BY DAN GARCIA
“High Horse” singer Kacey Musgraves rode into Rosemont, Illinois last night with her unmistakable charisma, leaving fans at the Allstate Arena thoroughly charmed. On tour supporting her 2024 album Deeper Well, the country-pop queen managed to sprinkle in her signature humor, levitate (yes, you read that right), and dish on Chicago’s finest foods—all while delivering one of the most memorable sets of the year.
For the somehow uninitiated, Musgraves is a genre-defying singer-songwriter whose rise to stardom was kickstarted by her 2013 breakout hit Follow Your Arrow. Since then, she’s collected a slew of Grammy Awards, melted hearts with her ethereal 2018 album Golden Hour, one of the most complete and perfect LPs, and is now back with Deeper Well, a project that dives into emotional depths with as much honesty as her fans have come to love.
Cardinal Takes Flight
Musgraves opened her 20-song set with “Cardinal,” and, no big deal, casually levitated toward the stars (and somehow without any visible wires). As her video backdrop displayed a stunning starry night, the “Star-Crossed” singer gave us another reason to believe she might actually be otherworldly. The crowd went wild, though to be fair, flying isn’t even the most impressive thing she did—her vocals and songwriting might still take the cake there.
A & B, Plus a Little S-Z-A Midway through the set, Musgraves made her way to a B-stage in the middle of the general admission floor, giving fans a closer look (some maybe a little too close). Decked out in a low-cut dress, she joked, “I’m pretty sure some of you behind me can see my butt cheeks, I should have charged y’all extra.” It was this blend of wit and warmth that made her set feel intimate, even in the massive arena.
On the B-stage, she stripped things down with heartfelt performances of Follow Your Arrow, Family Is Family, The Architect, and a surprise cover of SZA’s Kill Bill. The latter was made even more special when she brought out her tour’s opening act, Nickel Creek, to join her. It’s not every day you hear a country star tackle a moody R&B revenge anthem, but leave it to Musgraves to pull it off.
Deep Well and Deeper Dish In between songs, Musgraves made sure to give some love to Chicago’s famous food. Craving for a Chicago style hot dog and some Pequod’s Pizza, the “Deeper Well” singer told the crowd “that s***t’s deep”, speaking on the deep dish pizza. The humor continued, a signature trait of hers, even when she delivered emotionally charged songs like Golden Hour. For instance, in the final moments of that track, she cheekily swapped out the words “golden hour” for “golden shower,” much to the crowd’s delight.
Confirmed Chappell Stan One of the night’s best moments came near the end when she followed a beautiful cover of Chappell Roan’s Pink Pony Club with her chart-topping anthem High Horse. Watching Musgraves transition from a sultry ballad to the upbeat, disco-infused hit had the entire arena up on their feet, dancing like it was a Friday night at Chappell’s now famous fictional club.
No Encore, But Maybe? Musgraves closed out her set with Deeper Well and Rainbow, though she hilariously admitted she wouldn’t call it an encore because they’re too planned. “But,” she quipped, “it’d be funny if I came out after anyway, right?” While she didn’t do a second appearance, her humor kept the vibe light, leaving everyone with the perfect mix of emotions as the night drew to a close.
From the incredible production (including that mind-boggling levitation) to the stripped-down B-stage moments, Kacey Musgraves’ performance felt like a journey—one that was as deep as a well and as high as a horse. And if you missed it, well, next time she rolls into town, you might want to follow your arrow straight to the box office.
The Early Registration 