Two years ago at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, I saw a concert that changed my life.
At that point, I had been listening to Kacey Musgraves for a while, but the festival was still the first time I ever saw her live. While I really love listening to the recordings of her songs, I feel that the true essence of her music can only be captured through seeing her sing live. Her ACL performance was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, especially considering I was able to witness it front and center, right against the barricade.
Since that night, I have been itching for Musgraves to announce her next tour. Hence, when Musgraves posted on Instagram last February announcing her upcoming tour, The Deeper Well World Tour, I was beyond ecstatic. I remember buying three tickets the moment the presale opened, regardless of the fact that I was in the midst of my Spanish class. My younger sister Sonya (who’s also a huge fan of Musgraves) and I couldn’t stop counting down the days until the concert. Eventually, that long-awaited night, Nov. 27, was finally right in front of us. The show was truly incredible, and it’s been on my mind ever since. After much reminiscing, I am finally ready to offer my full review of The Deeper Well World Tour.
Sonya and I used the third ticket to bring our dad. He was the one who introduced us to Musgraves’ music, so it only seemed fair. On the day of the concert, we were so excited that we arrived at the Moody Center exactly at 7:30 p.m., just in time for the openers. Normally, I tend to show up to concerts a bit later and miss the majority of the opening acts, but I had been waiting for this night for nine months and couldn’t bear to wait any longer. The openers on this tour varied from city to city, but the designated artists for Austin were Nickel Creek and Lord Huron. Although I am not super familiar with either band’s work, I still really enjoyed both of the acts. It was especially magical to hear Lord Huron perform their hit “The Night We Met” live.
After the openers, there was a 40-minute intermission as the stage crew prepared for Musgraves. At 9:40, she appeared, and I was finally done waiting. My efforts to purchase good tickets had paid off because even though my family and I were somewhat in the back, we were in the very center, providing us with a great view of the show. Musgraves opened with “Cardinal,” the first song on her new album. The stage portrayed a starry night, which tied perfectly into the whimsical theme the Deeper Well album provides. At the end of the song, Musgraves began to levitate. I thought this stage trick was amazing, and while I am still unsure of the mechanics behind it, I can tell it must have been very difficult to pull off. As a viewer, I couldn’t see any strings, so whatever Musgraves used to float was very well-hidden.
The opening song featured impressive stage production, with colorful lights and a striking backdrop. I was hoping that the rest of her songs had equally good stage production, and was not disappointed. My personal favorites (visually) were “Cardinal,” “Space Cowboy,” “Jade Green,” and “Rainbow.” “Space Cowboy” featured lightning effects, which looked surprisingly realistic, while during “Jade Green” the entire venue was engulfed by a deep shade of green. Nothing was as good as “Rainbow,” however, which served as the show’s grand finale. To match the gentle tone of the song, the stage glowed with soft rainbow fluorescents. While the effect wasn’t extravagant, it perfectly captured the feeling of the song, creating a calming yet beautiful visual representation.
Another aspect of the show that I appreciated was that the center stage was not the only focal point of the performance. Towards the middle of the show, Musgraves moved through the audience and onto a second stage that was much smaller and closer to the crowd. This change of scenery was somewhat unexpected, and kept the performance exciting. One of my favorite moments was on the smaller stage when Musgraves brought out Nickel Creek to sing a cover of “Kill Bill” by SZA. It was unexpected, yet it was still a song that almost everyone could sing along to, making the moment very enjoyable and engaging.
While the performance was full of excitement, the audience surrounding me was quite the opposite. My sister and I came to the concert ready to sing our hearts out, and were pretty disappointed by how quiet our section was throughout the entire show. I believe this was partially due to the age demographic of those around us. I didn’t expect a ton of teenagers to attend the show, but I did expect to see more than I did. After walking around the Moody Center for a bit to buy merch, take photos, and grab some food, I could probably count the number of teens I saw on one hand. The majority of the audience was around my dad’s age, in their 40s and 50s, which I wouldn’t have had a problem with if they weren’t so quiet throughout the show. Although some people around us sang along to Musgraves’ bigger hits, that was pretty much where their enthusiasm ended. I am used to going to concerts where the audience sings along and dances to every song, so I was pretty disappointed when this show failed to do just that. Looking back, I feel it probably would’ve been worth it to spend the extra money on floor tickets. At the time, however, they were out of my budget.
Another part of the tour that left me with mixed feelings was the setlist. Musgraves played a majority of the songs from Deeper Well (2024) and Golden Hour (2018). I love both of these albums, so I had no problem hearing a significant amount of songs from each; however, because she focused so much on those two albums, her other albums did not get as much attention. She played one song from star-crossed (2021), which was “justified.” While star-crossed is my least favorite album of the five she has released, I still enjoy many of its tracks and wish she would have performed more of them. She also played only one song from Same Trailer Different Park (2013): “Follow Your Arrow.” This makes more sense than the lack of songs from star-crossed because Same Trailer Different Park was her first album, and it was released before most of her listeners discovered her. While it may have been logical, the lack of attention the album received still felt incredibly disappointing. The biggest letdown, however, was that she failed to play a single song from Pageant Material (2015), one of my favorite albums of hers and the favorite album of my sister Sonya. I didn’t expect her to play a lot from the album, but I was hoping for at least one song, which unfortunately did not happen.
While the crowd and setlist were disappointing, I still really enjoyed the concert overall. It was an unforgettable experience, and if it was possible to see the show again, I would buy tickets in a heartbeat. What made the night extra memorable was that I was able to watch the show with my dad and sister. As a family, we love listening to Kacey Musgraves’ music, and it was really special seeing her perform together. Just like after watching her perform at ACL, I am eagerly awaiting her next tour. Even though it will likely be a few years before she announces it, I will be ready to purchase three tickets to her next show as soon as the presale opens.
