Lilith Fair moves to Target Center here, oblivion elsewhere

​The Lilith Fair was born of an odd doldrum in popular, female-fore music; the bulk of headliners for their first three seasons - before they suspended the festival for eleven years - were cut from the cheesecloth of alternative radio-directed acoustic-type pop (think Joan Osbourne, Indigo Girls, Lisa Loeb, Jewel, founder Sarah McLachlan, and Alanis Morrisette - who never played the festival, probably due to some ludicrous rider involving a Dave Coulier dartboard, psylocibins, and piña colada jellybeans). There were the legits of course, including: Liz Phair, Luscious Jackson (soft spot), Sinéad O'Connor, Missy Elliott, Fiona Apple, Lauryn Hill, Bonnie Raitt, and Cibo Matto, but the emphasis was very much on the daisy demographic. The fest's short run was loosely successful, raising a bunch of money for charity and proving a female-focused event was viable. Or is it?

In a concert season rife with mixed signals (Coachella was completely sold out, while Christina Aguilera and other big acts have cut or canceled large swaths of their tours) the Lilith Fair today canceled ten dates, cutting out Texas entirely along with smaller cities. The organizers released a statement today:

The 2010 Lilith Tour is announcing the cancellation of 10 upcoming shows: Salt Lake City (7/12), Montreal (7/23), Raleigh (8/4), Charlotte (8/6), West Palm Beach (8/10), Tampa (8/11), Birmingham (8/12), Austin (8/14), Houston (8/15) and Dallas (8/16). Refunds are available at point of purchase.

"We are in the midst of one of the most challenging summer concert seasons with many tours being cancelled outright," says Lilith co-founder Terry McBride. "Everyone involved with the tour would like to apologize to the fans and artists scheduled to play in these markets, and express appreciation for all the support for the festival's return. Lilith remains the only tour of its kind, and we are confident that fans will be amazed by what each date has to offer."

There's a million reasons and ways this could have come to pass, but music writer Maura Johnston had a pretty apt take - the shit just isn't relevant anymore. We're well beyond "what if God was one of us?" She's been dead for over a decade now! Maura Johnston:

could you imagine paying $125 for a cat power/tegan & sara show? it's not like sarah mclachland and sara bareilles make that $ worth it.