Kacey Musgraves dedicated her Los Angeles performance on the Middle of Nowhere Tour to Dolly Parton and the women who introduced storytelling in country music.
During two nights at Crypto.com Arena on Oct. 18 and 19, the artist spoke about the essence of the genre between the songs.
“At its core, country music is real songs and stories about real sh*t,” Musgraves told the crowd. “I really hope that that outlaw spirit gets to always stay present in country because that’s really what pushed our genre forward … It was Dolly (Parton). I think about Loretta (Lynn) singing about the Pill, and I think about Tammy (Wynette) singing about divorce.”
Parton died on Aug. 25 in Nashville, Tennessee, aged 80. No information about the cause of her death was published by the family of the musician.
Since her death, Musgraves has paid tribute to Parton throughout the tour. A few days after the singer’s death, Musgraves performed “Here You Come Again” and dedicated her song “Rainbow” to Parton in Boston. She performed “9 to 5” in New York and sang “I Will Always Love You” in a tribute which was broadcast during the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 27.
On the same night in Nashville, Musgraves mentioned Parton, Lynn, and Wynette and performed “Rainbow” at Bridgestone Arena. Later, she told SiriusXM’s The Highway that she “wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing as I know it” without Parton and Lynn.
Parton and Lynn were together on stage at the 2019 Grammy Awards, the night Musgraves won Album of the Year for “Golden Hour.”
The songs that Musgraves mentioned were banned by country radio. Lynn released “The Pill,” a song about birth control released in 1975, and 60 radio stations banned it. Lynn died in 2022, aged 90.
Wynette reached No. 1 on the country chart in June 1968 with a song that spells out the word divorce letter by letter, the way parents tell the hard news to their child. Wynette, who was married five times, died in 1998, aged 55.
The term “outlaw” that Musgraves mentioned appeared in the 1970s when Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings moved away from the polished sound of Nashville studios. Musgraves grew up listening to both, and Nelson performs with Musgraves in the song “Uncertain, Texas” from her latest album. At her Nashville concert, she mentioned Nelson, Jennings, Johnny Cash, and John Prine as keepers of the spirit.
The Los Angeles concerts were held on a round stage with a star in the middle. Gabriella Rose opened the first night, and Estevie opened the second.
According to mxdwn, at the Oct. 19 concert, Musgraves started with fireworks, performed “Everybody Wants to Be a Cowboy” from inside a model house, and walked through the audience to the main stage. She mentioned her LGBTQ+ fans, rose above the floor on a giant mirrored ball during “Rhinestoned,” and brought out Megan Moroney.
Her setlist was filled with Texas songs. Musgraves performed the Texas Tornados’ “(Hey Baby) ¿Qué pasó?” and ended with George Strait’s “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” as a huge Texas flag was lowered. Before “Follow Your Arrow,” she said her label didn’t want the song released.
Middle of Nowhere is Musgraves’ sixth album, released on May 1 via Lost Highway Records. Musgraves and her long-term collaborators, Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk, produced the record, which features Willie Nelson, Miranda Lambert, Billy Strings, and Gregory Alan Isakov. The album title comes from a sign in her hometown of Golden, Texas, that reads “Golden, TX: Somewhere in the Middle of Nowhere.”
“This tour has truly been the most fun one I’ve ever been part of,” Musgraves told the Los Angeles Times before the concerts.
The arena tour kicked off Aug. 21, her 38th birthday, at Chicago’s United Center and ended Oct. 27 in Seattle. Musgraves, who has eight Grammy Awards, will bring the tour to arenas in Britain in 2027.
