On Monday night, Kacey Musgraves took to the stage at Scotiabank Arena for the second date of her Middle of Nowhere tour, welcoming the Toronto crowd with a simple instruction: “The only rules for the middle of nowhere … well I guess there are no rules.” Except, she added, “Don’t be an asshole and have a really good time.” And sure enough, a good time was had by all and there was nary an asshole in sight.
Not that Musgraves hasn’t had her run-ins with assholes, the most recent example being when she ruffled some feathers amongst some of the terrible people of the internet a few days ago. If you hadn’t heard, some folks got upset that Musgraves dared to ask people to have a little compassion when she encouraged fans at her opening night show in Chicago to donate to a nonprofit helping immigrant children. Of course, I’m sure no one actually in attendance that night was terribly bothered by such a request – if that show was anything like this one, there were likely nothing but good vibes.
Those good vibes were evident even before the show had started, as the notes of AC/DC’s “Back in Black” rang through the arena, with a countdown clock marking down the minutes until Musgraves and her band took to the stage, kicking things off with “Everybody Wants to Be a Cowboy.” From there, the hits kept on coming, with a setlist that featured most of the tunes off Middle of Nowhere alongside older tracks like “Butterflies,” “High Horse” and “Follow Your Arrow.” She even threw in a couple of covers for good measure: a lively rendition of the Texas Tornados’ “Hey Baby (Que Pasó)?” and her set-closing version of George Strait’s “All My Ex’s Live in Texas,” rewritten from a female perspective. One of the most memorable moments, however, came in the form of a very unique stage prop. Or, technically speaking, two props.
“It takes a lot of balls to do what we do up here every night … really big, asymmetrical balls,” said Musgraves as a giant pair of testicle-shaped disco balls emerged for her performance of “Rhinestoned” – surely one of the most unique pieces of stage setting I’ve ever encountered. She then proceeded to float above the stage atop those disco balls for the duration of the song, as if she were on a slightly NSFW version of the CNE’s Sky Ride.
At one point in the set, Musgraves noted that she’s been doing this for a while now and that she’s been performing classic country since she was a young kid. She went on to explain how she appreciates that she also gets the chance to venture out into whatever other musical directions she chooses and that her audience is willing to comes along for the ride with her. Of course, the fact that she’s a talented singer, songwriter, and performer makes it pretty easy to follow her on whatever musical journey she takes. Even if that journey includes a pair of giant, shiny balls.
