Lilith Fair (7/27/10)

If I were to recount the experience I had at Lilith Fair - as a whole - I had a GREAT time.  I had several family members come into town for the event, including my Sister and my 2 yo niece, Lexi.  We filled a van and headed down to Blossom.

I am a known as a vehement supporter of the first round of Lilith Fair's, but much has happened since then.  There's been discussion if this is even a relevant festival anymore (I believe it is).  But I've been skeptical from the beginning. First off, and this may sound shallow, the logo and branding is bad. I was then put off by the exhorbanant cost of the tickets.  (Luckily, we waited and got a reasonable deal)

As for the music, I was mildly excited.  I didn't spend much time researching the opening acts, but I knew I wanted to see Lights.  And of course I was really excited to see what Mary J Blige would be puttin' down.  Kelly Clarkson bailed.  Meh.

The day of the show, we loaded up the van and headed down for the opening.  We were instantly barraged with surveys, contests, and free samples.  Then we headed to the festival area and it was a corporate haven.  Where were all the local artists and vendors?  Now, not all were bad, but there wasn't the local, organic flavor as I remembered from the first ones. Then the caps.  No bottles sold could keep the caps.  (wtf!?).  Then beers were $7 ~ $10.  Hotdogs were $11 and Cheeseburgers were $13.  I was borderline offended.  For these reasons alone, I can honestly say, I will make every effort to avoid attending Live Nation events at Blossom in the future.

OH, the music?  It wasn't bad...  I really liked the Anjulie performance.

Lights was also pretty good.

But as usual, it's really hard to connect with an artist in a festival atmosphere when it's sweltering and you're carrying around a 2 yo.  :-)

Some More Pics...  Sara, Courtyard Hounds, Mary and Sarah were all decent.  For me, it turned into pleasant backround music while I hung with my family and friends...  Though there was some obligitory dancing with the kids, especially for the Mary J. set.  She was the highlight for me.

Of course there are more photos here on my Flickr page.

Here's probably a more professional review from Cleveland Scene.

And Lilith's interpretation: