If there’s one thing everyone who went to Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields festival can probably agree on, it’s that it was HOT. Like, really hot. The kind of hot where you start questioning every outfit choice you made that morning. But despite the heat, 45,000 people made their way to Irvine, CA, for the first-ever Daisy Chain Fields music festival, and by the end of the day, it was pretty clear that it was worth sweating through.
Daisy Chain Fields was created by Rodrigo and featured an all-women lineup, with artists like Chappell Roan, Doechii, Mitski, Bikini Kill, Garbage, The Breeders and Santigold. Olivia also brought out some pretty huge names from different generations, including Stevie Nicks, and surprise visits from Alanis Morissette and Sarah McLachlan during her evening set which closed out the festival.
One of the coolest things about the festival was how different all of the artists were. You could go from watching a punk band to a huge pop performance and then see a legendary singer-songwriter. It didn’t really feel like everyone had to sound the same just because it was an all-women festival.
Doechii was one of the artists who really stood out. Her set was full of energy and had the crowd vibing through the heat pretty much the entire time. She has so much personality when she performs that it was hard to look away. Even if you weren’t familiar with every song, she definitely made you want to pay attention.
Chappell Roan also had a huge moment. Her set was exactly what you’d expect from Chappell: dramatic, colorful and a little over the top in the best way. Fans were singing along to basically everything, and it was one of those performances where you could tell how much her fanbase has grown over the past year.
The festival also gave fans a chance to see some artists who don’t exactly show up on the same festival lineup every day. Bikini Kill brought their punk sound to the festival, while Eli represented a new generation of pop girl perfection. Seeing artists from so many different eras on the same bill was honestly one of the best parts of the day.
But Daisy Chain Fields wasn’t just about the music. One of the biggest moments of the day actually happened before Olivia Rodrigo even started her own set. The festival had already raised $10 million for 10 different nonprofit organizations supporting women and girls. That money will be split between organizations working on everything from reproductive rights and maternal health to domestic violence and workplace protections.
Right before taking the stage, Rodrigo brought out philanthropist Melinda French Gates to share some pretty huge news with the crowd. French Gates announced that she would match the $10 million raised by the festival, bringing the total to $20 million.
You could feel the excitement from the crowd as Rodrigo and French Gates shared the stage. For a festival that was already built around bringing women together, it felt like a perfect way to start the headlining set. Rodrigo thanked everyone who helped make the donation possible, including the artists who waived their performance fees, the sponsors, and of course, the fans who bought tickets.
It was also a good reminder that Daisy Chain Fields was trying to be more than just another music festival. Between the performances, the nonprofit booths and the money raised throughout the day, there was a real effort to connect the fun part of the festival with causes that actually matter.
Throughout her set, not only did Olivia perform a handful of hits from her 3 albums, but she also brought out several surprise guests throughout the performance, including Alanis Morissette, Sarah McLachlan and Stevie Nicks. Rodrigo and Morissette performed “Ironic,” while McLachlan joined her for “Building a Mystery” and “Angel.” Then, closing things out came Stevie Nicks for “Landslide,” which was probably one of the biggest moments of the entire festival.
Seeing Rodrigo, who is 23, perform alongside artists who have been making music for decades really summed up what Daisy Chain Fields was all about. It wasn’t just about current pop stars. It was about different generations of women in music sharing the same space.
And while the music was obviously the main reason people were there, the festival was also created with a bigger purpose. Daisy Chain Fields raised money for organizations supporting women and girls, making the event about more than just having a fun day at a festival.
Of course, there were still plenty of festival essentials: cute outfits, glitter, people taking pictures everywhere and fans trying to find shade whenever they could. The heat definitely made things a little difficult at times, but it also became part of the experience. Everyone was in the same boat, trying to stay hydrated and make it to their favorite sets.
For a first-time festival, Daisy Chain Fields was definitely ambitious. It brought together huge pop stars, punk legends and some of the biggest names in music history all in one place. It didn’t feel perfect, and it didn’t need to.
At the end of the day, Daisy Chain Fields felt like a really fun first step. Hopefully this isn’t the last time we see it, because if Olivia Rodrigo can put together a lineup like this for year one, it’ll be interesting to see what she comes up with next.
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