Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O unable to perform at Daisy Chain Fields due to “family emergency”
Developing story first seen 3 hours ago
Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer Karen O has explained that a "family emergency" kept her from performing at Olivia Rodrigo's inaugural Daisy Chain Fields festival, confirming in a follow-up Instagram statement on 30 August that she had stayed with relatives on the US East Coast rather than appear at the one-day charity event in Irvine, California, on 29 August. She had been billed as one of three special guests, alongside Stevie Nicks and Sarah McLachlan, at the all-female show, and said she was "sad to miss such a herstoric music event" but was "where I'm most needed", thanking Rodrigo for her advocacy for women.
In O's absence, Rodrigo brought out McLachlan, Alanis Morissette and Nicks during her headline set, including a McLachlan rendition of "Angel" dedicated to the late Dolly Parton and a closing "Landslide" with Nicks. The festival, also featuring Chappell Roan, Doechii, Mitski and others, saw all artists waive their fees; it had already raised $10million for women's and girls' charities, a sum Melinda French Gates then matched to bring the total to $20million. Separately, Karen O has recently reunited with The Avalanches on the single "Blue Shadows", following the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' 2025 anniversary tour and 2022 album "Cool It Down".
- Karen O confirms family emergency, not just absence, kept her from Daisy Chain Fields
- Rodrigo brought out McLachlan, Morissette and Nicks instead at 29 August festival
- Charity event's fundraising total reached $20million after Melinda French Gates matched $10m
Full account
Karen O of Yeah Yeah Yeahs has confirmed that a family emergency kept her away from Olivia Rodrigo's inaugural Daisy Chain Fields festival, held on 29 August at Great Park in Irvine, California. The singer had been billed as one of three special guests, alongside Stevie Nicks and Sarah McLachlan, but did not appear at any point during the one-day event. She addressed her absence in a statement posted to Instagram the following morning, explaining that she had stayed with family on the East Coast rather than travel to California for the show.
In her post, Karen O wrote that she was "unable to perform at Daisy Chain due to a family emergency", adding that she was sad to miss what she called a "herstoric" event but felt she was needed elsewhere with her family. She went on to thank Rodrigo for championing women in music, signing off the message with warmth towards the festival's organiser. Rodrigo had already addressed the gap in the bill from the stage the previous night, telling the crowd that Karen O had been among the earliest artists to commit to the festival and was visibly disappointed to withdraw, before asking the audience to send her their support.
With Karen O absent, Rodrigo's headline set instead featured McLachlan, Nicks and a surprise appearance from Alanis Morissette, who had not been publicised as part of the line-up beforehand. McLachlan performed 'Building A Mystery' and 'Angel', the latter offered as a tribute to Dolly Parton following the country singer's death earlier in the week, while Morissette joined Rodrigo for 'Ironic'. Nicks closed out the night alongside Rodrigo with a cover of Fleetwood Mac's 'Landslide'.
Daisy Chain Fields brought together an all-female bill including Chappell Roan, Doechii, Mitski, Bikini Kill, The Breeders, Garbage, Santigold, Rachel Chinouriri and Die Spitz, with Devon Again drafted in after KATSEYE pulled out shortly beforehand once member Megan Skiendiel injured her ankle in rehearsals. Every artist involved performed without a fee, with proceeds directed towards charities supporting women and girls; organisers had already reached $10million for ten non-profit groups ahead of the festival, a sum subsequently doubled to $20million after a matching donation from Melinda French Gates. Karen O's diary this year has otherwise included a reunited collaboration with The Avalanches on the single 'Blue Shadows' and Yeah Yeah Yeahs' 'Hidden In Pieces' theatre shows marking the band's 25th anniversary.
Where outlets differ
NME frames the story primarily around Karen O's own statement and situates it within her wider 2025 activity (the Avalanches collaboration, the band's anniversary tour, their 2022 album 'Cool It Down'), while the second outlet leans more heavily on the live moment itself, including Rodrigo's on-stage remarks explaining the absence to the crowd.
NME provides considerably more detail on the festival's charitable dimension (the $10million/$20million fundraising figures, artists waiving fees) and the full supporting line-up, including the late KATSEYE withdrawal and Devon Again's replacement slot — details largely absent from the second source.
The second source gives a fuller account of how the surprise Alanis Morissette appearance came about and quotes Rodrigo's own words addressing Karen O's absence on stage, which NME does not include.
More coverage