Leanna Firestone • Abby Cates • June 1, 2026 • Soundwell
Reviewed and Photographed by Ava Dalton
Abby Cates
Abby Cates is the embodiment of acoustic indie pop. With nothing on stage but herself and two guitars, she drew the audience in with her emotion-filled acoustic set. The Ohio-based singer-songwriter shared fan favorites that grew viral during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, such as “Better Friends,” which the audience sang with everything in them.
Her flirtatious energy on stage encouraged frequent crowd engagement, which led to an intimate and personal feel to her performance. She shared how she “disappeared from planet Earth” for a little bit and returned after releasing the song “Toyota Camry.”
Throughout her performance, Cates frequently shared how grateful she is for the endless support of her fans. Switching between an electric and an acoustic guitar throughout her 9-song set, Cates never missed a note, a chord, a riff, or a lyric. Her performance was polished and intentional. The simplicity of just Cates and a guitar onstage made her performance all the more impressive.
Looking down the barricade, many fans became emotional as Cates continued her set and shared songs that fans deeply connected to. Fans had the pleasure of watching her again on stage, as she was included as a part of Leanna Firestone’s band. She did a great job of sharing her gratitude for Leanna Firestone and holding the energy in the room as the audience prepared for Firestone’s set. Abby Cates, her music, and energy are a perfect accent to that of Leanna Firestone.
Leanna Firestone
Amidst cheering that began from the second the lights dimmed, Leanna Firestone walked, or rather danced, on stage with confidence, and, frankly, a fire that truly was a sight to behold. Following opener Abby Cates, Firestone stepped on stage, and the crowd immediately filled with the buzz and electricity of her signature pop energy.
Firestone is simply that: electric. Her confidence and stage presence are those of a star. Leanna Firestone provides similar energy to Maisie Peters, and I believe she deserves the same treatment. Nashville-based Firestone and her music gained popularity on TikTok through videos of her singing acoustic versions of her original songs. Her catchy melodies and quirky lyrics are memorable and should be remembered and noticed.
Following her opening number, “Foreverever,” a fan handed her a bouquet of fresh flowers that remained on stage throughout the remainder of the show. Leanna Firestone not only had an amazing performance, but her crowd engagement was truly noteworthy. Around halfway through the show, she asked for a volunteer to take a shot of water with her, and she consistently engaged with fans throughout the entirety of the set.
Prior to performing the song “You Just Didn’t Like Me That Much,” which required a large amount of crowd participation, Firestone joked that if the audience wasn’t loud enough, she would never return to Utah. I’m not sure what she thought, but I believe the audience definitely passed the test. The crowd did more than participate. The audience screamed all the lyrics, most notably, of course, the title of the song, “You just didn’t like me that much!”
Previous to her performance of “Least Favorite Only Child,” Leanna shared her experience prior to writing that song about her tumultuous relationship with her mother. She shared, “Something had to change, and fast. I’m so thankful I didn’t do everything I thought about doing, otherwise I wouldn’t be here tonight.” She went on to share how she was grateful to be living her dreams.
Leanna Firestone encapsulates unique emotions, ones that many are afraid to talk about, and creates a beautiful indie pop ballad. Her music creates instant and simple connections. While Firestone taps into her deep emotions with excellence, she also knows how to bring fun to the stage and into the crowd. She somehow turns moments that would typically be perceived as awkward or embarrassing into pop anthems that romanticize everyday moments.
With lighting that changed from red to deep blue to green, in touch with the emotion of the song, the consistently red lights added to the fiery atmosphere. The lights also changed as Firestone moved from solo vocals to playing the keyboard as she sang. Firestone shared how her best friend and opener, Abby Cates, who was also featured on guitar, vocals, and keyboard in Firestone’s band. Firestone performed with only herself, Cates, and drummer Molly Rose.
After introducing her band, she went on to share a story about how she and Cates wrote a song about their mutual friend’s boyfriend, and titled it “Best Friend’s New Boyfriends Union.” Abby Cates’ vocals were clear, crisp, and created a beautiful blend with Leanna Firestone’s soul-centered vocal tones. Cates and Firestone went on to perform Firestone’s song “Amelia” together, creating seamless harmonies.
In the middle of the set, during the song “Becoming Unbecoming,” Firestone had a technical issue with her mic and had to run to the mic in front of the keyboard, and then quickly trade to Abby Cates’ microphone, before going back to her own. The technical team handled the issue quickly, and Firestone acted like it was all part of the show, not even missing a beat.
Winking before her last song, Leanna Firestone’s Victory Lap Tour closed with the tour’s namesake song, “Victory Lap.” Following loud chants for an encore, Firestone ran back on stage to perform “Smitten” and “This Town Ain’t Big Enough.” Following her performance, she took a solo bow before waving to the crowd and exiting the stage. With Abby Cates on guitar and Molly Rose on drums, the music continued for a moment longer as the guitarist and drummer kept playing after Firestone exited the stage. The energy created throughout night four of the Victory Lap Tour remained in the building and in the crowd as the audience members exited the venue.