On August 29 in Irvine, California, singer-songwriter and philanthropist Olivia Rodrigo hosted Daisy Chain Fields, one of the most successful not-for-profit music festivals this year. The festival was inspired by Sarah McLachan’s 1997 festival Lilith Fair.
Rodrigo, as she has often done in the past, honors the artists that have inspired her by inviting them to perform on stage with her. McLachan was no exception as she sang with Rodrigo an homage to Dolly Parton, who passed just four days before the festival.
Both Rodrigo’s and McLachan’s festivals only had female artists performing. It is important to note that every artist that performed during Daisy Chain Fields did it for free.
The lineup included Olivia Rodrigo, Chappell Roan, Doechii, Garbage, Mitski, The Breeders, Bikini Kill, Die Spitz, Eli, Not For Radio, Quiet Light, Rachel Chinouriri, Santigold, and special guests.
One of the special guests brought to the Dandelion stage was Fleetwood Mac’s lead singer Stevie Nicks, who sang a beautiful rendition of “Landslide” with Rodrigo.
Rodrigo’s all-women artists festival was not only a hit because of the colorful, warm, and safe environment that the singer provided for the forty-five thousand people in attendance, but also because of how much money was raised for charities focused on women and their reproductive rights.
Daisy Chain Fields grossed a sum of ten million dollars, and Melinda French Gates promised Rodrigo that she would match the proceeds.
She did exactly that, making the festival raise a total of twenty million dollars spread across ten different charities.
“Daisies are wild and beautiful. As a chain, they are unbreakable”, Olivia Rodrigo states in the mission statement of the festival, proving that love and unity create an unbreakable bond against social injustice.
As we mourn the loss of Dolly Parton, one of the most important musical artists, philanthropists and humanitarians passes, Olivia Rodrigo gives us hope of following in her footsteps by spreading love and kindness on her way to becoming one of the most powerful voices of our generation.