother” earlier, told me each artist picked their own songs for this benefit show. Which in hindsight made sense, but made RIPLEY’s choice of opening set two with Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” even more gutsy. They nailed it though. Lucy Stone followed with Sixpence None The Richer’s “Kiss Me,” a song perfectly suited to her voice; Sovei shut everyone up with a slow, spiritual rendition of Patti Smith’s “Because The Night;” Frances Quinlan dressed as a lobster and sang Fiona Apple, and Ali and Lily closed out the night with one of the more iconic Lilith Fair tunes, The Indigo Girls’ “Closer to Fine.”

Holding down the music all night was the core band of Lucas Rinz on bass, Mike Vivas on keys, Pat Finnerty on guitar, Patrick Berkery on drums, and Dave Cope on guitar. Though these are live-band karaoke regulars, none of the performers that night performed with the reaching desperation of karaoke; rather, the covers were treated with the care and talent deserving of the original songs. Furthermore, all of the performers gave their time for free, ensuring that ticket sales went wholly to The Trevor Project, “the only suicide hotline that doesn’t call the cops without consent,” praised Augusta Koch. “I want everyone to stay alive.”