For one day, a daisy rises over the desert. It’s not a true desert, but with highs in the mid-30s on August 29, Great Park in Irvine, California certainly feels like one, its iconic orange hot air balloon blooming with the logo for Olivia Rodrigo’s inaugural Daisy Chain Fields music festival. The one-day extravaganza features an all-women lineup, and will donate 100 per cent of its net proceeds to 10 nonprofit organisations “dedicated to advancing and advocating for women and girls”.
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Daisy Chain Fields follows in the footsteps of Lilith Fair, the all-women festival of the late ’90s, a time when radio stations were notoriously reluctant to play two songs by women in a row. Lilith Fair was founded by Sarah McLachlan, whom Rodrigo honours as one of Daisy Chain Fields’ special guests, alongside Alanis Morissette and Stevie Nicks. In a press presentation the day before, Rodrigo revealed McLachlan was the first artist she contacted when planning the festival.
Chappell Roan performing at Daisy Chain Fields. Credit: Izzy Nuzzo
Daisy Chain Fields’ bill spans genres and generations. From punk and rock legends like Bikini Kill, Garbage and The Breeders, to huge contemporary names like Doechii and Chappell Roan, as well as up-and-comers like pop singer Eli and metal band Die Spitz, the line-up is a reminder of the intergenerational solidarity between women and girls who have been fighting for a more just music industry, and world at large, for years.
This spirit of adoration for feminist foremothers is everywhere in the festival. Daisy Lane, the main pathway through the grounds, is painted end to end with quotes and achievements from women pioneers across myriad fields. Throughout the park are nine art installations by women, including work from Yoko Ono and Jenny Holzer. A “complaint department” set up by artist-activists Guerilla Girls, or a chalkboard where concertgoers could “air [their] grievances about the state of the world”, is filled with anti-Trump and pro-Palestinian sentiments.
Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill performing at Daisy Chain Fields. Credit: Cynthia Parkhurst
Still, nothing can overshadow the music itself. The day is full of incredible moments, like Die Spitz coming into the pit to dance with the crowd, Doechii’s full pink body-paint look for her high-energy set, Mitski’s powerhouse vocals and every drawn-out note, unreleased music from Rachel Chinouriri, and Chappell Roan’s set, which serves as a reminder of just how many anthemic, crowd-thrilling hits she already has to her name.
A particular standout is Eli, whose sweat-drenched, salacious pop music brings to mind some of the biggest hits of the early 2000s; she is the second performer of the day, but there are undoubtedly headlining slots in her future. Both the ease of her banter with the audience as well as her concluding speech about “tear[ing] down the ruling class” show an artist firmly rooted in her convictions and poised for big things.
Eli performing at Daisy Chain Fields. Credit: Izzy Nuzzo
But the night’s crowning moment is Rodrigo’s closing set, which she opens with an announcement: not only has Daisy Chain Fields raised $10million for their non-profit partners, but philanthropist Melinda French Gates will match it. The crowd’s jubilation spills into the show, which features singles and fan-favourites from Rodrigo’s most recent record, ‘You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love’, the live debut of her newest song ‘Serena Joy’ and hits from her first two albums, ‘Sour’ and ‘Guts’.
Throughout the set, Rodrigo is joined by three special guests. She and McLachlan duet on ‘Building a Mystery’ and ‘Angel’, the latter of which is dedicated to the late Dolly Parton, whom McLachlan calls “the biggest philanthropist in the history of country music”. In the place of Karen O, who is absent due to a family emergency, Rodrigo welcomes Morissette, with whom she sings ‘Ironic’.
Olivia Rodrigo performing at Daisy Chain Fields. Credit: Emma Wannie
The final song of the evening is a spellbinding rendition of ‘Landslide’, with Rodrigo joined by Nicks herself under a nearly full moon. They harmonise while singing “Even children get older/And I’m getting older, too,” and the crowd takes shuddering breaths, everyone with a lump in their throat. Watching two musical titans from vastly different eras create such a beautiful moment is a reminder of just how strong we are when we come together – interwoven like links in a daisy chain.
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