Ethel Cain @ The Salt Shed: Concert Review

Hello everyone!! On Saturday, September 20th, I was given the incredible opportunity to see Ethel Cain perform live at the Salt Shed (Fairgrounds), and I was genuinely left speechless. Before I dive into the show, I want to provide a bit of background information about the artist.

Ethel Cain from wvau.org

Who is Ethel Cain?

Ethel Cain, stage name for Hayden Silas Anhedönia, is an American singer, songwriter, and producer. Cain focuses on a variety of different genres, mixing elements of indie, folk, rock, gothic, country, and even gospel music. Her 2022 debut album, Preacher’s Daughter, is a concept album that centers around the character of Ethel Cain. Anhedönia created the character of Ethel Cain to process personal and religious trauma she experienced growing up in a Southern Baptist town. The story of Preacher’s Daughter continues with Cain’s newest album, Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You. In short, Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You acts as a prequel to Preacher’s Daughter, branching off from the track, “House In Nebraska.” The album follows two teens (Ethel Cain and Willoughby Tucker) who fall in love. Growing up in a small town, they are both haunted by their generational traumas, which eventually lead to heartbreak for them both.  While I can’t get into all of the lore at the moment, I highly recommend doing a deep dive into the world of Ethel Cain, because she is a truly magnificent storyteller. 

Now that you have some background on who Ethel Cain is, let’s dive into my experience at the Willoughby Tucker Forever Tour. 

Venue

This was my very first show at the Salt Shed, and I was very impressed. Aside from being a beautiful venue, the staff was also lovely. During the show, water was passed through the crowd to people who weren't feeling well, and security was quick to assist anyone if they were in need of help. All of the staff members working the event were very kind and helpful, and happily offered me assistance when I was trying to find my way around.

I also want to give a massive shoutout to the sound crew at the Salt Shed. I have been to a decent number of concerts, especially in the last few months, and this concert had the best sound by a long shot. The instrumentals sounded incredible and didn’t overpower the vocalist at any point whatsoever. Everything was balanced perfectly, and it was a huge factor in my enjoyment of the show. 

Photo by Danny Howe from Unsplash

Performance

Due to some scheduling issues on my end, I unfortunately missed the opening performance put on by 9million. While I was not present, I heard many wonderful things. I arrived right as the show was beginning. As I was entering the venue, “Willoughby’s Theme” played, and Ethel slowly made her way onto the stage while the crowd went absolutely crazy.

Photo by Michaela "Mick" Clegg

The setlist was as follows:

1. Willoughby’s Theme

2. Janie

3. F**k Me Eyes

4. Willoughby’s Interlude (shortened)

5. Nettles

6. Dust Bowl

7. Vacillator

8. Onanist

9. Misuse Oh

10. Radio Towers (shortened)

11. Tempest

12. Waco Texas

Encore

13. Thoroughfare

14. Crush

15. American Teenager

Each song seemed to magically flow right into the next, keeping the audience enthralled and engaged for every moment of the show. I purposely held off on listening to Willoughby Tucker in full because of the reputation Ethel’s live performances hold. I am very grateful I followed through on this. Hearing the raw vocal performance of “Dust Bowl” live for the first time truly changed my life. The silhouettes of Ethel and her band shining through the smoke and lights on stage completely set the scene, and she gave an incredibly beautiful performance.  

“Misuse Oh” is a track that immediately drew me in. The song begins with the most beautiful guitar motif that carries on throughout the entire song, and of course, Ethel gave a beautiful vocal performance. An encore including “Crush”, my personal favorite song by Ethel, and “American Teenager” was the perfect way to end the show.

In the Uber home afterwards, I could not stop replaying the concert in my head. Ethel Cain puts on an incredible show. Unlike some shows I have seen in the past, Ethel does not have crazy costumes, stage mechanics, or background dancers. She came on stage wearing a T-shirt and jeans, and yet she commanded the stage in a way I have never seen from a performer. There were thousands of attendees, yet the show still felt incredibly intimate. There were even a few songs where the entire crowd was completely silent as Ethel sang. I have always thought highly of her, but this show confirmed just how talented, passionate, and genuine she is when it comes to making and performing music. I had an incredible night, and I hope I will get a chance to experience a show like this again!

Photo by Michaela "Mick" Clegg