1:00AM CDT

Sarah's set tonight was great. We watched the whole thing from the monitor board and took video stills. It is really amazing watching her guitar tech Gavin do his job. He is incredible. Sarah just reachs out behind her in the dark and either lets go of or grabs a guitar. And he makes sure he is always out of sight on stage, always making sure not to step into any lit areas. And he also makes sure everything is in tune and working. The look on his face during the set is very intense.

For "Ice Cream", as usual Ash, Brian and Rex joined Sarah up front. Rex is very subdued onstage. She layed down for the entire song, quite calmly and watched Sarah perform. The crowd tonight was one of the best according to Ash.

10:00PM CDT

guess what we just got? 2 bottles of really good french champagne. holy cow! it's a gift from universal concerts, one of the tour's promoters. they even gave personalized notes to each of the buses. that's a nice touch.

the heat never relented today, but we didn't hear of any major casualties. salt pills were being dispensed and we drank the equivalent of the hoover dam reservoir, so it's good that everyone's relatively fine.

sarah's on now serenading the crowd before they leave to head home (and shower, no doubt!). as usual, all the performers before her were outstanding. they all bore up very well in the heat. having an air conditioned stage/deck sure helps out a lot.

after emmylou's set, she invited us to eat dinner with her and share a discussion about her dog bonaparte. the topics diverged away from him to her cats, her mom, and to her daughters. expect a full report complete with photos from jana later on.

8:30PM CDT

Tonight is Joan Osborne's last night with the Lilith Fair. Members of Sarah McLachlan's band including Sarah, Vince Jones and Brian Minato (playing air drums to one of Joan's new songs) were present at side stage to see the show. Lisa Loeb, members of Emmylou Harris' band and newcomers Kacey Crowley and Alana Davis were also on hand for the show. Midway throught the set the crowd stood up and reamined standing till the end. Her last song was "One of Us" played with organ and voice only. Even though the sun hasn't set yet the lighters were lit for Joan's goodbye to the Lilith Fair.

4:30PM CDT

joan osborne just finished up an interview with us. while we were doing that we could hear alana davis playing her set. there wasn't a big crowd but they were enthusiastic. angelique was hanging with joan's band watching alana (they were kicked out of joan's dressing room) . she messed up on her last song, so she stopped and said, "i just flubbed this up--i'm gonna do it over again. thanks for your patience."

the heat situation hasn't changed. it's taking its toll on people. there are lots of medics around and people are lolling like slugs. the b-stage audience are mellow, but receptive. i feel sorry for the performers.

despite the heat, though, the performers are playing wonderful sets. kelly willis woke up the audience on the lawn and they were glad she did. then alisha's attic quickly drew a crowd as they played their last set on lilith. they even "dressed up for it."

2:30PM CDT

"who booked us to the left of hell, that's what i wanna know!!" a quotable quote just heard in the ladies room and which sums up today. we're dying out there. don't be surprised if a few of us fall, especially the folks who work in the village and on the acoustic and b stages. have pity and mercy on them--they're stuck out there. we're part of the lucky half of the crew who can dart outside when we have to, but quickly return to the cool of the a/c in the bus or inside.

you'd think lunch might be a welcome respite, but not here. the lunch area is outside in a tent. the architect/planners don't seem to have had the foresight to construct an airconditioned kitchen/dining room. this despite the fact that the venue's only used in the summer months. and it was the same at the venue yesterday. huh?!!

12:00PM CDT

It's a warm morning at the Starplex. Even the birds are trying to get some bathing underway before the crowds appear. The hired hands who are building the second stage are drenched in sweat as they work in the hot sun. One supervisor could be overheard encouraging one of his workers to drink more water. "You just sweat it out," he said. Today the second stage is on a corner of the lawn area near the village which will be nice for those who have seats or who want to stake out a good spot on the lawn. The diminutive acoustic stage is at the other end of the village with a generous amount of space in front of it.