For years Kacey Musgraves has been redefining the way we view country music. Her liberal attitudes along with her unique blend of disco and mellow pop country, have made her a fan favorite to the LGBTQ+ community. Her earnest songwriting about love and relationships has also tugged on the heartstrings of many. She’s been steadily selling out shows by simply being her authentic self. So it was a no-brainer to see floods of people wearing their fiercest cowboy outfits enter the Crypo.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA on Feb. 20 to watch the Texas singer-songwriter perform at her latest Starcrossed Unveiled tour stop.
Before Musgraves went on stage the show featured two incredible female acts as openers – the electronic pop band Muna and singer-songwriter King Princess. Muna brought the rock and roll fun, while King Princess serenaded the crowd with her queer pop anthems.
Musgraves began her set with the titular track of her fourth and latest studio album, “star-crossed.” Opening with the words “Let me set the scene,” it was a fiery performance as a curtain unveiled the singer in front of a heart set on fire. This is of course an homage to the album which chronicles her marriage and eventual divorce from fellow musician Ruston Kelly. Musgraves’ 80-minute set mostly featured songs from the new album including the melodic “cherry blossom,” the witty “breadwinner,” the gut-wrenching ballad “camera roll,” and the groovy dance track “there is a light.”
Musgraves is naturally funny and charismatic, she did a great job at entertaining the audience in between songs. She eagerly told fans how she had a pink champagne cake from Madonna Inn waiting for her backstage, “I live for this confection” she exclaimed. She also complimented the outfits people wore, took tequila shots with her band and let fans decide which song to sing for her version of karaoke nicknamed “Kacey-oke.” The choices were between four songs – TLC’s “No Scrubs,” the Fugees’ version of “Killing Me Softly,'' Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” or Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.” The winner of the night was Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5, ” the lyrics were projected on-screen and the show became one giant sing-along. Her signature disco country style was also front-and-center with performances of “Space Cowboy” and “High Horse" from the 2018 Grammy-winning Golden Hour album.
Her “day one-ers,” as she coined, were treated to a performance of her 2013 debut single “Merry Go 'Round.” Before the performance Musgraves revealed she fought with her label to release the track, “This song had to be what I want to say first, what I shoot my shot. I played them the song and they were like it’s not really it – it's pretty depressing. Tbh they kind of have done that a lot with a lot of the songs. But it seems like we are doing fine from what I gathered. I'm just gonna keep doing me.”
She followed with a more intimate chat about her struggles in the industry, “These songs come from a very personal place, I write them because it makes me feel something..I don't care if I go down in flames for what I truly believe in.” Musgraves' musical risks ultimately paid off as the track won the Grammy Award for Best Country Song at the 56th Grammy Awards and was well-received by fans and critics alike for it’s realistic description of small town life.
“It means a lot that you've followed me through all my creative adventures. The very country-leaning ones, the not so country-leaning ones. They're all coming from me and from my heart. I just really appreciate you guys,” she finished with.
Just like star-crossed, the show ended with the chilling all-Spanish cover of Violetta Parra’s “Gracias a la Vida.” The crowd couldn’t get enough of Musgraves as she returned on stage for two more songs, performing two of her greatest hits “Slow Burn” and “Rainbow.”
For more information on Kacey Musgraves, visit kaceymusgraves.com.
Setlist:
- Star-crossed
- Good wife
- Cherry blossom
- Simple times
- Breadwinner
- Golden Hour
- Butterflies Play
- Lonely Weekend
- Space Cowboy
- High Horse
- Camera roll
- Hookup scene
- Merry Go 'Round
- 9 to 5 (Dolly Parton cover)
- Justified
- There is a light
- Gracias a la Vida (Violeta Parra cover)
Encore:
- Slow Burn
- Rainbow
