By Robin Ngai
BU News Service
Kacey Musgraves claims to be nothing more than a dimestore cowgirl, yet she has stolen the hearts of both country and city dwellers. On Friday night, the Grammy award winning singer-songwriter performed at a nearly sold out show in Boston’s Orpheum theater.
Musgraves drew a diverse crowd that included both children, grandparents and every age in between. She opened the show with “Pageant Material”, the title track of her second album and followed up with hit after hit. The audience swayed cheerfully and sang along as she played a mix of slow and fast songs.
Her stage and her band were dressed in what could be best described as old western style with a twist. The band wore pink suits lined with lights that would glow as they performed. Musgraves herself wore a sparkly gold dress with classic cowboy boots that later on lit up as she covered “These Boots Were Made For Walkin’”
About an hour in, Musgraves slowed it down, called off her band and sang quietly to the audience with just herself and the guitar. She told the crowd about her roots in the small town of Golden, Texas where she would play tiny shows as a teenager. Her quiet acoustic version of “Merry Go Round”, her breakout hit, showcased just how powerful her voice can be when stripped of the band.
It’s surprising that radio stations still haven’t picked up her songs, a point that she noted to fans. However, she thanked the audience for spreading her music by word of mouth and continuing to support her in creating the music that she wants.
As the night drew to an end, Musgraves left the audience with a goodbye song singing “happy trails until we meet again.” Hopefully Boston will see her again soon.