Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery — The Untold Story (Doc Trailer) Features Olivia Rodrigo, Founder Sarah McLachlan & More

In 1997, Sarah McLachlan created Lilith Fair to push back against a festival circuit overwhelmingly shaped by male headliners. At the time, major touring events such as Lollapalooza, H.O.R.D.E., Smokin’ Grooves and OzzFest left little room for women-led acts, and Lilith arrived as a deliberate counterpoint.

McLachlan organized a rotating, multi-stage lineup that showcased an array of celebrated performers — from Fiona Apple and The Cardigans to Tracy Chapman, Paula Cole, Sheryl Crow, Indigo Girls, Emmylou Harris, Jewel, Dido, Pat Benatar and Beth Orton — across a summer tour that felt unprecedented.

In the new two-and-a-half-minute trailer for the documentary Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery — The Untold Story, Crow’s voice opens the footage that mixes archival moments with fresh interviews. The film, which will stream on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ beginning Sept. 21, traces the festival’s surprising rise: the original 35-date tour grossed roughly $16 million and was the highest-grossing U.S. festival tour of 1997. See contemporary coverage.

Olivia Rodrigo — born six years after Lilith’s debut — appears in the trailer among a younger generation of artists who cite the festival as formative. She says she was stunned to learn how many of her musical heroes had performed there and describes the ’90s women singer-songwriters as ongoing sources of inspiration, even referencing footage of herself playing alongside Sheryl Crow.

McLachlan recalls the skepticism she encountered from promoters, who reportedly warned that audiences wouldn’t show up for a lineup built around women. She has said that resistance only strengthened her resolve. The trailer also revisits darker moments, including backlash from some religious groups over the festival’s name and even bomb threats that threatened to derail the tour.

Crow reflects on the lack of institutional support for female artists at the time, while Natalie Merchant — moved to tears in the film — describes the emotional weight of finally seeing a festival designed to spotlight women performers.

Lilith returned in 1998 with another high-profile roster that included Bonnie Raitt, Cowboy Junkies, Des’ree, Erykah Badu, Joan Osborne, Lisa Loeb, Liz Phair, Sinéad O’Connor, Missy Elliott, Queen Latifah, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Neneh Cherry and Lucinda Williams. After a 1999 edition the festival paused until a 2010 revival featuring artists such as Brandi Carlile, Cat Power, Heart, Janelle Monáe and Mary J. Blige, which was cut short after low ticket sales forced the cancellation of multiple dates.

Directed by Ally Pankiw and inspired by a 2019 Vanity Fair oral history, the documentary gathers interviews with many performers who were central to Lilith’s heyday — including Raitt, Badu, Paula Cole, Jewel, Liz Phair, Mya, Indigo Girls and Emmylou Harris — to tell the festival’s fuller story.

Watch the trailer for Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery — The Untold Story below.

Source