Review: Kacey Musgraves takes her fans to new heights on her Deeper Well World Tour in Chicago

FROM DAN GARCIA

“High Horse” singer Kacey Musgraves brought her unmistakable charisma to Rosemont, Illinois last night and enchanted fans at the Allstate Arena. On tour in support of her 2024 album Deeper wellThe country-pop queen managed to incorporate her trademark humor, float (yes, you read that right), and serve up Chicago's finest food – all while delivering one of the most unforgettable performances of the year.

For the uninitiated, Musgraves is a genre-bending singer-songwriter whose rise to stardom was kick-started by her 2013 breakthrough hit. Follow your arrow. Since then, she's racked up a slew of Grammy Awards and melted hearts with her ethereal 2018 album. Golden Hourone of the most complete and perfect LPs, and is now back with Deeper wella project that delves into emotional depths with the same honesty that her fans have come to love.

Cardinal takes off

Musgraves opened her 20-song set with “Cardinal,” and, no big deal, casually floated toward the stars (and somehow with no visible wires). While her video backdrop showed a stunning starry night, the “Star-Crossed” singer gave us another reason to believe she might actually be out of this world. The crowd went wild, although, to be honest, flying isn't even the most impressive thing she did—her vocals and songwriting could still take the cake.

A & B, plus a bit of SZA In the middle of the set, Musgraves moved to a B-stage in the middle of the standing area and gave fans a closer look (some perhaps a little to close). Wearing a low-cut dress, she joked, “I'm pretty sure some of you behind me can see my buttocks, I should have charged you all extra.” It was this mixture of wit and warmth that gave her performance an intimate feel, even in the huge arena.

On the B-Stage she pared things down with soulful performances of Follow your arrow, Family is family, The architectand a surprise cover of SZA's Kill Bill. The latter was made even more special when she brought along her tour's opening act, Nickel Creek. It's not every day that a country star takes on a moody R&B revenge anthem, but Musgraves pulled it off.

Deep well and deeper bowl Between songs, Musgraves made sure to pay tribute to Chicago's famous food. The “Deeper Well” singer, craving a Chicago-style hot dog and Pequod's pizza, told the crowd “this shit is deep,” referring to the deep-dish pizza. The humor, a trademark of hers, remained even as she performed emotionally charged songs like Golden HourFor example, in the final moments of the song, to the great delight of the audience, she cheekily replaced the words “golden hour” with “golden shower”.

Confirmed Chappell Stan One of the best moments of the evening came towards the end when she performed a beautiful cover of Chappell Roan’s The Pink Pony Club with their hit anthem The high horse. As Musgraves transitioned from a sultry ballad to a bouncy, disco-tinged hit, the entire arena was on its feet, dancing like it was a Friday night at Chappell's now-famous fictional club.

No encore, but maybe? Musgraves ended her set with Deeper well And Rainbowalthough she hilariously admitted that she wouldn't call it an encore because they were too planned out. “But,” she joked, “it would be funny if I came out after that anyway, wouldn't it?” Although she didn't have a second set, her humor kept the mood light and left everyone with the perfect mix of emotions as the evening drew to a close.

From the incredible production (including that jaw-dropping 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 comes to town, you might want to follow your arrow straight to the box office.