A one-off winter edition of the Lilith Fair rolled into West Palm Beach's Coral Sky Amphitheater Tuesday night with plenty of surprises in its purse. While last year's inaugural tour focused on such sultry waifs as Suzanne Vega and Jewel, the special show packed some grit in the form of Luscious Jackson, Letters to Cleo and Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, the first rapper to play a Lilith show. Perhaps inspired by their energy, even such folkies as the Indigo Girls and Sarah McLachlan brought some electricity to their sets.
\\Though McLachlan revealed at a pre-show press conference that the evening's line-up was not a preview of next summer's tour, as had been originally reported, the inclusion of rap and harder-edged rock seemed to indicate at least a possible shift in direction. McLachlan said that Elliott saw the concert as a trial run and was considering touring with the Fair during the summer.
\\The artists also seemed to relax the political correctness that characterized last year's highly successful tour. When a reporter asked what the performers hoped female audience members would take home with them, Sheryl Crow quipped, "A boyfriend or girlfriend."
\\For the most part, the audience seemed to appreciate the bolder booking. When Luscious Jackson hit the main stage at 5:50 p.m. -- prime dinner time for those there as a lifestyle outing -- the place was packed. By the middle of Elliott's first song, there wasn't an empty seat in the house, and people were dancing in the aisles. Even with a set-shortening case of the flu, Elliott found the energy to sing her way through the crowd -- the kind of rock star move that would have been noticeably out of place at last year's more sedate festival.
\\Also unthinkable at one of last year's shows was Elliott's guest appearance with the Indigo Girls (her and her dancers added backup vocals on "Shed Your Skin"). Perhaps symbolizing the kind of sisterhood the Lilith Fair promotes, the folk duo was also joined onstage by Crow and McLachlan for a powerful version of "Closer to Fine."
\\The only disappointment was Crow, whose set was hampered by a cold and -- worse -- apparent ennui. Though she offered entertaining run-throughs of such hits as "If It Makes You Happy" and "All I Wanna Do," she had the stage presence of a figure in a wax museum.
\\If the rest of the show represented a departure from the Joni Mitchell-cloning accusations leveled at last year's Lilith Fair, McLachlan made it clear that at least some of them were well deserved. Though her set was one of the safest of the evening, many concert-goers in other parts of the venue ran over when they heard the opening notes of her set. For her finale, McLachlan nodded to her main influence by performing Mitchell's
