Kacey Musgraves first appeared on my radar with the release of her Grammy Award-winning 2018 album, Golden Hour, which boasted five hit singles - Butterflies, Space Cowboy, High Horse, Slow Burn and Rainbow. The album has been described as country pop with elements of disco, electropop and “yacht rock”. Since I’m a sucker for a good country pop cross-over I was drawn to the album and enjoyed it so much that I explored the rest of her discography, which included Same Trailer, Different Park (2013), Pageant Material (2015) and A Very Kacey Christmas (2016). Her lyrics are considered socially progressive, covering issues including LGBTQ rights, sex and love/heartbreak and religious dogma - which only makes me love her more. And if being a super talented singer-songwriter wasn’t enough, she’s also a big Dolly Parton fan.
Her painful divorce from her husband, Ruson Kelly, was the inspiration behind her 2021 album, star-crossed, which she described as a “modern tragedy” with influences from Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet (the video also references the Baz Luhrman’s 1996 film) as well as musical influences from Daft Punk, Sade, Eagles and Bill Withers.
This year’s Deeper Well is an album on which Chris Willman from Variety argues she “finds an alluring wellspring of finger-picking and hard-fought bliss”, creating a “melodious tranquility” that has worked so well for her on previous records. It’s a stunning collection of songs that are at times soothing, at times thought-provoking and mystical. I also love the fact that a special edition of the vinyl features 'Boy Smells Deeper Well'-scented sleeves (Boy Smells is a company producing a range of fragrances and scented candles that Kacey has collaborated with to create a unique 'Deeper Well' scent).
I was thrilled to hear that she would be going on tour to promote the album. After initially getting tickets to the show at Barclays, I had to pivot to Baltimore due to unexpected travel plans on the date of the Brooklyn show. She performed to an enthusiastic crowd at the CFG Bank Arena with Lord Huron & Nickel Creek as the opening acts (the latter did an incredible version of Britney’s Toxic!).
She took to the stage, barefoot and wearing an understated but sparkly mini dress and matching bandana, her face looking flawless as ever. She was charming and really connected with the audience from the moment she stepped onto the stage until her exit after a poignant performance of Rainbow, before which she shared a message of hope and resilience in light of the election outcome, encouraging us to focus on what we can control. Meanwhile her vocals were so rich and seemingly effortless.
Midway through the show she moved to a secondary circular stage, with a giant illuminated Saturn above her (it took me a while to realize that the Saturn was a reference to the lyrics of Deeper Well: “My Saturn has returned”, emphasizing the personal growth and self-reflection underlying the album). Indeed, the set design (from butterflies and twinkling stars to country scenes and quilted patterns) was one of the best I’ve experienced - simply gorgeous.
The complete setlist was as follows:
(Main Stage)
Cardinal
Butterflies
Sway
Too Good to Be True
Golden Hour
Happy & Sad
Lonely Weekend
Lonely Millionaire
(B Stage)
Follow Your Arrow
Family Is Family
Giver / Taker
The Architect
Kill Bill (SZA cover) (with Nickel Creek)
(Main Stage)
Jade Green
Slow Burn
Space Cowboy
justified
Neon Moon (Brooks & Dunn cover)
High Horse
Deeper Well
Rainbow
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