Kacey Musgraves Turns Heads With a Wildly Unexpected Stage Prop on Her ‘Middle of Nowhere’ Tour
Kacey Musgraves has never been afraid to bring a little humor and spectacle to her music, but one moment from the opening night of her Middle of Nowhere Tour in Chicago gave fans something they probably weren’t expecting to see.
Taking the stage at the United Center on August 21, Musgraves incorporated an enormous mirrored prop into the production, climbing aboard a pair of giant disco balls during “Rhinestoned.” The cheeky visual quickly became one of the most talked-about moments from the show.
It was a fittingly playful start to a tour built around an album that finds Musgraves mixing traditional country influences with the sharp humor and unconventional ideas that have long been part of her songwriting.
‘Middle of Nowhere’ begins a new chapter
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Musgraves announced Middle of Nowhere earlier this year before releasing the album on May 1. The 13-track project follows 2024’s Deeper Well and draws heavily from the sounds and sensibilities of her Texas upbringing.
The record also brings together an impressive group of collaborators.
Miranda Lambert appears on “Horses and Divorces,” Willie Nelson joins Musgraves for “Uncertain, TX,” Billy Strings features on “Everybody Wants to Be a Cowboy,” and Gregory Alan Isakov appears on “Coyote.”
Musgraves has explained that much of the album emerged during what she described as the longest period she had spent single, giving the project a backdrop of solitude, reflection and independence.
Yet rather than making the record entirely introspective, she frequently approaches those experiences with humor.
“Dry Spell” is perhaps the clearest example.
‘Dry Spell’ puts Musgraves’ humor front and center
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Released as the album’s lead single in March, “Dry Spell” takes a deliberately cheeky look at an extended period without romance or intimacy.
Instead of treating the situation with self-pity, Musgraves turns it into a knowingly funny country song filled with suggestive wordplay. The approach fits the wider personality of Middle of Nowhere, which her official store describes as drawing inspiration from Texas dancehall traditions, the human condition and the boundaries between country and sounds including Norteño and Zydeco.
Musgraves later carried the “Dry Spell” idea beyond the record itself, collaborating with Medicine Mama on an intimate-care product called Drought Drops.
But on opening night in Chicago, it was another song that provided the evening’s most eye-catching visual.
Giant disco balls steal the show in Chicago
During “Rhinestoned,” Musgraves appeared atop a huge pair of mirrored disco balls, turning what could have been a familiar concert prop into something considerably more outrageous.
The elaborate moment was part of the August 21 show at Chicago’s United Center, where Midland appeared as the special guest. The concert also coincided with Musgraves’ 38th birthday.
The stunt was playful, deliberately over-the-top and unmistakably in keeping with Musgraves’ sense of humor.
And while the enormous mirrored prop naturally grabbed attention online, it was only one piece of a larger production designed to bring the world of Middle of Nowhere onto the stage.
For Musgraves, whose music has long balanced sincerity with a knowing wink, the unusual spectacle showed that this latest tour isn’t going to take itself too seriously—even when the musicianship does.
