Olivia Rodrigo, Chappell Roan, More Perform

By the time Olivia Rodrigo hit the stage to headline the inaugural Daisy Chain Fields competition, the solar had set on a sweltering day, and anybody who was fading was positive to really feel reenergized each from a welcome breeze and from Rodrigo’s set. The famous person had promised particular visitors, and she or he delivered, bringing out Lilith Fair founder Sarah McLachlan, whose groundbreaking Nineties fest served as inspiration for Daisy Chain; Alanis Morissette, who stepped in for Karen O after she had a family emergency; and Stevie Nicks. “I feel like I’m dreaming,” Rodrigo instructed the gang at Great Park in Irvine, California. “This is the best day of my fuckin’ life!” 

It definitely felt like the very best dream ever for the gang of largely girls and women on the competition, which sold out in 30 minutes. The stacked lineup included trailblazers who impressed generations of ladies to select up guitars, on-the-rise bands, and pop stars primed to fulfill the second. Like Lilith Fair, the all-day celebration was greater than only a music competition: It was an inclusive and much-needed gathering — uniting music followers whereas supporting essential causes.

The day earlier than the competition, Rodrigo talked about its philanthropic goals. “It’s a real honor to announce that we are donating $10 million to be given directly to these 10 nonprofit partners that you just had the pleasure of hearing about,” Rodrigo mentioned at a press convention attended by 10 organizations that advocate for ladies and women and had been taking part within the competition.

Those nonprofit members included Baby2Baby, which supplies youngsters in want with fundamental requirements; Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA), which advocates for Black moms’ rights and supplies sources all through and after being pregnant; Center for Reproductive Rights, a authorized group that advocates for reproductive rights and well being care entry for ladies worldwide; FreeFrom, which works to finish gender-based violence by offering survivors with monetary sources and extra; Jhpiego, which supplies vital well being care to girls and households worldwide; John Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, which advances well being fairness for Indigenous communities worldwide; National Domestic Workers Alliance, which advocates for the rights of home employees; National Institute for Reproductive Health, which works to advance reproductive well being take care of all on the state and native stage; National Women’s Law Center, which fights for gender justice on the authorized entrance and past; and Planned Parenthood, which works to guard, present, and increase entry to sexual and reproductive well being care and schooling. Net proceeds from the occasion are being directed to Daisy Chain Fields Fund, which advantages these nonprofits. 

When describing the best way music, neighborhood, and motion had been becoming a member of collectively at Daisy Chain, one phrase got here up usually on the press convention: “joy.” And that feeling was palpable all through the grounds on Saturday.

Lines shaped outdoors of Daisy Chain Reaction, the world the place the nonprofits invited attendees to find out about their organizations whereas taking part in crafts like assembling daisy chains and making flower crowns. Several followers, many wearing Rodrigo-style child doll attire, mentioned they had been drawn to the occasion due to their love of the famous person, but in addition as a result of they need a greater world for ladies and women. Alannie, 18, says that at her age, the ticket value was an enormous funding, however after studying Rodrigo’s motive behind the fest, she needed to take part. “I see it as a purpose, to give my money to all these foundations,” she says. 

A trio of early-thirties Filipina girls — Nerissa, Christabel, and Monica — had been additionally excited to assist the nonprofits. “I very strongly resonate with the different organizations she was promoting,” Nerissa says, including that she’s used Planned Parenthood’s companies up to now. Christabel provides, “I think it’s such a beautiful thing that Olivia is creating a festival and a place for us all to gather to really empower, advance, and advocate for women and the organizations at Daisy Chain Reaction.” Monica addressed the difficulty of illustration, saying, “[Olivia] is Filipino, so she’s representing our people, and also the lineup of amazing artists that she put together.”

That lineup made for 14 units and 10 hours of nice music. Things kicked off with Quiet Light, the stage title of singer-medical scholar Riya Mahesh. She and her dancers slowly grooved, placing ballerina-style strikes throughout “Postinternetfame” from her 2026 mixtape Blue Angel Sparkling Silver 2. Eli Miller, who performs underneath her first title, adopted. Amid songs like “Nobody’s Girl” and “Girl of Your Dreams,” Eli delivered a strong message about loving our neighbors, “no matter what they believe or don’t.” She additionally pledged cash to a few of the day’s taking part organizations.

“It’s fucking hot right now,” Rachel Chinouriri instructed the viewers throughout her set. “The U.K. ain’t like this.” But Chinouriri stored the vibe going anyway, tearing via her tender 2025 single “Can We Talk About Isaac” whereas premiering materials from her upcoming album I Think I Spoke Too Soon. “It’s about my twenties, and realizing I’m not the person I thought I was,” she mentioned of the album. “And I can become whoever I want to be.”

Following her efficiency, Chinouriri mentioned she was excited to affix the lineup, shouted out Lilith Fair, and gave kudos to Rodrigo for her inclusiveness when it got here to the nonprofit companions. BMMA specifically is near her coronary heart. “It’s really heartwarming to see [Rodrigo] take the initiative for that because sometimes Black women are very overlooked in many ways or not understood, especially in health care,” she tells Rolling Stone. “I think that the level of thoughtfulness of that was so sweet.”

Devon Again received the decision to affix the competition simply final Thursday, after Katseye had to cancel because of member Megan Skiendiel’s ankle harm. “I mentioned, ‘Duh bitch, obviously I wanna do it,” she told the crowd. But Eyekons got a taste of Katseye’s Lara Raj, Yoonchae Jeung, and Skiendiel, who appeared at the beginning of Devon’s set to introduce nonprofit Baby2Baby. Afterward, Devon carried out a country-tinged set, which included fan favorites “Skittles” and “Cherry Cola.” 

Die Spitz took the prize for calisthenics at Daisy Chain. The four-piece from Austin, Texas ripped via their noon set, the place the blazing solar was no match for his or her power (if a bit of exhausting on their face paint). At one level bassist Kate Halter did a full-on handstand. Die Spitz’s all-girl steel was met warmly, a lot in order that singer ​​Eleanor Livingston jumped into the gang to affix the revelers.

Back in 2022, Santigold took a hiatus from the street, telling Rolling Stone in regards to the “cultural crisis” and financial and mental-health challenges plaguing those that make music for a residing. She resumed touring in 2024, although the dates have been selective and for brief runs, which makes any probability to see her reside particular. Her Daisy Chain set was totally joyful, together with a dance contest and a bevy of fan-favorites like “L.E.S. Artistes,” “Lights Out,” and “Disparate Youth.”

Feminist-punk trailblazers Bikini Kill, in the meantime, had taken a pair a long time off, however got here again exhausting for a reunion tour in 2019. They’ve barely slowed down since. “What a gift Olivia has given all of us to have this festival,” singer Kathleen Hanna instructed the gang. Like lots of the bands right here, Bikini Kill used their restricted stage time to play the hits. Though they blazed via two songs from their final album, 1996’s Reject All American, the band centered totally on early songs, opening with “Double Dare Ya” from their 1992 EP, earlier than sliding into “This Is Not a Test.” 

When Hanna instructed a narrative a couple of 40-year-old man creeping on her when she was 17 to introduce the observe “Feels Blind,” the gang was rapt — “This is the most engaged crowd I’ve ever seen in my life,” she mentioned. Closing with “Suck My Left One” and “Rebel Girl,” Hanna growled and danced her method throughout the stage, reminding the viewers precisely why this band influenced a technology of ladies — and had been integral to a competition like this ever coming into existence. 

Mitski was feeling the communal spirit throughout her set within the late afternoon, telling the viewers a number of occasions that she cherished “every one of you.” She had already put that love into observe with a collection of PSAs regarding the excessive warmth: advising followers to take a seat down proper the place you’re in the event you’re faint, head to the pit in the event you want water, and put on sunscreen. Of course, Mitski additionally delivered a stellar set, which included highlights from her 2026 album Nothing’s About to Happen to Me like “Where’s My Phone?” and “That White Cat,” alongside fan-favorites like “Nobody.” “I feel like we should do this every year,” she mentioned to loud cheers. “For the rest of our lives you can be like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m OG DCF.’” 

The Breeders have been within the Rodrigo camp for just a few years now, opening up for the pop star on a number of dates of her GUTS tour. But their inclusion within the competition was a part of the enchantment of the lineup — the unimaginable mixture of outdated and new. The incontrovertible fact that singer Kim Deal took the stage sporting a Shirley Chisholm shirt — referencing the primary Black girl to serve in Congress — made their set really feel all of the extra linked to the previous. Starting their set with 1994’s “Drivin’ on 9,” the band included different OG-era classics like “Do You Love Me Now?” and “Cannonball,” whereas working in new, unreleased songs like “Alien Eyes,” which they’ve been enjoying all through their summer season tour. Getting to check issues out on the street, Deal told Paste, is “like it was back in the old days.”

When Doechii hit Lollapalooza in 2025, she stole the present as headmaster of the college of hip-hop. At Daisy Chain, she signaled a brand new period, one that’s pink-hued and incorporates all the suitable strikes onstage. Wearing a bikini whereas lined in hot-pink physique make-up, she and her equally pink-painted dancers delivered unimaginable choreography on a headlining-worthy stage setup, full with a big riser, an LED display screen, and steel bars that Doechii at one level acrobatically flipped over. She had us from the bounce, launching into “ExtraL,” her 2025 collab with Jennie. Other collab tracks — the SZA team-up “Girl Get Up” and “Swamp Bitches,” with Rico Nasty — hit exhausting, even when these artists weren’t current Saturday. Doechii’s mashups additionally landed: “Anxiety” sampled Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know,” and Doechii freestyled over Beyoncé’s “America Has a Problem,” and even wove Britney Spears’ “Toxic” into the combo. She ended the most effective performances of the day with a rousing model of “Denial Is a River,” an instant-classic from 2024’s Alligator Bites Never Heal. 

Garbage’s set was suffering from technical difficulties, however singer Shirley Manson stored her cool, joking that this was simply the form of factor the band was used to. “An entire career made up of this kind of carry on,” she joked in her Scottish brogue. This, she mentioned, was a lesson to the youthful of us within the crowd: Even when issues don’t go the best way you’d hoped, the world retains spinning. “You don’t have to be perfect,” she mentioned. “You can fuck up.”

Despite the hurdles, the band delivered Nineteen Nineties classics like “Only Happy When It Rains,” “When I Grow Up,” and “Stupid Girl” (which slipped into a short cowl of Bikini Kill’s “Rebel Girl,” a lot to the gang’s delight), in addition to newer tracks like “There’s No Future in Optimism” and “Chinese Fire Hose,” off final yr’s Let All That We Imagine Be the Light. 

Manson took breaks to deal with the viewers, praising Rodrigo’s means to carry the multigenerational crowd collectively. “We’ve been around since before most of you were born,” she mentioned. “So to be included in this festival lineup is an immense privilege, and it’s not one we take lightly.” She additionally imparted some phrases of hope for these darkish occasions. “I just want to assure you all — because I just turned 60, so I’m very old,” she joked. “But if you just keep putting one foot in front of the other as you move through your life, I can guarantee you, it’s like putting pennies in a bank. Sooner or later, you build the life that you want.”

At the top of final yr, Chappell Roan spoke about what she envisioned for 2026. She mentioned it will likely be “the year of taking care of myself and others and really engaging in a community that feels real and not online. Volunteering locally and giving money to organizations I believe in.” Daisy Chain was the right place for that, and the gang erupted when Roan emerged onstage round 7 p.m., sporting a lavender set and matching boots. 

Though the sweltering day had cooled down by then, “Hot to Go!” nonetheless felt extremely becoming. Roan tore via different favorites off her 2023 smash debut The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, together with “Red Wine Supernova,” “Pink Pony Club,” and “Casual,” plus the gem “Good Luck, Babe!” and her most up-to-date single “The Subway.” When Roan appeared on the October 2024 cowl of Rolling Stone, Rodrigo spoke to us in regards to the famous person. “I remember her walking into the studio one day and just flat-out saying ‘I don’t give a fuck about what people say anymore. If I like it, then it’s good,’” Rodrigo mentioned. “I could tell she actually meant it, too. That’s her magic.” 

María Zardoya recorded the debut album for her solo undertaking, Not for Radio, in a home in Upstate New York in the midst of winter, surrounded by snow and ice. The Daisy Chain locale couldn’t have been extra totally different. But Zardoya, finest generally known as the singer of the Marias, introduced a chill over the viewers with a handful of tracks from Melt and her new EP, Bloom. Maybe it was the woodland-themed set over which she appeared to drift, or the bittersweet subject material — the undertaking is partially impressed by a break up from the Marias’ drummer, Zardoya’s longtime accomplice — or possibly it was simply the truth that the solar lastly went down, however Zardoya’s set provided a second of catharsis. With songs like “Puddle,” “Swan,” and “My Turn,” she reminded the gang that it’s OK to be a bit of down generally, too. 

Then it was time for Rodrigo, who capped off the night time with a set that, appropriately, featured McLachlan. The pair carried out McLachlan’s 1997 hit “Building a Mystery,” and devoted “Angel” to Dolly Parton, who died on Aug. 25.

Rodrigo subsequent teamed up with Morissette — with whom she appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone in 2021 — for a scorching model of Morissette’s traditional “Ironic.” Philanthropist Melinda French Gates joined Rodrigo and pledged to double the $10 million being donated. Rodrigo’s last visitor was Nicks. Together they carried out a showstopping “Landslide,” which discovered the pair buying and selling verses and dancing collectively. “She reminds me of me, when I was her age a hundred years ago,” Nicks mentioned of Rodrigo. “And I’m somewhat awestruck that she could do all this. Because it’s so hard — you have no idea — putting this together with all of these people. And she’s done it, with this grace.” There had been additionally loads of Rodrigo’s personal classics, together with “Bad Idea Right?,” “Good 4 U,” and “Drivers License,” the hit that first gave us a peek of the famous person she grew to become, every drawing field-wide singalongs. And she additionally handled the gang to the reside debut of Rodrigo’s latest single “Serena Joy.” 

When Rodrigo introduced Daisy Chain Fields, expectations had been excessive, as followers hoped for a competition that delivered onstage and meet its mission for empowering girls and women. Saturday exceeded these expectations. And it turned out that Mitski could have been onto one thing when she recommended we do that once more: “See you next year!” Rodrigo exclaimed on the finish of her efficiency.