I attended the All Things Go Festival in Washington D.C. in September, and it was such an amazing event that I could not recommend enough. However, I am on a budget and only attended one day of the festival, but I chose this day for two reasons: Mitski and Ethel Cain. Not to mention, this was Ethel Cain’s LAST PERFORMANCE as Ethel Cain.
Now, you all may not be in on the Ethel Cain lore, but Ethel Cain is Hayden Anhedönia’s stage/character name for a girl that is set to be a teenager in the 90’s who goes through a tragic upbringing, heartbreak, evil men, and is eventually murdered and cannibalized in the story. Before she moves on from this character, to possibly another character in the story (My hope is Vera Cain, Ethel’s mother) she chose the All Things Go Festival as her last performance. She is truly an amazing performer, with ethereal vocals, and I cannot describe how much I sobbed while hearing her. She played Hard Times, which she has not played live in so long, and it felt like the perfect ending to The Willoughby Tucker Forever Tour.Â
The last performance of the night was Mitski. This was a big deal for me, as I have been a fan of Mitski for years, and have listened to her on a bordering-religious basis. While her songs generally have the same emotional effect of seeing a dying animal on the side of the road, she has a very joyful and whimsical stage presence that gave me cathartic whiplash. Even when she describes why she wrote her most depressing songs, she has a strong sense of optimism throughout it all. She played most of her new album, Nothing Is Going To Happen to Me, and several songs I was not expecting to hear such as I Want You, and Heaven.
I am still in shock that I was able to see these amazing artists live, and I cannot recommend them enough. This was the first music festival I have been to, and beside the food and drink prices, I loved every moment of it.Â