The inaugural Daisy Chain Fields Music Festival debuts on Saturday, Aug. 29, with its founder Olivia Rodrigo atop a powerful lineup of rock-and-roll women.
Chappell Roan, Bikini Kill, the Breeders, Doechii, Garbage, and Mitski are among the acts who’ll play full sets, with Stevie Nicks, Karen O, and Sarah McLachlan making special appearances, too.
And while you’re sure to hear the hits – Rodrigo’s certainly doing the No. 1 hits “Driver’s License” and “Drop Dead,” Roan’s bound to sing “Red Wine Supernova” and “Pink Pony Club” – it’s fun to let your imagination run wild thinking about the surprises and unexpected moments of delight that await the 45,000 fans who’ll pack Irvine’s Great Park for the fest.
We’ve been daydreaming, also known as working, for weeks now to imagine what awaits us on Saturday. Here, in no particular order, are our Top 10 predictions, also known as wild guesses, for what awaits on Saturday.
1) A Dolly Parton tribute (or two or three): Even if Parton hadn’t died this week, it wouldn’t have been unexpected for one of the women of Daisy Chain to cover one of her songs. Now it’s as safe a bet as we’re going to make in this piece. Our top pick for this is Roan. She’s talked before about how Parton’s look inspired her own big hair, five-inch nails, blue eyeshadow and red lipstick. Her 2025 single “The Giver” was a country pop song.
Final answer: Roan sings “I Will Always Love You.”
2) Gwen Stefani returns the favor: Rodrigo popped out with No Doubt at Coachella in 2024 to sing No Doubt’s hit “Bathwater.” And then she did it again just two months ago, when during the final night of No Doubt’s residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Rodrigo showed up in the crowd with a sign that read, “I’m just a girl who wants the last hug at the last show.”
Final answer: Rodrigo brings out Stefani to join her on “Good 4 U.”
3) Most likely to mosh: You wanna find the mosh pit, head to the Marigold set at 2:50 p.m. for Bikini Kill’s set. The punk band that launched the riot grrrl movement in the ’90s proved the girls could rock the bleep out just like the boys, and demanded that the men make way for the women.
Final answer: The pit will go off when Bikini Kill play “Rebel Girl.”
4) What Will Stevie Nicks Do? At 78, Nicks is a fairy godmother to all of the younger women on the bill, her songs the soundtracks to the lives of many of them. As Rodrigo’s special guest, we’re dying to know what the two will sing. Our colleague Victoria Le says she “will ascend if Olivia and Stevie Nicks play ‘Gypsy,’” and that’s a great guess. And “Landslide” always makes us get a little emotional.
Final answer: “Edge of Seventeen” would be perfect for the youthful audience we expect to see on Saturday. Close your eyes, and you can hear 45,000 voices singing, “Just like the white-winged dove sings a song, it sounds like she’s singin’, ooh, baby, ooh, said, ooh.”
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5) The biggest crowd singalong: This one’s a dart throw while wearing a blindfold. Everyone knows the words to “Pink Pony Club” by now. Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” was her breakout, so that’s possible. But our coworker Carolyn Burt pointed to Rodrigo’s “Stupid Song,” which she’s been listening to on repeat for weeks now. “It’s definitely one the crowd will know, as the chorus has become a popular TikTok sound,” she adds.
Final answer: “Stupid Song,” which was released in June, making it a song-of-the-summer contender, too.
6) Best banter: Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna is definitely a contender. She’s been an outspoken advocate for women in rock for three decades now. But there’s also …
Final answer: Shirley Manson of Garbage, who’s been doing it even longer, and can be counted on for one or more impassioned speeches on subjects from sexism in music to the power of women to change the world per show.
7) Saddest Mitski song: We’re hoping Mitski brings her rock band to Daisy Chain for the extra power it packs. But even if this is one of her more acoustic lo-fi sets, the Queen of the Sad Girls will deliver the feels through songs such as “I Bet on Losing Dogs” and “Class of 2013.”
Final answer: “Last Words of a Shooting Star” will completely wreck you like the plane crash imagery of its lyrics.
8) Best twin sisters: Kim and Kelley Deal are female elders of alt-rock. Kim Deal cofounded both the Pixies and the Breeders, her sister Kelley joining her in launching the Breeders. Respect your elders, Daisy Chainers; they blazed a lot of the trail that Rodrigo and Roan and others have followed.
Final answer: “Cannonball” was the underground band’s biggest hit and for good reason. The bass line, the vocals, the whole band is perfection on this track.
9) Surprise, surprise: At the start we guessed Stefani would join Rodrigo on stage. But she’s not the only candidate to pop up unexpectedly at some point. Rodrigo has covered or performed with artists including Avril Lavigne, Sheryl Crow, and Alanis Morissette. Madonna has a new album out and was a surprise guest of Sabrina Carpenter at Coachella.
Final answer: Liz Phair, whose songwriting explored a personal, confessional style similar to Rodrigo’s. She lives in Manhattan Beach and is prepping for a September tour.
10) Best singalong on stage: If Rodrigo’s encore doesn’t include an all-star singalong of Parton’s “Jolene,” we’ll eat our hat.
Final answer: Seriously, our hat, we’ll eat it!