Indie rocker Ethel Cain performed an alluring set at IHG to an immense Lollapalooza crowd on Saturday.
Cain is a 26-year-old singer-songwriter from Tallahassee. She first started releasing music in 2017 and garnered critical acclaim from her 2022 album “Preacher’s Daughter.”
She started off her set with “Strangers,” powered by the discordant sound of the guitar and the steady backing of the drums.
Full of passion and emotion, Cain’s haunting vocals and storytelling shined through in each song with her music exploring themes of family trauma, religion and love.
Where in the studio version of “Preacher’s Daughter,” the instrumentation provides a graceful accompaniment, the drums and guitar manage to overpower Cain’s voice on the set.
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Her voice was extremely faint throughout the first few songs, making it very difficult to hear what she was singing besides a few mumbles, and frustrating people in the crowd.
The attendees livened up as the eerie strum of the guitar signaled the beginning of “House in Nebraska,” one of her most popular songs off of “Preacher’s Daughter.”
The opening of the song sounded like Cain was merely muttering into the microphone, but her voice finally amplified as she started on the chorus.
“And I still call home,” she sang, as she held out her microphone to the crowd encouraging them to sing along. “That house in Nebraska.”
The next song was “Family Tree,” her voice strong as she effortlessly belts the chorus.
“Howdy Lollapalooza,” Cain said, as the guitar shredded in the background. “How are you guys feeling today?”
After addressing the crowd she begins “Thoroughfare” a hazy nine-minute long ballad of love, heartache and betrayal of the biggest kind.
“You fell in love with America when you were twelve years old,” she sang, her voice steadily rising as the intricate strum of the guitar played behind her.
About two minutes in, the audience screamed out as Cain swiftly pulled out her harmonica and started playing, captivating the audience with its passionate squeal.
The end of “Thoroughfare” was composed of a chaotic frenzy of guitar, drums and scratchy vocals that perfectly matched the studio version.
Cain lets out a quick scream at the end, and a “Thank you!” to the audience before beginning on “Crush.”
About halfway through her set, she jumped off of the stage and stepped up on the barricade leaning into the crowd as she sang.
Screams erupted as people on the barricade reached out towards Cain, reaching out and grabbing her hands in disbelief.
Her second to last song was a cover of the well known 70’s song “Bette Davis Eyes,” performed in a distinctly Ethel Cain way.
She ended her set with “American Teenager,” a song driven by a distinct pop vibe that differentiates from her normal sound. The crowd jumped up and screamed the lyrics, making Cain smile.
“Thank you so much Lollapalooza — I’ll see you next time,” she said.
