Lilith Fair's Spirited Kickoff

06/23/1998 3:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

(6/23/98) - Thanks to some girl power from Mother Nature, Portland, Ore.'s perennial rain clouds parted just a few hours before the opening of the 1998 Lilith Fair tour Friday at Civic Stadium.

The mood was celebratory at the outdoor venue, as the 20,000 visibly thrilled fans cheered their musical heroines and amiably endured restroom and concession lines, comparing tattoos and exchanging high-fives.

Several female concertgoers estimated the crowd was 75% women, while men felt even more outnumbered, guessing that the crowd was 90% female.

Sporting a freshly shaved head and "Jesus Loves Me" t-shirt, Sinead O'Connor gave the main stage performances a spirited kickoff. Erykah Badu mesmerized with her jazz-inflected vocal riffs and queen-like presence. But it was the Indigo Girls who got things rocking when they invited Sarah McLachlan and second stage performers K's Choice to join them on such songs as "Closer To Fine" and Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World."

Natalie Merchant and headliner McLachlan took more subdued approaches, nonetheless eliciting the most enthusiastic responses of the day.

Return Lilith-goers applauded improvements over last year's concert at the L.B. Day Amphitheater in Salem, Ore., where hours-long lines, extreme heat and a shortage of drinking water overshadowed the performances.

There was little complaining throughout this year's event. In all, it was a night of solid performances.

--Karen E. Steen