As Ethel Cain’s Willoughby Tucker Forever tour came to a close, I had the pleasure of attending the St. Paul show on September 19, 2025, with overpriced resale StubHub tickets. As the stage was set and the house lights dimmed, my friends and I were treated to a mysterious and emotional performance that showed why Hayden Anhedönia, through their alter ego Ethel Cain, remains one of the most captivating acts of the year.
Before the show even began, the lines outside were packed. The concert took place at The Palace Theater in downtown St. Paul, MN, and crowds were already gathering, thematically dressed in shades of camouflage, browns, and yellows. For those unfamiliar, Ethel Cain creates conceptual music with overarching narratives rooted in southern gothic Americana and influenced by horror. Imagine being led through a folk tale in the woods from The Blair Witch Project—that’s the sort of atmosphere their music conjures.
This performance was the culmination of two albums released this year. One, Perverts, was an avant-garde art project with slow, droning ambience that leaned into an unsettling, frightening aesthetic. The other, Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You, continued the storyline presented to listeners in previous installments.
While the two albums are very different—one existing as a side project and the other as a full follow-up to earlier works—both share nuanced themes and sonic similarities. Juggling material from both could have been difficult for a performer, but luckily for the audience, each section flowed together seamlessly to represent both sides of the artist’s persona.
Inside the venue, we noticed there was only one merch booth, with a line stretching up the stairs and through multiple floors. With The Palace Theater holding up to 2,500 attendees, it felt like everyone was crammed into this single line. Midway through our wait for posters and tour shirts, the opening act began, and I started questioning how worth it the line was—and whether it was ethical to miss performances I had paid to see just to buy more things.
The Palace Theater’s layout seemed to anticipate this dilemma. While waiting, you pass three bars, including the main mezzanine bar, which overlooks the stage. From there, you can still catch the performance while waiting or grabbing a drink. That design eased my anxiety about missing out.
When the main act began, we were welcomed with fog and carefully crafted stage design featuring a natural aesthetic: hanging moss and cattails growing from the floor. The singer’s mic stand doubled as a podium, blending religious trauma through its cross shape with the raw utility of countryside powerlines. These set pieces, paired with the lighting, were essential, especially during interludes where ambience and waves of droning sound dominated.
At one point, the intense combination of flashing visuals and swirling audio overwhelmed some of the audience. After transitioning from a Perverts track titled Vacillator, a wall of bass and seizure-inducing strobes caused multiple attendees to collapse. The music was halted, and staff handed out water, but throughout the night we counted a double-digit number of people passing out on the general admission floor.
During these moments, staff rushed through the crowds, with EMTs pushing their way in to check on people’s safety. It made me wonder where the margin of error lies at shows like this. Yes, there should have been epilepsy warnings to prevent serious harm, but with how overpacked the floor was and how long The Palace Theater has been operating, you’d think stronger safety regulations would have been in place.
Despite these issues, the artist’s performance was the crowning jewel of the night. Nearly the entire Willoughby Tucker album was performed, and it was the best I’ve experienced it since release day. My personal preference leans toward the Perverts project, and those moments were far from neglected. The frightening atmospheres and instrumental passages added some of my favorite highlights of the evening.
Most impressive of all were Hayden Anhedönia’s vocals. For all the setbacks I’ve mentioned, the singer’s voice soared above them, saving the show. The live performance captured almost exactly the same quality as the studio recordings, which is no easy feat.
In the end, the truly spectacular moments tied the production together, making the concert a compelling companion to the two albums. Neither record catapulted Ethel Cain into the mainstream, but the fascination with their aesthetics and unique sound is exactly why they remain one of the most interesting indie acts of the year. If this ends up being the only time I see Ethel Cain live, it will be a show I’ll never forget.
Recommended for fans of horror, ambience, and cottagecore aesthetics.
Check out our review of the new album, Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You, here:
Special thanks to my friend Colton for once again providing photos for these posts and attending the show with me.
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