The Brilliant Dream, Lilith Fair

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and by the makers of ob tampons, CAREFREE Pantiliners and STAYFREE pads.

It was at the height of my angsty teenage years when I discovered that my musical “soul mate” was creating a concert tour featuring an all female lineup. Sarah McLachlan’s songs were the antidote to any and all woes that came my way and Surfacing rarely left my CD player. But that was before Lilith Fair. A concert tour with only women performers AND Sarah McLachlan- it was music, literally, to my ears. Unfortunately, my parents thought my tender age of 15 was too young for the going; alas, I had to settle for the double CD set. If I had to select the soundtrack of my high school years, it would be the songs of Sarah McLachlan and Lilith Fair. So I cannot even begin to describe my elation when I received the opportunity to go see the revival of the tour. I felt like a giddy teenager all over again.

My very best friend, the one who sat beside me many years ago listening to those CDs, went with me and as soon as we got to the Merriweather Post Pavilion we could tell that something felt different than the other concerts we’d been to together. The focus was almost entirely on the celebration of being a woman. During breaks between the performances we walked around to all the different vendors, just trying to soak in the experience. And I do mean soak-in; the heat and humidity were off the charts and we were ridiculously hot and sweaty. Luckily, our Lilipad sponsors (the makers of ob® tampons, CAREFREE® pantiliners and STAYFREE® pads) had created a haven, in the form of an air conditioned tent called the Lilipad Lounge, complete with fresh cold towels to help us cool down. Before we left, the attendants stocked us with a ton of feminine products and a few wet towels for later in the evening.

On the way back to our seats I mentioned I needed to use the bathroom and someone overheard me and said I had to go this bathroom, not the other. She walked with us and then pointed it out; I thought she’d made a mistake, because there was no way this was a bathroom at a concert. I’ve been to many of those bathrooms, but what I was now seeing looked more like a day-spa. The women’s Lilipad restrooms had fresh flowers, a seating area, candles, fans, more free feminine products and an attendant. I had to take some pictures, or else you’d never believe me, and yes, I did get a few people giving me “you’re weird” stares, but I did it anyway!

When we sat back down in our seats, I looked around and everyone was smiling- I was, too. There aren’t a lot of things in life where women are celebrated just for being women, but this was one them. Then the Indigo Girls began to play their first song and I got lost in the lyrics and their perfect harmonies. That’s when I noticed their amp had a quote written on the front of it that read Staring Down the Brilliant Dream. It reminded me of my 16 year old self and how much “she” would have loved being there. I took about a million pictures because I didn’t want to forget any part the night.

Sarah McLachlan was the final performer of the evening and she was every bit worth the wait. Did I mention how we were already BFF’s? Because I have the proof right here:

Okay, so she may not know my name, but that’s just a technicality.

She sang the perfect combination of her greatest hits and new songs and gave us an amazing performance. My only complaint was that it was over too soon; I didn’t want the night to end. When we finally made it back to our car, the first thing we did, besides blasting the air conditioning, was find the iPod so we could listen to all of our favorite songs again.

It would have been nice to see at it’s inception, but I’m glad that I had to wait a decade before finally going. What made this experience all the more memorable was being able to share it with my best friend of 14 years. I was able to appreciate everything so much more than I ever could have back then.

Thanks to the wonderful people at BlogHer and the Lilipad sponsors for giving me this opportunity. BlogHer has also made it possible for me to offer you the chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card! (Official BlogHer Rules)  Just leave a comment to be entered into the drawing- this will only be open for one week 8/18—8/24/2010.   For one extra entry, you can tweet this post or become a follower of this blog and leave a second comment.  Also, make sure that I can get back in touch with you- ie., blogger profile/blog/email address.

This is a commissioned post by the makers of o.b.® tampons, CAREFREE® pantiliners and STAYFREE® pads. I received two concert tickets and received monetary compensation, as well as transportation to and from the concert.