A MCLACHLAN GROUP HUG; '98 BRINGS BIGGER, FRIENDLIER LILITH FAIR.

Byline: Fred Shuster Daily News Music Writer

Sarah McLachlan calls herself ``den mother'' to the '98 model Lilith Fair. And boy is she tired.

McLachlan was a moderately successful pop singer from Halifax, Nova Scotia, when her all-female music tour became the year's most heralded concert festival grossing almost $17 million last summer, beating out Lollapalooza, OzzFest and H.O.R.D.E.

Although this year's trek features 23 rotating headliners, such as recent Grammy winner Shawn Colvin, nuevo-soul diva Erykah Badu, Natalie Merchant and the Indigo Girls, it's the freshmen acts such as Tara MacLean, Billie Myers, Ebba Forsberg and Morcheeba whom McLachlan is proudest of.

``Part of Lilith's focus this year is to help young, developing artists and give them a platform,'' says McLachlan, 30, whose current album, ``Surfacing,'' has sold several million copies. ``It's really great to be able to say, `I can help you and give you a foot up.' ''

For McLachlan, the only member of the Lilith cast to play all 57 dates, the tour is a family affair. Her husband of just over a year, Ashwin Sood, plays drums in her band.

There are other connections as well. McLachlan says close friendships and mutual respect can come from artists sharing the Lilith stage in impromptu jam sessions. Last year, for example, the Indigo Girls were instrumental in rallying the troops for giant sing-alongs and drop-in appearances.

``We were kind of shy at first,'' McLachlan said. ``We're all outgoing for the most part but it's hard to ask people you don't really know to come up on stage for the first time with another act. It's like asking for a date - there's the fear of rejection.''

Last year, Lilith had already been going for a month when the Indigos came aboard and immediately began breaking the ice between artists.

``We got there and started banging on dressing-room doors, bringing people up on stage,'' said Emily Saliers who with partner Amy Ray make up the Indigos. ``Lilith is just a great event. It has a spirit to it and it's a really well-run tour.''

McLachlan, reached over the weekend the day after the trek's second edition got under way in Portland, Ore., was feeling pretty well-run herself. She said she'd been going since early in the morning, taking care of last-minute details before readying herself to perform her festival-closing set.

``I was so exhausted at the end of the day,'' she said. ``But it's amazing being part of this thing.''

Colvin, due to have her first baby in a month, is playing just two Lilith dates this year. She says the best part of the trek is catching fellow performers.

``That's one of the highlights - seeing different parts of people's shows night after night,'' Colvin said. ``That's not something you get to do when you're out on the road by yourself. It's such a cool lineup this year.''

Colvin, whose ``Sunny Came Home'' won record of the year honors at this year's Grammy Awards, said the 10 dates she played on last year's Lilith tour were instrumental in terms of exposure.

``It was a nice dovetailing of my first hit single and the opportunity to play for such a large audience, which I wasn't used to back then,'' she explained. ``For that audience to recognize something I did was a thrill.''

Although the '97 model Lilith Fair was criticized for being a bit homogenous, this year's tour mixes it up at various stops with more hip-hop and alt-rock performers, including Neneh Cherry, Mono, Beth Orton, Liz Phair, Missy Elliott, Me'Shell Ndegeocello, Queen Latifah, Imani Coppola, Rebekah, Lauren Hill and N'Dea Davenport, among others.

``I think this year we had a lot more cards in our favor,'' McLachlan said. ``Artists who either didn't know me or know about the tour last year and didn't want to come on board joined up this year. One of my favorites is Neneh Cherry. She was one of the first people I asked last year, but for many reasons she couldn't make it.''

This time, the 100-act national tour is stopping at cities that didn't see Lilith last summer and is even looking forward to multiple nights at some venues.

Last year's local stop took place at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre. When Lilith comes to the cavernous Rose Bowl, the venue is being scaled down in terms of seating for the festival.

Nonetheless, the Rose Bowl is quite a step up from Irvine Meadows.

``Strangely enough, there aren't many options for a tour of this size in the Los Angeles area,'' said McLachlan, who appears on TV's ``Tonight Show With Jay Leno'' on Thursday. ``Irvine was almost too small, and there are just no 20,000-seat venues in the area. Last year, people were complaining about having to drive to Irvine. But the main thing was having it outdoors. There's something really amazing about watching the sunset and listening to music.''

On the main stage Saturday are McLachlan, Colvin, Merchant, Badu, Indigo Girls and a surprise guest. The second stage features Myers, K's Choice and Lhasa, while the Village stage has MacLean, ``Saturday Night Live'' cast member Ana Gasteyer and local talent search winner Tia Tejada.

McLachlan said there are talks scheduled to possibly bring Lilith to Europe next year. In the United States, the tour contributes funds to such nonprofit organizations as the Breast Cancer Fund; Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN); LIFEbeat; and Planned Parenthood.

Still, it all comes down to the music. And if McLachlan's stated purpose is to help emerging artists, she's got a big fan in Vancouver-based singer-songwriter MacLean, who said the 10 Lilith shows she performed last year were important in terms of self-confidence.

MacLean appears Saturday on Lilith's Village stage.

``It was loads of fun and really inspiring last year because you got to see so many great artists,'' MacLean, 24, said, adding that a '97 highlight was singing the festival encore, Joni Mitchell's ``Big Yellow Taxi,'' with McLachlan, Colvin, Paula Cole and the Indigos. ``Plus, it was great watching Tracy Chapman from backstage.''

Lilith lineup

Here are Saturday's start times for artists appearing on Lilith Fair's three stages. Rose Bowl doors open at 1:30 p.m.

Main stage

Shawn Colvin - 3:45 p.m.

Special guest - 5 p.m.

Erykah Badu - 6:10 p.m.

Indigo Girls - 7:20 p.m.

Natalie Merchant - 8:30 p.m.

Sarah McLachlan - 9:40 p.m.

Second stage

Lhasa - 2:35 p.m.

Billie Myers - 3:20 p.m.

K's Choice - 4:25 p.m.

Village stage

Tia Tejada - 1:45 p.m.

Ana Gasteyer - 2:10 p.m.

Tara MacLean - 3 p.m.

THE FACTS

Who: Lilith Fair, with Sarah McLachlan, Shawn Colvin, Indigo Girls, Erykah Badu, Natalie Merchant and others.

Where: Rose Bowl, 1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena.

When: 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

Tickets: $27.05 to $52.05.

Information: [phone].

CAPTION(S):

4 Photos, Box

Photo: (1--Cover--Color) On the cover: Lilith Fair performers at the Rose Bowl include, clockwise from top left, the Indigo Girls, Shawn Colvin, Sarah McLachlan and Natalie Merchant.

(2--3) ``Part of Lilith's focus this year is to help young, developing artists and give them a platform,'' says Sarah McLachlan, above. Those acts include K's Choice, below, who play the second stage in Pasadena.

(4) One of Shawn Colvin's two Lilith appearances will be at the Rose Bowl on Saturday.

Box: Lilith lineup (See Text)