Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields Music Festival Proves There Is Hope For Us All: 13 Best Moments

Move over, sarcastic and oftentimes degrading t-shirts. At Daisy Chain Fields, feminism is in fashion. Some of the more notable tees and totes carried messages such as: “Heaven knows what a girl can do,” “A life worth fighting for,” “Be a better human” and “The matriarchy would never.”

And true to the fest’s inspiration and intention, pin-back buttons were also all the rage — led by the branding, which was seen on official festival posters and merch and even the event’s two stages. As a result, many in the crowd were partaking in pin swaps, creating a new take on friendship bracelet trading.

With her Y2K-inspired style complementing the colorful streaks in her hair, the charismatic pop singer kicked off the festival at the Dandelion main stage with an energetic set featuring breakout hit “Girl of Your Dreams” and “F–k the DJ.”

But it wasn’t just her performance that started the day off right — it was her activism, too. On theme with the festival, Eli announced she would be donating a portion of her record advance, reading a journal entry from her phone to offer a glimpse into the beliefs behind her decision. “I do not wish to impress you, nor do I want to prove a point amongst my past critics of the unethical and inhumane nature of billionaires possessing more than half the wealth of the entire world,” she read. “Everyone without their basic human needs met — healthcare, shelter, food, freshwater, emotional and mental wellbeing — this journal entry is to show you my fundamental belief that we must redistribute wealth.”

As one of the first artists to take the Marigold Stage, English artist Rachel Chinouriri used her set to give fans a taste of what’s to come, asking if they wanted to hear a new song. After an enthusiastic response, she rewarded them with “AAAHHH,” a new track from her upcoming second album, I think I spoke too soon, out Oct. 16. She shared it’s largely about her 20s and “realizing I can become whoever I want to be.”

Bringing the heat from beginning to end, Chinouriri maintained an infectious level of energy throughout the set, barely giving herself a moment to slow down. Her constant movement, powerful vocals and genuine connection with the audience made the performance feel effortless and electric — and an early standout of the day overall.

After dropping out of the festival earlier this week due to member Megan spraining her ankle during rehearsals, KATSEYE still made a point of showing up how they could. Just after 1 p.m. on the Dandelion main stage, members Yoonchae, Lara and Megan appeared, much to the crowd’s surprise. “We’re so disappointed that we can’t perform today on stage, but my ankle is on hiatus,” shared Megan. “But our hearts are definitely not.”

“We’re sending all of our love to Olivia and this beautiful community that she built at Daisy Chain Fields. We’re so happy to be here and show as much support as we can,” she continued. “Thank you for letting us be a small part of this.”

The three then welcomed Baby2Baby representatives on stage — keeping in line with the day’s run of show, in which the fest’s 10 nonprofits partners introduced various performers — who then introduced alternative pop artist Devon Again, who was booked in place of KATSEYE.

Following an introduction from members of KATSEYE and reps from Baby2Baby, Devon Again immediately expressed her gratitude for being added to the lineup. “I’m so honored to be here,” she told the crowd more than once. As for how it went down?

“Olivia called me on Thursday night and I said, ‘duh b—h!’”

Santigold’s set was everything a longtime fan of the artist would hope for, considering a good portion of the setlist spotlighted hits off her 2008 acclaimed self-titled debut album (“L.E.S. Artistes,” “Shove It,” “Lights Out”) and 2012 second set Master of My Make-Believe (“Disparate Youth,” “Go!”). Even better? The songs seemed to spark as much joy for Santigold as they did the crowd.

And early into the set, she mused on what brought her here: “I can’t believe she pulled this s–t off, this is amazing,” she said of Olivia and her fest. “This is the most most important thing; if it weren’t for women, none of us would be here. We do know this, right?!”

After delivering a speech about the ways in which the U.S. government doesn’t “give a s–t,” lead singer Kathleen Hanna explains that “it makes it hard for me and body sometimes to have a good time, because it’s hard to turn it off…and I was thinking that on the way here, what a gift we have to be able to play for you. What a gift Olivia has given all of us with this festival.”

The crowd gave their own gift in return: their full attention. “This is the most engaged audience I have ever seen in my life,” Hannah later remarked, after telling the story that inspired the band’s “Feels Blind.”

Fortunately, she’s never short on stories and wisdom — especially when the audience is so attentive. Near the set’s end, she shared this simple instruction: “I’m 57, keep teaching the people who are older than you,” she said. “Don’t give up. And if you’re a cis white male, you tell your friends to stop treating women like shit.”

After gently laying down some house rules — “identify the security people around you,” “if you feel faint, no shame, just sit down where you are,” “if you have sunscreen, please apply it” — Mitski delivered a gorgeous set that offered a calming respite from the day’s high-energy and high heat so far.

Halfway through, she couldn’t help but reflect, “This was such a good idea,” before sharing how she ended up on the bill. “[Olivia] called me on my cell phone, personally, and was like, ‘will you do this?’ Big festival benefiting women and girls? ‘Yeah I’ll find time.’”

“I feel like we should do this every year, Mitski continued. “We’ll get to say we were at the first ever Daisy Chains.”

After joking that Garbage probably the only band to screw up their set (they had to restart a song after having some technical difficulties), lead vocalist Shirley Manson joke turned the moment into a lesson for her nieces and nephews in the crowd: “You can f–k up and fall flat on your face in front of thousands of people and life goes on, it’s all good,” she said.

She later revisited the idea of speaking to the younger fans in the crowd, assuring them all to “be exactly who you want to be. When you’re yourself, when you’re a truth teller, you find your people. You live well. I would urge everybody to enjoy your weird self.”

And if anyone was doubting her advice, she knew how to shut it down: “I just turned 60, I know what I’m talking about.”

Leave it to a women-led festival to run exactly on time. Just a few minutes before Rodrigo’s scheduled 8:40 start time, an announcer’s voice boomed over the crowd with a simple instruction: to welcome to the next guest to the stage. All day long, those guests were typically a member or two of one of the fest’s 10 nonprofit partners. In this case, that voice introduced Olivia Rodrigo herself.

Rodrigo humbly took the stage to read a few words of gratitude and make one more announcement, for which she welcomed philanthropist Melinda French Gates to the stage. Together, they shared that Gates had doubled donations for a grand total of $20 million raised. As Gates exited the stage, Rodrigo took it upon herself to introduce her very own headlining set that followed.

Her setlist balanced older hits (Drivers License, Deja Vu) with plenty of new ones, including the just-released “Serena Joy,” an outtake from this year’s You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love. The set also delivered on previously-announced special guests.

“Today, I’m so aware of all the women who came before me,” said Rodrigo, standing in front of her all-women band, all of whom wore t-shirts of woman artists. “And when I think about those women, there’s one in particular who comes to mind: Sarah McLachlan.”

Together, they duetted on “Building a Mystery” and “Angel,” the latter of which was dedicated to Dolly Parton. Or, as McLachlan called her: “the OG matriarch, beauty and goddess of country music.”

Rodrigo later welcomed Alanis Morissette for “Ironic” (she filled in for Karen O, who had to drop out at the last minute for a personal matter). And then, as a nearly-full moon ascended into peak position, she returned to the stage for her encore arm-in-arm with Stevie Nicks for a stunning rendition of “Landslide.”

As the clock neared the 10 p.m. scheduled end time, Rodrigo once again shared her thanks and slipped in one last announcement: “See you all next year!”

But as the screens faded to black, Nicks wasn’t ready to go just yet — she herself had a message to deliver. “I’m somewhat awestruck that [Olivia] could do all this, because it’s so hard…and she’s done it with grace and this crazy, crazy energy that she has. I told her, ‘don’t ever give that up.’ So support her, she’s very special. Take her to your heart — I have.”

Was it the lack of men? Maybe.

More likely, it was the prioritization and celebration of women and girls and the strides that have been made over time, alongside the very tangible promise of what’s possible in the future.

Daisy Chain Fields boasted some of the youngest and oldest festival attendees to gather at the same event — and likely because their purpose was the same. Be the change. Everywhere attendees looked, that concept was reiterated — whether through printing the historical achievements of women on the sidewalk, hiring women-owned food and beverage vendors, commissioning art installations from women artists or even something as radical as booking only women to perform today. Daisy Chain Fields was designed, in every aspect, for women and girls — both those who will benefit from the $20 million raised and those who will simply benefit from a day of music and purpose. The joy generated is all the same.