Sarah McLachlan pulled out of a planned performance Sunday night at the premiere of Disney's new documentary on the Lilith Fair music festival. At the Los Angeles screening, the Canadian singer-songwriter said the move was to show support for free speech, USA Today reports. She said she had "grappled" with being there, and with "what to say about the present situation that we are all faced with, the stark contraction to the many advances we've made watching the insidious erosion of women's rights, of trans and queer rights, the muzzling of free speech." Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery—The Untold Story, debuted Sunday on Disney+ and Hulu, both Disney-owned services.
McLachlan didn't directly reference Jimmy Kimmel, though the move came amid calls to boycott Disney over the decision to take Kimmel's ABC show off the air after pressure from the FCC. "I think we're all fearful for what comes next, and none of us know, but what I do know is that I have to keep pushing forward as an artist, as a woman, to find the way through," McLachlan said, describing music as a "bridge to our shared humanity, to finding common ground, She said, "I know you're expecting a performance tonight, and I'm so grateful to all of you for coming, and I apologize if this is disappointing, but we have collectively decided not to perform but instead to stand in solidarity in support of free speech," per the Hollywood Reporter. She received a standing ovation from the audience.
Sources tell the Reporter that Jewel had also been set to take the stage, along with a surprise guest, possibly Olivia Rodrigo, who appears in the documentary. McLachlan founded the festival, which featured female singers and female-led bands, in 1997 out of frustration at how radio stations refused to play songs from female artists in succession and concert promoters refused to have two female artists on a bill. In a recent interview, McLachlan noted, "We changed the face of the industry in that sense. We proved them wrong."
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