| Main Performers | Sarah McLachlan,
Sinead O'Connor,
Beth Orton,
Lisa Loeb,
Alison Moyet,
N'Dea Davenport - vocals |
| Set List | 'Adia' (Sarah McLachlan),
'Possession' (Sarah McLachlan),
'Full of Grace' (Sarah McLachlan),
'Ice Cream' (Sarah McLachlan),
'Angel' (Sarah McLachlan, Sinnead O'Connor),
'Building A Mystery' (Sarah McLachlan),
'Best Bit' (Beth Orton),
'Someone's Daughter' (Beth Orton),
'Sweetest Decline' (Beth Orton),
'Blood Red River' (Beth Orton),
'She Cries Your Name' (Beth Orton),
'Devil Song' (Beth Orton),
'It's Not the Spotlight' (Beth Orton),
'The Emperor's New Clothes' (Sinead O'Connor),
'You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart' (Sinead O'Connor),
'I Am Stretched on Your Grave' (Sinead O'Connor),
'Nothing Compares 2 U', Prince (Sinead O'Connor),
'Thank You for Hearing Me' (Sinead O'Connor),
'In This Heart' (Sinead O'Connor),
'Fire on Babylon' (Sinead O'Connor),
'The Last Day of Our Acquaintance'
'Dorothy' (Alison Moyet),
'Situation' (Alison Moyet),
'Should I Feel That It's Over' (Alison Moyet),
'Midnight' (Alison Moyet),
'Love Letters' (Alison Moyet),
'If You Don't Come Back To Me' (Alison Moyet),
'Momma Momma' (Alison Moyet),
'Rise' (Alison Moyet),
'Ode to Boy' (Alison Moyet)
ENCORE
'Redemption Song', Bob Marley and The Wailers (Alicon Moyet, Sinead O'Connor, Beth Orton, Sarah McLachlan, Lisa Loeb, N'Dea Davenport) |
| Performance Notes | The first Lilith Fair concert held outside of North America.
Lilith Fair was a concert tour and travelling music festival, founded by Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan, Nettwerk Music Group's Dan Fraser and Terry McBride, and New York talent agent Marty Diamond. It took place during the summers of 1997 to 1999, and was revived in the summer of 2010.
"According to Jewish mythology, Adam's first wife, Lilith, was thrown out of the Garden of Eden for being too independent. From there, she went on to fend very nicely for herself, thank you very much, and her namesake, Lilith Fair, which is a "celebration of women in music", echoes such DIY sentiments. With an emphasis on entertainment over ideology, and transforming the cavernous Royal Albert Hall into a kind of Greenham Common fun park, tonight's conservative bill deliver a marathon six hours of folk-rock, soul and pop by way of showcasing the acclaimed American touring package...
It's just so special to play alongside people you're inspired by, and to audiences that come to listen," gushed Lisa Loeb who, backed by two violins and a cello, sang brightly of black holes and Sigmund Freud from behind her trademark Nana Mouskouri specs. "We're here to party," shrieked N'dea Davenport, late of the Brand New Heavies, before launching into a series of blues funk numbers. Beth Orton brought her male guitarist onstage for some rhythm-infused folk; the rich vocals of ex-Yazoo Alison Moyet (a "living legend", we're told) were highlighted by the Albert Hall's acoustics; a newly shorn Sinead O'Connor sang "Nothing Compares 2 U" with a mixture of strength and vulnerability - the essence, indeed, of Lilith Fair itself....
Regardless, this evening belonged to Sarah McLachlan, who popped up for the odd duet (including, with Davenport, a storming rendition of Neil Young's "Old Man") and was name-checked, praised and hugged throughout. The big love-in finale hadn't taken place at the time of going to press, but it's a sure-fire bet that she got the biggest cheer of all."
(Jane Cornwell, The Independent, 24 September 1998)
Mel C (Sporty Spice) was in the audience. |