Daisy Chain Fields was a success even before gates opened.
Olivia Rodrigo’s one-day, women-led lineup music festival, held this past sweltering Saturday in Irvine, California, raised $10 million for 10 non-profit organizations that advocate for women and girls. That number was doubled to $20 million by Melinda French Gates during a surprise appearance at the festival. Rodrigo isn’t just one of the biggest pop stars (and rock stars) in the world — she’s also using her platform to make the world a better place.
The goal of Daisy Chain Fields was to “[bring] together women in music to support and uplift women and girls,” and to “celebrate the power of collective experiences to inspire new ideas, deepen understanding, and drive action.” Both missions were accomplished, and then some: women and girls strongly outnumbered the men in attendance, and every set was introduced by someone from one of the organizations Daisy Chain Fields partnered with; even the stages were decorated with giant pins reading “I’m For Planned Parenthood” and “Reproductive Rights Are Human Rights.”
The lineup had a little something for everyone: You Gotta Hear indie favorites (Quiet Light), the next generation of pop stars (Eli; Rachel Chinouriri; and Devon Again, filling in for Katseye), ascending punk bands (Die Spitz — who opened the pit), genre-defying innovators (Santigold), Riot grrrl legends (Bikini Kill), and alt-rock icons (The Breeders).
Mitski, who captivated with a sincere yet playful mid-afternoon set, played at least one song from six of her eight albums, while a pig-tailed Doechii, who took the stage painted entirely in hot pink paint, had the crowd dancing and trying to keep up with her rapid flow. Not For Radio enchanted with her ethereal stage presence.
But the biggest non-Rodrigo set of the festival belonged to Chappell Roan. It was her first live show in months, and worth every second of the wait. Wearing a costume inspired by the flight attendants from sci-fi classic The Fifth Element, Roan (who opened for Rodrigo on both the Sour and Guts tours) kicked things off with “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl” before going back to back with “Femininomenon” and “HOT TO GO!” Fitting choices considering the demographic of the crowd and the temperature, which reached the mid-90s.
Roan described her set as “greatest hits” only, a funny thing for someone with only one album to their name. But The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess does feel like a greatest hits album — the Daisy Chain crowd knew every word to every instant-classic pop banger, as well as singles “Good Luck Babe” and “The Subway.”
Finally, with the sun having set, it was time for Olivia Rodrigo to take the stage. The tour in support of her best album yet, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, doesn’t launch until next month, so for most of the 45,000 people in attendance, this was their first time hearing the euphoric “Drop Dead” and the Smashing Pumpkins-y “The Cure” live. The new tracks were greeted just as ecstatically as her earlier hits, like the pop-punk-y “good 4 u” and the anthemic “all-american bitch.”
Daisy Chain Fields promised three special guests, and while Yeah Yeah Yeahs icon Karen O unfortunately couldn’t make it due to a personal matter, Alanis Morissette — performing rock radio staple “Ironic” — was a substantial last-minute replacement. Rodrigo was also joined by Lilith Fair co-founder Sarah McLachlan for “Building a Mystery” and “Angel,” dedicated to Dolly Parton (and millions of sad dogs and cats), and Stevie Nicks for the final song of the night. I didn’t think I needed to hear “Landslide” for the 475,847th time in my life, until I heard it performed by Olivia Rodrigo and Stevie Nicks. Chills.
It’s easy to forget Olivia Rodrigo is still only 23 years old. She’s already accomplished so much, including bridging the divide between Boomers and Gen Z better than anyone. Now she can add “creating a music festival” to her accomplishments.
But not just any music festival. At a time when headlines like “The Trump Administration Is Endangering Women’s Reproductive Health” are tragically common and gender imbalance is still a major issue on many of music’s biggest stages, Daisy Chain Fields is the festival we need.
