ATLANTA — In a haze of fog, strobing lights and Spanish moss, Ethel Cain transformed The Eastern on Aug. 28 into a haunted Southern Gothic dreamscape for her "Willoughby Tucker Forever" tour.
The stage name of Hayden Silas Anhedönia, Cain drew a devoted crowd that reflected her Americana-goth aesthetic in ironic camo, denim overalls, cowboy boots and flowy white dresses. Fans were loud and dressed like characters that looked exactly like her songs sound.
Toronto-based shoegaze collective 99 Million opened the night, warming up the crowd with a set that included crowd-surfing stunts, even sending a tire over the audience. The band’s guitarist doubled as Cain’s lead guitarist, a connection that gave the show an added sense of continuity.
Before Cain’s set, a recorded message encouraged fans to text The Ally Coalition for a chance to win a signed vinyl of her 2022 album, "Preacher’s Daughter".
Cain’s stage design was striking. Looming branches were draped with Spanish moss and floral grasses with hidden lights were placed across the front. The mic stand was fashioned into a cross, set on a platform with a backlight that silhouetted her throughout the show. Fog poured in heavily, deepening this otherworldly effect she was cultivating.
She opened with “Willoughby’s Theme,” emerging in a soft spotlight as green strobes cut through the haze, making her appear ghostly and angelic at once. The setlist spanned fan favorites, from “Janie” and “Nettles”, which she called a “hometown show” moment, noting Atlanta was the closest stop to her Florida roots, to “Dust Bowl,” where radiant spinning lights bathed her in another instance of this angelic glow.
The intensity escalated with “Vacillator,” during which Cain clawed at her own skin under bursts of white strobe, and “Onanist,” drenched in blood-red light. She paused “Waco, Texas” mid-song for a crowd emergency, quickly ensuring safety and handing out water to fans who had lined up since early morning.
The encore leaned into her country roots, with Cain telling the audience, “I know you bitches know how to get country,” before launching into “Thoroughfare.” She closed the night with her biggest tracks, “Crush” and “American Teenager,” leaving fans shouting every lyric back at her.
Ethel Cain’s Atlanta performance was more than a concert, it was a communion of imagery, sound and devotion, with the audience as much a part of the story as the artist herself.
The next dates of her tour go as follows:
08/29 ATL @The Eastern
08/30 Asheville, NC @Asheville Yards
09/02 Pelham, TN @The Caverns
09/04 Pittsburgh, PA @Stage AE Outdoors
09/05 Washington, DC @The Anthem
09/06 Philadelphia, PA @The Met
09/09 NYC @Radio City Music Hall
09/10 Brooklyn, NY @Kings Theatre
09/12 Boston, MA @Roadrunner
09/12 Buffalo, NY @Outer Hrbor Live at Terminal B
09/15 Toronto, ON @Queen Elizabeth Theatre
09/16 Toronto, ON @Queen Elizabeth Theatre
09/17 Detroit, MI @Masonic Cathedral Theatre
09/19 Saint Paul, MN @Palace Theatre
09/20 Chicago, IL @The Salt Shed
