The feat of being a better performer on the stage rather than on a record is a rarity with the musical scene of today, and Hayden Anhedönia’s, more popularly known as her fictional character Ethel Cain’s, recent performance at the Roadrunner in Allston marked her as one of those diamond-in-the-rough artists.
Every concert experience has its lows, and the “Willoughby Tucker I’ll Always Love You” tour was no exception. Rather than a flaw on headliner Anhedönia’s part, it was the opening band 9Million, that started the experience off with an insistence on chaos in the pit. As I started to warm up to the shoegaze band’s music with the highlighting of vocalist Danielle Clark in their performance, the band’s founder and co-producer on several of Anhedönia’s tracks, Matthew Tomasi, began encouraging crowd surfing that landed several people on the floor.
While fun and free-wheeling bands are usually a plus live, it was clear that many of the fans attending for Anhedönia’s performance were discouraged and uncomfortable with that portion of the concert experience.
A much more conscientious concert experience began when Anhedönia took the stage, with a unique approach to this tour than most artists. At the core of Anhedönia’s most recent album, “Willoughby Tucker I’ll Always Love You,” is a story that is extending from the artist’s 2022 release, and the birth of her character Cain, “Preacher’s Daughter.” The narrative album’s intentional ordering is a structure that Anhedönia carried into the concert, beginning with tracks “Willoughby’s Theme” and “Janie,” only departing from the record’s initial order once in the main show.
The concert’s first half was far more hopeful and fast-paced in its content, setting up a story-telling structure that Anhedönia was able to carry not just through a set list, but through a concert production rich with lighting and set-design choices. Many of the viral elements of this tour are from some of the most shocking visuals, like an intense strobe in “Dust Bowl,” during the song’s pivotal beat-drop, and the fact that Anhedönia remains behind a center-stage cross that dawned a mic-stand during nearly the entirety of the main show.
The back end of the concert was slow but intensely memorable, with songs like “A Knock at The Door,” being an intimate reprieve from some of the more layered production featured in songs like “Fuck Me Eyes” and “Nettles,” the album’s two singles and some of the first songs Anhedönia played. The five-minute lullaby-like track was a transition into a darker portion of the performance, where Anhedönia’s character of Cain is exploring the loss of titular Willoughby Tucker.
Rather than screaming along to a favorite track, the audience was glued to a captivating stage composition and awaiting Anhedönia’s vocals to shine on improvised departures from the recorded version of the album. It was in the moments that were fresh to fans familiar with the album, like unexpected harmonies, riffs above orchestral moments and technically mesmerizing high notes, that solidified Anhedönia as a must-see live performer.
The chronicling of a teen romance gone-wrong that spans this album can be felt in the emotional shifts that materialize in the style of music, point-of-view and vocal choices that Anhedönia made as she navigated through the music. Anhedönia’s versatility in a single performance made for a mesmerizing experience, showcasing different techniques for songs from Tucker’s perspective, like “Tempest,” which contrasted from the finale “Waco, Texas,” a look at Cain’s undisclosed feelings after the fallout of her high-school lover.
The only departure from a chronological listening experience in the main show was the feature of “Vacillator” from her 2025 album “Perverts,” where Anhedönia brought out Jae Matthews of Boy Harsher to perform the track as a duet. The almost eight-minute song was an exceptional addition to the live show, with both Anhedönia and Matthews exhibiting the ability to provide exceptional vocals even in a song with few lyrics. The two’s composed and nearly-sung breaths into the microphone was hypnotic and a phenomenal display of how Anhedönia’s unique songwriting and structure can bring a one-of-a-kind listening experience to audiences.
Anhedönia’s instrumental work on the album was one of the areas of concern ahead of the performance as a listener. While Anhedönia shined on her stylized vocals and emotional delivery while singing, there was little that was known on how the show would portray entire instrumental tracks like “Radio Towers.” The show managed to make the most of the story hidden in the composition of the lyric-less tracks, putting the focus on the live band’s talents and a lighting display that told a story.
After completing the finale of “Willoughby Tucker I’ll Always Love You,” the 15-minute “Waco, Texas,” Anhedönia made a clear shift from her performance as the fictional characters of Shady Grove, Alabama to complete an encore for the ages, returning to the stage to thank the audience for an amazing show before performing some of her most well-known songs like “A House in Nebraska,” and “Crush.” Rather than remaining stagnant behind the cross, Anhedönia had a handheld microphone, striding across the stage and singing alongside the audience.
“Crush” has the audience screaming alongside Anhedönia, but the final song “American Teenager,” had the audience reeling. Anhedönia came down to the barricade to sing to the audience. In stark contrast to the rest of the concert, the crowds were dancing and singing along with Anhedönia, making for a high energy ending that left the audience electrified. The cathartic moments of cheers, screams and dancing along with a band making the most of the pop-rock anthem that has had a grip on so many of Anhedönia’s fans since it was released in 2022. It is safe to say that this song will remain a staple for her live shows just for the audience’s reaction to its opening notes beaming through to the back of the balcony.
Anhedönia will continue on her “Willoughby Tucker I’ll Always Love You” tour, but shouted out Boston as the best show to date, as she left fans with one of the most memorable and worthwhile concert experiences Roadrunner has seen in recent months.
