IRVINE — Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields headlining set didn’t begin with a song, but with a thank you.

Lights swept over Great Park as the multi-hyphenate pop star took the Dandelion Stage at 8:40 p.m. in a white flowy dress and brown boots with a flower tucked behind her ear. In front of roughly 45,000 fans, Rodrigo thanked the artists who had filled out the day’s 10-hour, all-women bill before launching into her opening number. She said she felt lucky to be a part of a musical community that shows up for each other, and then pivoted to the event’s most anticipated announcement.

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Rodrigo said the festival would be donating $10 million to 10 nonprofit women’s health and reproductive rights organizations, including Baby2Baby, Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Center for Reproductive Rights, National Women’s Law Center and Planned Parenthood.

That number doubled moments later when Rodrigo brought out philanthropist Melinda French Gates, calling her one of the most inspiring people she’d ever met. The festival founder revealed that Gates had pledged to match the night’s fundraising total – pushing the amount raised to $20 million. Gates said she felt the power of the night belonged to everyone in the crowd, rather than just the people on stage.

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Once the music started with lead single “drop dead” off her recently released album, “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love,” the singer then moved effortlessly between eras. She still leaned on her Grammy Award-winning debut album “SOUR” with songs such as “good 4 u,” “drivers license” and “deja vu,” while incorporating the triple-platinum second album “GUTS,” with tracks such as “bad idea right?” Still, most of her setlist drew heavily from her new album, with standout songs being the soft ballad “honeybee” and pop-punk jolt “expectations.” Midway through, she also debuted her song “serena joy,” which was released on streaming services Aug. 24 and composed specifically for the Daisy Chain Fields Fund, to which a portion of the song’s proceeds were directed. The politically charged song is named after the character from Margaret Atwood’s novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” – a song title choice that underscored the festival’s cause.

A major portion of the night’s excitement came from the set’s scheduled special guests. Rodrigo introduced Sarah McLachlan and credited her with founding Lilith Fair at a moment when industry gatekeepers insisted two women couldn’t headline the same bill or even be played back to back on the radio. The two then performed McLachlan’s songs “Building a Mystery” and “Angel,” dedicating the latter to Dolly Parton, who died Tuesday. Alanis Morissette followed, filling in for an absent Karen O to duet on “Ironic,” her own mid-90s classic about life’s small cruelties. To end the evening, Stevie Nicks joined Rodrigo for a rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” that turned into a full-fledged singalong.

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By the time the lights came up, Rodrigo had spent as much time championing the women around her as she had performing her own catalog of songs.

“Look at what you’ve created,” Gates said to Rodrigo looking out at the crowd.

Across the hour-and-20-minute set, three generations of songwriters shared the stage, connecting with the audience, who Rodrigo added, the night belonged to.

As the festival’s founder dropped that the festival would return next year, Nicks stuck around for an unplanned tribute to Rodrigo, which brought the headliner to tears.

“I’m somewhat awestruck that she could do all of this because it’s so hard,” Nicks said. “She’s done it with this grace and this crazy energy that she has, and I told her, ‘Don’t ever give that up, and don’t let anybody ever change you or tell you, you don’t want to run the stage.’ So support her, come be a part of her women’s rights thing – she’s very special.”

As around 45,000 fans journeyed across the grassy fields, daisy chain crowns remained on their heads.