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Behind the Scenes in Philadelphia, PA Aug. 4 timeline 4pm The venue is utterly packed with people by this time, who are walking around the Village, checking out the various vendors and non-profit groups, but having a rather difficult time of it, as the booths are set up along a narrow road that surrounds the mainstage area. Luckily, the Bstage is set up in a spacious, woodsy spot which should accommodate a lot of people, but actually getting there through the throngs of concertgoers is another story. 3:55 5pm Ska band the Dance Hall Crashers hit the Bstage, and they are having a great time playing to a very appreciative audience. Three girls in the front row hold up a homemade Dance Hall Crashers sign while dancing furiously to the bouncy music - this band obviously have quite the following in Hartford. The two sassy women who head up the band move around the stage constantly, effortlessly trading off vocal parts back and forth and then rejoining for the choruses. The best way to describe this band is super tight. 5:45 Lisa Loeb is the mainstage opener, playing her only Lilith date this year. She tells the crowd that this is her very last Lilith date, and that she has been on the tour for four years in a row - which includes the very first Lilith Fair show that was more of an experiment than anything. She's playing a solo acoustic show today, including many of her "hits" in her set. She invites Sarah onstage, and they sing a duet, while the audience watches in awe. 6:15 It's Aimee Mann's turn on the B-stage, and by now, there is no room to move anywhere near it. Aimee has many of die-hard fans in the North Eastern States, and Connecticut is no exception. The crowd seems quietly enchanted by Aimee, strikingly slim in her indigo blue jeans, pale blue tank top and cream half sweater with her signature platinum blond hair. and cheer her on when she declares that she has bought back her new solo album from her "ex" record company, after a bad business deal with them. Quite a few members of other Lilith bands are at the side of the stage having come to see her play, as there is quite the buzz surrounding her and everyone wants to check out her set. 8:00 Sarah joins the Pretenders onstage for "Middle of the Road", singing and dancing along in a beautiful flowery silk slip dress and tan birkenstocks. Chrissie invites her to "do her dance" as this is becoming a daily ritual during the Pretenders' set. Sarah shimmies over the front of the stage and sticks her behind out to the crowd and shakes her booty! The crowd goes wild, they love it. 8:15 At the end of their final song, "Brass in Pocket", Chrissie sees that some fans have found their way down to the stage and are yelling for her. Security asks them to go back to their seats, but Chrissie motions for them to stop. She bends down at the front of the stage, grabs a hand of one of her admirers, shaking it firmly and holding on for a moment of connection between fan and performer. Then, she holds the mike towards them and they sing the lyrics perfectly. I'm sure they'll have a story to tell their friends tomorrow. 8:30 Shauna, one of our security people, has recognized two fans in the crowd from last year. They are friends of Natalie Merchant and had sung onstage during one of the finales. She takes them aside and brings them backstage to meet Sarah. They end up doing an impromptu "concert" in the hall by the dressing rooms, singing Sarah's song "Angel" to a small group that has gathered around. |
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