Ethel Cain
w/ 9Million
FirstBank Amphitheater; Franklin, TN
May 1, 2026
Review by Philip Obenschain
One of the most unique, conceptual, and fiercely beloved artists making music today, Ethel Cain (the musical alter ego and thematic invention of artist Hayden Anhedönia) broke out to widespread acclaim with 2022 debut LP Preacher’s Daughter, and has become of the most fascinating and occasionally polarizing artists in the alternative and indie scene since. The Florida-born performer had been cultivating her sound and refining the Ethel Cain character (for all intents and purposes, Hayden is Ethel Cain when making music and performing, so I’ll use those names somewhat interchangeably here, but her records largely follow a fictional through-line about a backstory and life that only very superficially resembles her own, and is much more dark, gothic, tragic, and Americana) for several years prior to that breakout debut, though, across a series of early EPs (most notably, 2021’s Inbred).
Cain has played the Nashville area annually since that initial ascent, at The Basement East in 2022, The Ryman in 2023, Bonnaroo in 2024 (which is where I first had the pleasure of witnessing her captivating live show), and at The Caverns in nearby Pelham last fall. With two new albums released in 2025- the conceptually standalone and sonically experimental Perverts, and more formal sophomore release, and thematic prequel to her debut, Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You– Cain has been touring a ton over the past year, and recently returned to the Nashville yet again, for the fifth year in a row, and for her largest local headliner yet, at Franklin’s FirstBank Amphitheater with 9Million. After that stellar set at Bonnaroo (and somehow missing every other headlining show), I’ve been dying to see Cain again with full-on tour production, and with so much new music in her repertoire as well, the timing couldn’t have been better. As expected, this tour was something absolutely next-level, and certainly well-worth the wait!
(Note: we weren’t permitted to photograph this show nor given artist photos; apologies for the all-phone content.)
It had been a minute since I last attended a show at FirstBank Amphitheater. To be frank, as gorgeous as the venue is, the traffic in the past had somewhat turned me off from going except in cases of an artist I’m absolutely dying to see (like this one), but I’m pleased to report that some meaningful improvements to the roads and traffic flow have been made since the amphitheater opened, and arriving this time proved pretty quick and painless. You’ll want to give yourself plenty of time though, not just to account for traffic, but because the parking lot to the security check to the venue is a bit of a hike, and if you need to grab refreshments or wait for merch or anything else, you can’t really do so quickly. 9Million was already on by the time I got in, so I caught most of their performance from the back of the venue, as I grabbed a snack and enjoyed the absolutely perfect outdoor concert weather. Helmed by Cain collaborator Matthew Tomasi, 9Million’s shoegazing, genre-bending alt rock sound provided the perfect warmup for the night to follow, and by the time the all-too-brief performance ended, the place was packed.
As I took my seat, the sun had just set, the venue (carved into a literal rock quarry) was glowing with its signature moody lights, and the amphitheater was ecstatic, the majority of the audience made up of women in their 20s, who fit the alt/sad girl kind of ethos most fervently associated with Cane and famous for obsessing over her lore (the fact that literally every piece of merch at both tents had sold out well before I arrived was early confirmation that this audience was diehard). I will admit that while I’m a big fan of her music, I’m not as steeped in all of the thematic lore or personal detail as, I’m sure, many of the people around me were, so I apologize if I misrepresent or overlook anything; I can best speak to the vibes, production, and musicality of it all. I was fixated on just how cool the stage design was, which sort of looked like a movie set, recreating a swampy, southern rundown lot, with power lines and fencing draped in moss and vines, and a grassy mound in the front, behind which was a hill, where Ethel would spend much of the show.
As the lights began to glow red and an orchestral intro played, the enigmatic singer entered the stage, lit to appear like a shadowed silhouette, and began the show with “Sunday Morning,” the one and only track in the set from early EP Golden Age. The lush, instrumental swell into a crescendo, as Cain’s sweeping, powerful voice soared and the lights began to brighten and dazzle, really set the tone for the hypnotic, multifaceted nature of the show to follow, and I was immediately awestruck by how much more deliberate and immersive this performance felt than the more casual, daylight Bonnaroo set I saw a couple years ago. Moving from that deeper cut into the single that helped her first attain viral fame, “American Teenager,” Ethel was confident enough to front-load the biggest “hit,” eliciting singalongs from every single person in the crowd (a very enthusiastic, but somewhat quite and polite audience compared to other fanbases with this much passion), as she descended from her hilltop to roam around and sing mere feet from the front row.
After that epic opening, much of the rest of the show was, I believe, thematically sequenced to the lore of Ethel Cain the character, beginning with a run of songs from her latest, thematic prequel, Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You. There aren’t that many contemporary performers who sound both great in recording and also even better live, but Ethel Cain voice’s was absolutely tremendous, hitting every single part with perfect control and emotion, and elevating it all in person (backed by a phenomenal band, who also hit every part perfectly, while elevating and adding a sense of grandiosity to the live arrangements). The melancholy and beautifully harmonic “Janie” sounded lovely and heartbreaking, “Nettles” had a similar downtempo groove with haunting profundity, and “Dust Bowl” captured so much rawness and emotional complexity, set to more slow, sparse arrangements, with backlights silhouetting the singer before an impossibly epic build. As I said, these songs are mostly about a fictional character (with pieces of her real feelings in there too, certainly), but Ethel performs them so convincingly, so poetically, so urgently, that they feel more lived in than most artists could hope for when singing about their actual life, and that aspect just really makes this whole show even more compelling and unique.
Serving as something of an act break (both sonically and thematically), the next couple of songs were from Perverts, which, though I think is a really impressive piece of art, is a more challenging album that I haven’t spent as much time with as Willoughby. Live, though, these songs fucking ruled. I imagine if there was anyone in attendance who wasn’t familiar with Ethel Cain at all, watching her go from dreamy indie pop to folky shoegazing slowcore to droning, dark, ambient and experimental songs would be quite jarring, but “Punish” and “Thatorchia” (incorporating the “demo ii” version of “punish”) hit like a cannon, and fused together seamlessly. They also flowed perfectly into the first of a few more songs from Preacher’s Daughter, “Ptolemaea,” which, itself, explores that more heavy and experimental side of Ethel’s artistry. The lights bathed the stage in red and morphed into strobes through the song’s abrasive, visceral build, and the crowd looked more bowled over and hypnotized than perhaps any other moment all night, chanting along and sharing a collective scream before the final refrain.
Honestly the high of that song could’ve been the end of the show, but, thankfully, there were quite a few more songs to follow. “Gibson Girl” was next, serving a perfect comedown from the intensity of “Ptolemaea” (even employing all blue light in contrast to the red), with a final Willoughby Tucker tune, the lengthy, atmospheric “Tempest,” following, and breaking up the Preacher’s Daughter portion.
The main set ended with one of my favorite Ethel Cain songs of all, “A House in Nebraska,” which features so many of the elements she does best- harmonic builds, emotional intensity, vulnerable lyricism, and dreamy and approachable indie pop arrangements, all primed for singalong (which the crowd mustered more volume for than they’d had all night). Once again, I have to stress just how insanely good Hayden’s voice sounded throughout the entire show (as well as how comfortable and magnetic her stage presence is). And I know it was all live, because she dropped in and out, added different emphasis on notes, spoke to the crowd, and didn’t hide behind backtracks. She could be any kind of artist she wanted to with that kind of skill, but choosing to make music so singularly inventive and challenging makes her truly one of the most interesting artists of her generation, and she’s really cultivated a live show befitting of that.
After a brief exit, Cain and the band returned for an encore, beginning with shimmering indie pop tune “Crush,” a track from the one record otherwise ignored all night, fan-favorite early EP Inbred. While the main portion of the show felt very planned out, deliberate, and theatrical, the encore seemed a lot more less and informal, with the singer spending more time at the front of the stage, interacting with the crowd, and joking around. She didn’t speak a ton throughout the night, other than to introduce songs and band members, or to express her gratitude or make a quick quip, but before the final song, “Thoroughfare,” Ethel asked if the audience could put their phones away and just be present, a request that the crowd seemed to largely oblige. A great choice for a closer, with one last sweeping, lush, harmonic build, it felt like a fitting coda for an exceptional, truly captivating performance. I already understood the hype, but not I really understand the hype; Hayden Anhedönia is a once-in-a-generation performer, and Ethel Cain is such a complex and fascinating and perfect musical vessel. If she wants to keep blessing Nashville with a show every year forever, I’ll be attending as many as possible.
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Setlist:
Sunday Morning
American Teenager
Janie
Nettles
Dust Bowl
Punish / Thatorchia
Ptolemaea
Gibson Girl
Tempest
A House in Nebraska
Crush
Thoroughfare