LADIES' NIGHT MARTINA MCBRIDE AND FRIENDS GET THEIR ACTS TOGETHER FOR THE ROAD.

Byline: Sandra Barrera Staff Writer

Mention Lilith Fair to Martina McBride and it triggers a flood of happy memories for the country music vocalist.

So many, in fact, that McBride is now trying to create a similar concert experience for some of her artist friends by starting up the all-female traveling shindig she calls the Girls' Night Out Tour.

Like a Lilith Fair for country music, the 25-city tour swings through Staples Center on Sunday and spotlights five women: Jamie O'Neal, Sara Evans, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Reba McEntire and McBride, the latter two having collaborated on musical projects in the past.

In 1996, McEntire and McBride earned a Grammy nomination for their recording of ``On My Own.'' But their latest endeavor is brainstorming the idea for the first, and what McBride says is hopefully not the last, Girls' Night Out Tour.

``Reba and I are spearheading it, so to speak,'' says McBride, 34, by phone from her home in Nashville. ``But it's something I want all the girls to be involved in. I want them to leave this summer thinking they've just had the best touring experience ever.''

McBride, who is a couple of months shy of releasing a greatest-hits album, says the idea of Girls' Night Out came from her positive experience at Lilith Fair. She was a participant in the last two of its three years of existence.

The tour was shelved in 1999 when its founder, Sarah McLachlan, announced she was taking time off to start a family. But its spirit remains in the memories of those who experienced it, including McBride.

She admits to still being struck by the camaraderie felt on and off stage.

Artists were seen hanging out in each others' dressing rooms, giggling over meals and inviting their new friends out to perform during concert sets. McBride herself got to sit in with McLachlan and the Indigo Girls.

Looking back, McBride says she wants all this and more for the Girls' Night Out Tour.

``I hope we have such a good time backstage that it translates to the audience,'' she says.

But with the desire for fun also comes the hope by lesser-known artists that the Girls' Night Out Tour wields the power of Lilith Fair.

McLachlan's tour became an international launching pad for a number of female artists, including herself. And Johnson, who will be making her concert debut with an opening 10-minute acoustic performance, believes Girls' Night Out could afford her a similar boost.

``It could be such a great opportunity,'' says Johnson, 30, whose debut album, ``Room With a View,'' is due on Aug. 7. ``I'm just so excited to be lumped into this tour at this point in my career because there's a lot of other female artists out there that would die for this opportunity.''

In addition to the camaraderie leading to impromptu performances, all of the women of the Girls' Night Out Tour will come together for a grand finale.

Then after the tour wraps in Kentucky, McBride will return to her family in Nashville and begin work on her next studio album.

Her last release was the hugely successful 1999 album ``Emotion,'' whose singles ``I Love You,'' ``Love's the Only House'' and ``It's My Time'' all were Top 20 hits.

McBride will also be gearing up for some Saturday shows later this year to promote the Sept. 18 release of the album ``Greatest Hits.''

The album features 13 previously recorded songs and four new ones, including the album's first single, ``When a God-Fearin' Woman Gets the Blues.'' That song will be followed with ``Where Would You Be,'' a power ballad similar to a song McBride cut on the multimillion-selling ``Evolution'' album called ``Whatever You Say.''

``It's going to be a busy fall,'' McBride says.

But before the leaves start to turn, McBride says she's looking forward to making memories on the road with her fellow Girls' Night Out artists and their audience.

McBride adds that if all goes as planned, the Girls' Night Out Tour could grow into an annual touring event.

``This is definitely something I would like to continue every summer, one way or another,'' says McBride. ``But we'll just have to see how it goes.''

GIRLS' NIGHT OUT TOUR WITH REBA McENTIRE, MARTINA McBRIDE, SARA EVANS, JAMIE O'NEAL AND CAROLYN DAWN JOHNSON

Where: Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles.

When: 7 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets: $43.50 to $115. Call [phone].

CAPTION(S):

5 photos

Photo:

(1) McENTIRE

(2) McBRIDE

(3) EVANS

(4) O'NEAL

(5) JOHNSON