“For those of you who don’t know where you are… dads, boyfriends… my name is Leanna Firestone,” the Nashville singer-songwriter told the crowd at Baltimore’s Metro Gallery Friday night in front of a sea of (mostly) young women. Firestone has become known for her honesty through her music. Of course there are songs about break-ups and heartbreak but there’s a lot of humor in there too, like in “Best Friends New Boyfriends Union” a mouthful of a title, from her newly released sophomore full-length, The Answer.

I have to admit being new to Firestone, though I had heard and liked the snarky “Diet Coke.” This new album, though, feels like a jump for the 24 year old songwriter. The album is full of pop gems, starting with the smart, fun pop number “Victor Lap,” which happens to be the name of her current tour. And on a steamy Friday evening Firestone brought her band to Charm City.

I nearly missed the show as I glanced down at the start time and saw that the opener went on at 5:30, but the gods must have been shining on me as I made it just in time to see fellow singer-songwriter (and guitarist in Leanna Firestone’s band) Abby Cates. The crowd at the Metro Gallery was already amped by the time Cates took the stage, but that wasn’t the only surprise as everyone seemed to know all the words to most of the songs.

But if I thought the crowd was excited then, I was in for something else as Leanna Firestone took the stage and the whole place lit up as the trio of Firestone, Cates, and drummer Molly Rose kicked things off with “Foreverer” from her Good Grief EP. When the song got to it’s chorus, I’ll be a teenage girl forever / I’ll never get my shit together / In my sixties feeling like I’m sixteen there seemed to be a room of backing singers as the place erupted.

And, while it was clearly a rock show, Firestone’s very down-to-earth nature made the already intimate show feel like we were all just hanging out together.

Check out the official visualizer of “Victory Lap” by Leanna Firestone below:

Newer songs like “Emergency Contact,” “The Answer,” and amazing closer “This Town Ain’t Big Enough” felt just at home with older songs like the “black box warning” – a song that everyone in the club seemed to know by heart.

Taking a break in between songs, Firestone told fans a bit about the songwriting process, describing “The Answer” (both the song and the album) as a response to finding yourself in situations where you feel the urge to change one’s self to fit a relationship “usually making themselves smaller.”

Highlights included favorites like “Strawberry Mentos”, “Best Friend’s New Boyfriends Union” and one heck of a closer as Firestone and company returned to the stage to play the bouncy “Smitten” while the night ended with “Town Ain’t Big Enough.” The perfect end to a super fun night.

Leanna Firestone continues her tour through the end of June.

The setlist included:

Foreverever
God and the Government
Emergency Contact
You Just Didn’t Like Me That Much
Least Favorite Only Child
black box warning
The Answer
Two Week Notice/ Burnt Out
Strawberry Mentos/ Suneater
Amelia
Get Help
Best Friend’s New Boyfriends Union
Becoming Unbecoming
Victory Lap
Smitten
Town Ain’t Big Enough

Take a look at more photos of Leanna Firestone’s rockin’ set at the Metro Gallery on June 12, 2026. All photos are copyright David LaMason:

And here are photos of Abby Cates opening the evening at the Metro Gallery: