IRVINE, Calif. — Hours before a nearly full moon loomed across the inaugural Daisy Chain Fields music festival in Southern California on Aug. 29, festivalgoers flocked from stage to stage and squeezed behind pockets of shade in 95-degree weather while taking in dynamic, stirring performances.
The attendees were united by a shared excitement to hear great live music and an appreciation for seeing Olivia Rodrigo bring her triumphant vision to life. The festival's layout and overall design aligned with her mission of creating a festival with an all-female lineup that elevated and celebrated women and girls.
Flying above the festival, held at Great Park in Irvine, California, was Orange County's signature orange hot-air balloon, this time with a daisy
logo attached.
On the ground, the festival was sandwiched between the Marigold and Dandelion stages. Festivalgoers were never forced to choose between artists, as sets were separated by 10-minute breaks, preventing overlap. Instead, they ping-ponged between the stages in herds with Rodrigo and Chappell Roan luring the largest crowds.
The event raised $10 million for 10 organizations supporting women and girls, including Planned Parenthood, the National Women's Law Center and the Black Mamas Matter Alliance. By the night's end, billionaire philanthropist Melinda French Gates would join the "Deja Vu" singer to double that total to $20 million.
A whimsical pastel pink, green, yellow, and blue color palette complemented the floral aesthetic while observing feminism. Along the pavement were historic milestones, such as Mae C. Jemison becoming the first Black woman to travel to space and striking quotes like those of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: "Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time."
Along with a plethora of food trucks, the festival featured a Yoko Ono "Wish Tree," an immersive Lego experience, and a Taco Bell truck offering free pink Baja Blasts as part of its You Seem Pretty Pink for a Baja Blast partnership, a play on Rodrigo's new album.
Festivalgoers bear scorching heat with pride and solidarity
The torturous heat hijacked the festival until around 6 p.m. local time, with attendees' willingness to bear it varying. Some napped under trees, while others rested behind trash and recycling cans. Performers like Mitski and Doechii encouraged their crowds to stay hydrated and apply sunscreen if they haven't already.
By 12:30 p.m. on X, one user pleaded, "Olivia pls never do this in California at the end of august again I beg."
Giovanna Castellanos, a 28-year-old who works in nonprofit education, said the Orange County heat was nothing compared to the temperatures she is used to in Sacramento. However, she's more than willing to bear the heat to experience what Rodrigo has done on a large scale.
"I'm lesbian so my identity has almost never centered men so for me it's been awesome to see a space that has so many intentionally built opportunities for so many women and girls," she told USA TODAY. "People are not willing to invest in female spaces, stories and art, and so having somebody who did and seeing a massive turnout is incredible to see."
Hunter Brooke, a 19-year-old from San Diego, said he wished he had brought an electric fan that didn't die before sunset but said he maintained an effort to stay cool. "I don't want to stand in the pit and get extra hot," he told USA TODAY.
"Everything here is really thought out. I really like the color scheme. You can tell Olivia Rodrigo and her team put a lot of effort and time into planning everything out, and you can see that," he added.
Hilarie Raya, a 39-year-old manager for California's Department of Health Care Services, said she felt comforted by the crowds and "the unity behind women, and men who are here that support women."
"I love that I'm surrounded by women," Madison Rauscher, a 26-year-old from Orange, California, who works in special education, told USA TODAY. "It's just cleaner than any other place I've been to, and the smiles from everyone and everyone complimenting each other. It's such a joyful place to be at."
From Chappell Roan to Stevie Nicks, performances live up to the hype
The performances didn't disappoint or pigeonhole to a single genre. Covered in pink paint, Doechii electrified her crowd with a hip-hop set that sent thousands to jump and sweat more than they already were, while Not For Radio's Maria Zardoya mesmerized the crowd with her entrancing, melancholic run.
It wouldn't be a modern music festival without Chappell Roan attracting a surreal crowd. Around 45,000 people were estimated to attend the event, according to Voice of OC, and aerial footage suggests they were all watching the "Pink Pony Club" singer.
During alternative rock band Garbage's set, lead singer Shirley Manson told the crowd that their group's inclusion in the festival was an "immense privilege" as "we've been around since most of you were born." She applauded Rodrigo for "galvanizing an entire generation of women to stand up for ourselves, believe in ourselves, and not accept the status quo."
"We've taken a few steps back lately. We are not going to tolerate that, so a night like tonight is very important for all of us women, myself included, to be part of this daisy chain and to be part of a daisy chain that will stick with you for the rest of your life," she continued.
Olivia Rodrigo concludes night with Stevie Nicks, Dolly Parton tribute
By 8:30 p.m., the heat was far removed from anyone's radar as festivalgoers awaited what they'd been waiting for all night.
Rodrigo performed songs off her June album "You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love," hits like "Driver's License" that thrust her into stardom and even her new song "Serena Joy," which she dropped on Monday, Aug. 24.
Joining her was Sarah McLachlan, whose founding of Lilith Fair in 1997 inspired her to launch an all-women festival lineup. They performed McLachlan's heartbreaking "Angel" as a tribute to Dolly Parton, who died on Aug. 25 at age 80. Rodrigo later welcomed Alanis Morissette to sing "Ironic," and she closed the night with Stevie Nicks, dueting on the Fleetwood Mac staple "Landslide."
"Thanks so much. Goodnight, and I will see you next year!" Rodrigo yelled, confirming the festival's renewal.
Nicks then gave Rodrigo her flowers, praising the young pop star for pulling the festival together "pretty much all by herself."
"She reminds me a lot of me when I was her age a hundred years ago, and I'm somewhat awe-struck that she could do all this because it's so hard," Nicks said. "She's done it with this grace and this crazy, crazy energy that she has. She's very special. Take her to your heart; I have."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Olivia Rodrigo's Daisy Chain Fields is a wrap. Here's how the festival played out
