Kacey Musgraves Responds to Critics Over Her Unusual Tour Prop: ‘It Takes a Lot of Balls to Stand Up Here’
By Website Content Manager
The country star launched her Middle of Nowhere Tour in Chicago on Aug. 21, introducing audiences nationwide to her playful and provocative new stage production.
Kacey Musgraves is having some fun with the unusual centerpiece of her latest stage show — even when fans aren’t quite sure what to make of it.
The country singer launched her Middle of Nowhere Tour on Aug. 21, introducing audiences to an intentionally provocative addition to her production: a pair of oversized, glitter-covered disco balls designed to resemble anatomically correct anatomy.
During “Rhinestoned,” Musgraves rides atop the enormous props, leaving little doubt about the joke behind them. She has even poked fun at the over-the-top setup from the stage, joking that this is what happens when nobody is around to tell her no.
The singer recently leaned even further into the gag during a concert attended by her grandmother, whom the family affectionately calls Nana.
Addressing the crowd, Musgraves joked that performing the way she does requires plenty of courage — and apparently a couple of gigantic, sparkling anatomical disco balls. She then brought Nana into the joke, referencing her grandmother’s longtime advice that if you’re going to do something, you might as well make it big and glamorous.
Musgraves has previously admitted that some of the more suggestive material in her music isn’t necessarily what Nana would choose for herself. That includes “Dry Spell,” one of the sexually charged tracks from Musgraves’ latest album, released May 1.
The singer has said that the song represents territory she had never explored so openly in her music before. She acknowledged that some of the lyrics aren’t exactly Nana’s favorites, even though Musgraves herself enjoys them.
Nana’s potential reaction also crossed Musgraves’ mind while she was filming the music video for “Dry Spell,” which contains several provocative images and begins with the singer holding an eggplant.
During production, Musgraves received word from her father that Nana had been taken to the hospital after suffering a serious episode involving extremely high blood pressure. The news left Musgraves emotional, and she found herself worrying about what her grandmother might think if she eventually watched the finished video.
The singer has continued embracing the humor surrounding the album’s more risqué themes throughout the Middle of Nowhere Tour. She has referenced the oversized disco-ball props during performances in cities including Boston and New York.
But the tour hasn’t been completely free of unexpected surprises. During her Boston performance, part of the stage lighting caught fire, giving Musgraves another opportunity to joke with the audience.
She pointed out that something appeared to be burning and joked about having too much hairspray to be standing beneath it. Musgraves added that she prefers pyrotechnics when she knows exactly what is supposed to happen before casually moving on to the next song, “Wonderwall.”