Lilith Fair doc LA premiere as performers skip shows for free speech

Sarah McLachlan and fellow performers pulled out of scheduled appearances at the Los Angeles premiere of the new documentary about the 1990s Lilith Fair on Sunday, saying they would not perform in solidarity with free speech amid controversy surrounding ABC and its parent company. The screening took place at the Ford Theater just days after ABC paused production of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, a move that has sparked a national debate about censorship and corporate pressure.

McLachlan introduced the film and told the audience she and others had decided not to play. I know you are expecting a performance tonight, and I am so grateful to all of you for coming, she said, apologizing for the disappointment and explaining the choice was a collective gesture in support of free speech. In a longer set of remarks she framed the decision within broader concerns about rights and public discourse, saying she had grappled with being at the premiere while witnessing what she described as erosions of women's, trans and queer rights and the muzzling of free speech. She added that music can serve as a bridge to shared humanity and urged attendees to lift each other up.