In 1996, Sarah McLachlan became frustrated with radio programmers and concert bookers who believed that playlisting or booking more than one consecutive female performer would turn audiences away. Finding the idea to be ridiculous, the Canadian artist concepted the idea of ‘Lilith,’ fundraising and enlisting the help of other female performers to join a city-wide tour across the United States and Canada. The name of the idea became ‘Lilith’ after a co-headlining Vancouver concert with Paula Cole on September 14, 1996. On July 5, 1997, the first ever Lilith Fair concert was held in George, Washington, United States. The festival tour took place in 1997, 1998, and 1999– with a resurgence in 2010.

Lilith takes its name after the Jewish lore character of the same name– the first wife of the biblical figure Adam, who ultimately gets banished from the Garden of Eden for refusing to be subservient to Adam. The music of Lilith Fair often follows that theme of not bowing down to male patriarchy, and is often identified as feminist-leaning records. This is displayed through the soft feminine qualities that can exist in rock– whether through vocals or the instruments presented in folk music. Oftentimes, these songs have a strong knack for storytelling based on folklore.