The Lilith Fair Doc is Made for Music Lovers
There’s a new documentary about Lilith Fair, a touring music festival that took place from 1997–1999, and it’s so, so good that I really think you should watch it if you enjoy music at all.
Most reviews I’ve seen focus on the concept of the tour, but I think that obscures the whole picture of just how good this documentary is. Also, the entire story was unfamiliar to Kelly, and it was cool watching her learn about it and be inspired.
So, I’m going to build a music-centric, spoiler-free case for why I think you will like this movie:
250+ artists to pull stories from
That’s how many acts played Lilith Fair over three years. That’s a lot of people. You’re bound to hear something you like or remember fondly just given the sheer number of hit songs that appear in the doc. If you don’t like one song from one of these 250 artists, then you may have to face the fact that you’re not a music fan.
Also, a lot of music stories often follow a predictable arc as they trace one career, but following the narrative of a festival provides a much broader perspective, and with so many artists you also get stories from first tour to mega stardom and every stage in between.
Then, on top of that, we get to see these artists talking to each other, giving advice, sharing ideas, and recounting moments when they were steered right by their fellow festival musicians. You may have seen another documentary where this happens, but I don’t believe I have.
A small-business owner leading with integrity
The music industry has long been ripe for dramatic clashes between corporate suits and rebellious musicians. Usually part of the dynamic is greed, but another part is driven by the immense power that artists can wield based on the direct support of their fans, which is atypical from a lot of other industries. So, musicians get to go head-to-head with corporations and sometimes win.
Watching artists fight the industry is fun, and I was struck by how well this doc manages to show the intentional choices that were made to do that, the day-in, day-out work required, and the breadth of team contributions necessary to do things your own way when all of the infrastructure is set up against you.
The festival functions essentially as a start-up that disrupts an industry in great need of disruption, which I think is always a fun narrative, and while the musicians are still the big stars, a lot of other people get to shine as well.
Unbelievable footage of people making music
First, most nights of Lilith Fair ended with a group song where artists played and sang together in a joyous mashup. You get to see several of these moments in the doc, and they are pretty magical.
Second, you get to see a ton of artists standing offstage and admiring another musician as a fan. Music is not inherently competitive, though some aspects of it can feel that way at times, and it’s beautiful to witness these moments of pure appreciation.
Third, there are behind-the-scenes moments of collaboration between musicians working out arrangements and harmonies for songs they’re going to play together later that night. It’s wild to see that musicians who are far more famous and talented than me still sit around and make spontaneous music with each other the same way every band I’ve ever been a part of does. Honestly, I think these moments come as close as you can to capturing what it feels like to make music with someone (maybe with the exception of the films of John Carney like Once and Begin Again ).
Seriously, the emotion on display in every frame of live music in this documentary is wide-ranging, palpable, and hugely inspirational. I think you’ll really like watching it, and if you’re not sold yet and need to see a trailer, here you go:
What’s your favorite music documentary? Ever go to a concert that changed your life? jed@kindandfunny.com.