Strangely, though, I still feel that Lilith Fair’s all-female lineup is essential. It’s more inspiring to me personally, even though I totally idolize male artists as well (hello, Grant-Lee Phillips and Michael Penn!). Also, I’m generalizing, but I think women can be really competitive – especially because often, we’re forced by others to compete (I refer back to the Tori vs. Sarah story I shared the other day). I try to remind myself all the time that another woman’s success is not my failure. Seeing women at the top of their game like the Indigo Girls, Sarah McLachlan, Bonnie Raitt, Tracy Chapman, etc. all on the same stage back in ‘97 and ‘98 really convinced me that women can achieve more working with instead of against each other.

There’s also a message of empowerment inherent to Lilith that draws from its female source. Back to an article I quoted in my first blog, “Despite the fact that Beyoncé and Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift and Rihanna are all making waves in pop, they’re mostly still singing about men, singing to men, or titillating men. A place where women sing for themselves and to other women is a feminist act…” And the incredible Ann Powers will always say it better than I do, so I leave you with a link to a recent NPR interview with her that I think you’ll enjoy. Says Ann, warming my lil’ heart, “We have to remember and always reiterate our values, to say it right out: ‘I am a feminist.’”

While I think I beat the whole “need” issue to death yesterday, it’s worth asking – if it’s more “want” than “need” now, why has Lilith Fair lost artists and canceled a third of its stops? But that question becomes less important in light of David’s point #2: “John Mayer, the Eagles, Limp Bizkit, Rihanna, and Christina Aguilera, among others, are canceling shows and tours.” Indeed, while concert promotion is no science, according to an NPR report I heard on the subject last week, I’m solving no great mystery by asserting that in troubled economic times, people will attend fewer concerts. And, as another NPR report attests, some concert promoters have gotten just downright greedy, and will probably (God, hopefully!!!) adjust their prices in answer to lagging sales next summer. Or, at least Lilith Fair’s McBride seems to think Lilith will.

An article on Autostraddle called “Panic! On the Lawn: What Happened to Lilith Fair” poses just that question to its readers. Author Jess writes, “Maybe it’s the high ticket prices, maybe it’s the lineup of artists, or maybe it’s hard to re-create the pure artistry that happened from 1997-1999 when we’re now living in a Ke$ha world.” While there’s a little genre bias there (one I admittedly share), I think Jess is probably right, and it’s some combination of all of these elements. Commenters on the blog cite a combination of disappointment in a “ho-hum lineup,” prohibitive cost, and geographic hindrance (it’s true. Irvine is not Los Angeles, in fact it’s really far from Los Angeles in heinous SoCal traffic, so LF should probably have just said “Irvine”).

I admit – I didn’t even go to Lilith Fair! I was out of town that weekend and couldn’t really afford it (which is true, but doesn’t it sound excuse-y? Also, my dog ate my homework…). But in retrospect, I am disappointed in myself for not saving up my pennies in advance and making the trek, if only to support the idea of Lilith and women in music. I know an idea is not really enough, and it has to be a great show, but I certainly believe in its possibilities. The first time around, I didn’t love every single artist I heard, but I still remember loving every single moment of just BEING there. I hope that circumstances get better for all of us next summer, and that if there are lessons for the organizers and promoters to learn, they’ll learn them, and 2011 will be even better. Who’s coming with me to Lilith Fair next summer?!

I know that I cannot hide from bad news forever, and when I’m feeling braver I turn NPR back on. One thing that helped me cope recently was a special on the bank meltdown, “Bad Bank,” on This American Life. The hour-long show somehow made banking entertaining, and it was so helpful to me in terms of really understanding what’s gone on. Granted, understanding things better sometimes made me angrier or more frightened than I was before, but it also somehow made me feel more in control. And to be honest, my commute was over before the very end of it, so I need to hear that myself. I recommend we check out the whole thing together… it’s really worth the 59 minutes of your day.

It’s funny how certain rooms and combinations of people just give off a certain energy, and last night’s just felt good to me. When it just feels comfy, I feed off of it and crack jokes and playing is the most natural thing in the world. I think the best thing about playing so many shows over the years is the fact that I can now, almost every time I play, really settle in and enjoy it, and hopefully that helps the audience ’settle in’, too.

Yesterday we left DC for Pittsburgh, but before we left we visited my friend Jocelyn where she works at…get ready…NPR!!!! I think Jocelyn is such a rock star because NPR is pretty much my favorite thing ever (ok….there are other things…like music, my husband, coffee, but you get the idea). To get to visit the place where the magic happens was just, well, magical. :) I was struck by the piles and piles of reading material in everyone’s cubicles. How inspiring it must be to be surrounded by people who are just learning and learning all the time, and then sharing it…very good for the brain, and the soul. I felt like I might get smarter if I just stayed there in the building long enough. Most everyone was quite busy, so I saw but didn’t meet the NPR ’stars’ who were around, but we met someone who works in music and we met the All Things Considered engineer who talked to us about their studio and all of its cool technological details. The music studio was much bigger than I expected, because I guess they often do full-out live performances there, sometimes for audiences. Very cool. I now have a place to envision when I dream about being on NPR…ah, someday.

Last night I did a little guest appearance at the Club Cafe’s open mic here in Pittsburgh to a really gracious audience and a great little community of performers. It was just a few songs, but I guess that counts as show 12…it’s a great room I’d love to come back to for a full set. And I would’ve stuck around for the whole thing, but their kitchen wasn’t functioning and we were STARVING! So we had some nice thai food which made us feel right at home and then passed out. We have a few days to recover, then a show Thursday night here in Pittsburgh and a show Friday night in Ann Arbor. The tour is actually coming to a close, and I’m feeling sad about it. At first it seemed much more stressful than it does now; now that we’re in a groove I just want to keep playing and playing. But I am feeling that it’s time to hole up and write some new songs; I can just feel them sort of bubbling up to the surface. And I do miss LA. And I need a haircut. So all good things must come to an end…but not quite yet.