Lilith Fair doc shows pressure Sarah McLachlan faced as tour was mocked by outsiders

Director Ally Pankiw, left to right, singer-songwriters Sarah McLachlan and Paula Cole are photographed on the red carpet for the film "Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery" during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan

TORONTO — Sarah McLachlan says unexpected emotions were awoken in her as she prepared for a new documentary about the legacy of Lilith Fair.

While she’s frequently asked about her groundbreaking all-female concert tour of the late ’90s, the singer-songwriter says it wasn’t until she began flipping through her old diaries that she started to cry.

And they weren’t tears of joy, she says, but frustration.

“Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery,” which premieres tonight on CBC and CBC Gem, explores how McLachlan’s festival helped break down barriers for women in music, at a time when they were often sidelined, dismissed or faced outright hostility.

But it also shows the incredible pressure McLachlan was under as outsiders criticized and mocked the tour’s success.

At its peak, Lilith Fair faced a steady barrage of criticism in the media for being staunchly feminist, and its pro-choice stance on abortion rights led to bomb threats.

McLachlan says her diaries brought all those experiences back to the forefront.

“I cried a number of times, viewing my frustration,” she said in a recent interview.

“The takeaway from that was — though it was fun and amazing — there was this constant intensity that was so overwhelming.”

She was also reminded of the daily pre-show press conferences at each tour stop where local reporters would speak with a panel of the women performing that night.

“The constant question was, ‘Why do you hate men?’” McLachlan said.

“Typically (it was) only from male journalists and male DJs, I will say. I didn’t know how to respond to that because I’m like, what does celebrating women have to do with hating men?”

“Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery” also features interviews with many of the performers who played on the tour, including Erykah Badu, Paula Cole, Jewel and Sheryl Crow, as well as a deep archive of rarely seen footage from the festival’s stops across North America.

There’s also an appearance from 22-year-old pop singer Olivia Rodrigo, who speaks about the lasting impact of the concerts. She wasn’t born until years after the original Lilith Fair’s final concert in Edmonton on Aug. 31, 1999.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2025.

David Friend, The Canadian Press