A Taste of Lilith @ Palais Theatre, Melbourne : October 6th 2010 – Live Review

[Photo Credit: Naomi Rahim]

The resurrected Lilith Fair music festival, co-founded by Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan in North America made its way to Australia in the condensed version – A Taste of Lilith. In contrast to the usual male-dominated bills of most music festivals, Lilith Fair celebrates female singer-songwriters and female-fronted bands across a variety of genres with the aim of breaking the artists into new markets. From each ticket sold, $1 is donated to the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation in Australia.

A Taste of Lilith got off to a bumpy start amid date changes and major act Court Yard Hounds dropping off the bill. Melbourne’s line-up included Sarah McLachlan, Kate Miller-Heidke and The Verses (formerly Killing Heidi). One international act from the North American lineup (to replace Court Yard Hounds) would’ve rounded out the show, Miller-Heidke and The Verses appeared more like support acts to McLachlan’s star. The rescheduling and possibly Melbourne’s freak monsoon affected the turnout, but the dramas were all but forgotten by McLachlan’s eager fans who waited 5 years to see her perform in Australia again.

Kate Miller-Heidke, who played all the Canadian dates of Lilith Fair earlier this year, thrived in the atmosphere of the Palais Theatre with her eccentric cabaret-tinged set delighting the audience with ridiculous high and low notes, tambourine playing and charming humour. The biggest response was reserved for her infamous concert staple, ‘R U F*cking Kidding Me’ (The Facebook Song) – youtube it now!

Sarah McLachlan promised a festival-like set list of familiar songs in a recent Australian interview and she certainly delivered, opening with her biggest hits; ‘Angel’ (on piano) and ‘Building A Mystery’. Backed by a fine 6-piece band, including Australia’s Butterfly Boucher on guitar, McLachlan was the consummate performer, powering through her diverse back catalogue, playing piano and guitar, interacting with her band and the audience. McLachlan make light of her “divorce album,” Laws of Illusion, while not loosing the crowd for a moment. Fans were not left disappointed as Miller-Heidke joined McLachlan onstage for the encore, cover of the classic ‘Because the Night’.

Hopefully Australia will get the full Lilith Fair experience next year, a much-needed addition to our music festival landscape.

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[Photo Credit: Naomi Rahim]

A Taste of Lilith: Review
Palais Theatre, Oct 6th 2010