11:00PM PDT

Wow.

If you were at Thunderbird Stadium, you were very lucky. And probably very wet.

During the Indigo Girl's set the rain seemed to pick up a bit. Just before Sarah went on the skies cleared, the sun came out and a rainbow appeared over the stage.

Okay, it wasn't anything like that. The rain did stop for the most part, though. But you don't want to hear about the weather any more.

Sarah opened her last Lilith set to the wild screams of the crowd. Those upfront were especially vocal with many "We Love You Sarah!" signs present. After her first few songs Sarah took time to thank the Lilith crew for all their hard work throughout the tour. She also thanked all the artists who played during Lilith. The crowd everyone know that they shared Sarah's appreciation.

Sarah's band was in especially good form tonight. Sean Ashby was all over the place with his guitar, jumping up and down, jamming his guitar into his monitor for extra feedback, and playing it up with the fans on his side of the stage. Right behind Sean was the dearly beloved (by Sarah especially) Ash Sood on drums. Ash seemed to be hitting his drums extra hard tonight, the adreneline that came with it being the last show was quite evident. You could also see how proud Ash was of Sarah. They would look at each other throughout the set, sharing a quick smile. Brian Minato, the world's coolest bass player, was his usual cool self. Every now and then he would pull out his camera and snap a few pictures, especially during the first encore of "Ice Cream". Vince Jones was bouncing around on the keyboards, giving each of the songs an added layer. Vince's special moment came during "Angel" when he accompanied Sarah on the piano. Camille Henderson's voice soarded all night. As we saw on many days during the tour, Camille is an enchanting performer on her own. When she sings with Sarah you just know that with her voice she is going to have a long and successful career. David Sinclair and his guitar provided the very subtle edges that Sarah's songs have. David takes his guitar playing very seriously and it shows with some of the amazing sounds he was able to coax out of his instrument.

For the first encore Sarah, Ash, and Brian came out to perform "Ice Cream." The start of the song was delayed a few moments as Brian snapped away with his camera, as Brian is wont to do during the set. Then Sarah announced that Rex wouldn't be joining them on stage tonight as she has broken a toe backstage while whooping it up. The good news was that since it was just a broken toe, Rex wouldn't have to wear one of those cones that make cats and dogs look so completely helpless.

The crowd sang every word to "Ice Cream". Sarah's and Ash's vocals were redundant (although i'm sure that no one in the crowd thought so). Sarah thanked the crowd for the great effort they put forth. At that moment Sarah invited all the performers back on stage for the big closing jam, Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi". Everyone on stage really got into it, especially Paula Cole who was playing it for just the first time as the traditional closing number began after Paula had finished her first run of dates. She was dancing harder than anyone. Talk about a person with a lot of energy and a real love of performing! When the song finished all the women lined up together and took a well deserved bow. The crowd cheered and cheered until everyone left the stage and the lights went dim.

It was time for Lilith to go to bed.

8:50PM PDT

The Indigo Girls are probably the most dynamic act on the tour. They are so enjoyable to watch. You can tell how well respected the artist is on the tour by the number of other performers that come to watch from the side of the stage. When Amy and Emily take the stage the side of the stage is completely packed.

They went through their set with extra energy tonight. The crowd sensed this and roared with every song. By the time Sarah and Shawn joined them on stage for "The Water is Wide" the crowd was in Lilith Heaven. It got even better when Paula, Lisa, and others came out for the Indigo's last song, "The Closer I get to Fine." It is truly uplifting to listen to all these voices together.

We were very lucky to have Amy and Emily with us on the tour. As Sarah said "They made each night even more special."

7:45PM PDT

Shawn Colvin just wrapped up her last Lilith set to a standing ovation. She closed her set with her hit single, "Sunny Came Home", much to the crowd's delight. We were pretty happy about that, too. The crowd is still screaming and feeding off the energy that Shawn possesses.

Just two more acts to go! up next are the indigo girls. we know thaty won't go quietly into the night. This is so much fun!

6:30PM PDT

Paula's playing through a steady drizzle right now. "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone" has people on their feet dancing. That and it's too wet to sit on the ground. Everytime the song changes tempo or Paula strikes a pose the crowd goes wild. Here comes the end of the song...Paula dances and dances and bangs her tambourine on her foot, never missing a beat. One could only wish to be so flexible and coordinated. And there it is...a loud roar from 20,000 wet Pacific Northwesters (and a few Fumblers from various places).

6:00PM PDT

Lisa Loeb just finished up on the main stage. She had Shawn Colvin and Josh, the Indigo's fiddler/violin guy on stage with her for a song. The crowd was very appreciative of Lisa's set and Lisa rewarded them with a great performance. Her in-between song banter had people laughing. If it's ever a rainy day, Lisa is a perfect antidote.

On the b-stage Abra Moore and Tara MacLean both left rather large crowds wanting more. Tara showed what months of intense touring can do to your live set. She was a solid performer to begin with, but over the last year Tara has turned into a tour de force that just blows people away.

Abra's high energy set was something to watch. She flew around the stage and looked like she was having the time of her life. We were very glad to have Abra rejoin us for this show.

3:30PM PDT

Rain rain go away, come again another day! Actually, it's not that bad (easy to say if you have rain gear on the bus). Everyone is kind of bonding in the crowd. There's lots of makeshift creative rainwear out there. Garbage bags, tarps, various kinds of shopping bags - anything that repels water has been put to use. People are coping. We'll see if they feel that way after a few hours.

3:00PM PDT

The gates have opened and so have the skies. It's a soft, gentle rain, kinda like Lilith, but it's pretty steady. Welcome to Vancouver. Our hopes are that this is just a short cleansing busrt and then we can get down to business.

For Oh Susanna! it's business as usual as Suzie is playing through the rain like the trooper she is. The crowd doesn't seem to mind, they are having a great time anyway. About 200 stood around the village stage while Suzie played. A pretty good reception for 2:30 in the rain.

1:30PM PDT

It has been a very cool day so far. All the Lilith crew and Sarah's band gathered on the stage for a photo. Sarah thanked everyone and told them all that she is looking forward to working with everyone next year. Chants of "Sarah! Sarah! Sarah!" could be heard for miles.

Marty Diamond, Sarah, Dan Fraser, and Terry McBride, the four owners of Lilith, then promptly fired everyone.

Just kidding. Actually we were all given very nice leather tour jackets (and non leather for those of us who wouldn't be caught dead in something dead) and a little stocking stuffer.

Hugs and kisses and laughter and smiles were everywhere. Kinda makes you wish this wasn't ending.

Sarah is soundchecking right now, much the enjoyment of the hundreds who are gathered waiting to enter the venue in half an hour. It's like a little bonus preview for them.

11:15AM PDT

The energy level here is about as high as it has been anywhere on the tour. So many people have friends and family coming - the guest list is a small novel. But everyone has a special smile on their face and an extra spring in their step. People know that each time they do something, it's the last time they will do it on this tour. For example, this is the last 11:15 recap that will be written. That bowl of Shredded Wheat was my last breakfast on the tour. You know, little things like that.

It started spitting a little. Not much, but just enough to make you look up at the sky and cross your fingers.

Sarah, Ash, and Rex arrived a little while ago. They look well rested and very excited. It must be great for them to have had the chance to spend a day at home. Cathy feels the same way. She got to see her (very overgrown) garden.

Even for those of us who don't live in Vancouver it's a special day. Sure we are also heading home sometime soon, but the vibe at the last show of any tour is something to behold, especially this tour. And it's great to watch our friends see their friends and family.

9:00AM PDT

This is it. The last day of the tour. We never thought we'd see this day. Right now the sky is overcast and the temperature is cool but comfortable. There is a chance of rain, but that just wouldn't be fair, would it? The sun is attempting to peek through and take charge. Go sun!

Everyone is working furiously today to make sure that the last show, Sarah's hometown, is perfect. They also know that it will be a relatively easy day for them, as we don't have to tear the stage down after the show since there is another concert (Edgefest 97) here at Thunderbird Stadium tomorrow.

Abra Moore and Paula Cole rejoin us today. Also back for the last show is Beth, the Queen of Lilith Merch. She's up from her job as a computer geek/advertising whiz to join the festivities. She wouldn't miss it for the world. Neither would we.

We had a few visitors yesterday at the Nettwerk World HQ. About 40 Fumblers from all over the place were there. A very special guest among them was Alana from Australia. The other Fumblers had pitched in to by her a ticket to fly to the show. We'll try to hook up with them later today.

7:00AM PDT

The real work started at the beginning of the year as artists were contacted, venues were placed on hold, and ideas were tossed around (and out). In February the web site was launched making vague promises of what was to come. In April and May work continued around the clock by the Lilith organizers to make sure that every detail imaginable was taken care of for the tour and the artists. In late June we pulled everything together for a week of rehearsals in an old hockey rink on Vancouver's east side.

Then, on July 5 we opened the gates at 3:00pm to over 20,000 fans from the Pacific Northwest at the Gorge. Even then we didn't know what to expect. Sarah knew that the lineups for the shows all featured some of the most exciting performers around. The second and third stages were giving many talented artists a chance to be heard by hundreds and sometimes thousands of new fans. We knew the concept was sound, but everything still needed to be put to the ultimate test - will people come and what will they think?

And despite shallow and indifferent reporting from the likes of Rolling Stone, you would be hard pressed to find anyone who has participated in or attended the inaugural Lilith Fair who has anything disparaging to say about the festival. Sure there has been a bump or two along the way, but the entire tour has been the most amazing experience that you could imagine. Absolutely everyone from Dan Fraser, Paul, Hanna, Diane and the rest of the production team to Al, Kevin and the techs who built and tore down the lights, sound, and stage each and everyday to Donna, Lorraine, and the rest of the Village People to every single artist that we have had the pleasure of working with over the last eight weeks - Sarah, The Indigo Girls, Jewel, Mary Chapin Carpenter, September 67, Paula Cole, Garrison Starr, Abra Moore, Lisa Loeb, Victoria Williams, Emmylou Harris, Lauren Hoffman, Cassandra Wilson to name just a few - everyone has been great to work with.

Sarah has shown, with the help of many people, both women and men, that it doesn't matter what your gender is, if you put on a great show and have an attitude to match there is no stopping you. It doesn't have to be about the bottom line, the spirit of generousity is what has ruled the day at Lilith. When all is said and done, over $700,000US will have been given to charity. This has truly been a wonderful, special, and spiritual event whose success will hopefully open the doors for many other women to have a chance to succeed in life, whether on the stage or by getting a new beginning for themselves and their family in a shelter. Most of all, this wouldn't have been possible without the hundreds of thousands of fans that turned out to the shows, visited the website, and showed their support for Lilith.

Thanks to everyone who made this a summer that many people will never forget.

Now we have one show left. Talk about mixed emotions. No one wants this to end, yet everyone does. Well, for one more day it is still very much alive. And as a famous philosopher once said, "It ain't over, til it's over." Even after Sunday, it ain't over.