Kacey Musgraves is Our Cure: Melbourne Review

“We are all on the same side”, are some of Kacey Musgraves’ first words to her Melbourne crowd at the Palais Theatre. In a packed Palais, Musgraves makes room for intimacy, acceptance and unity.

Sporting an all retro-country, dark denim, flared ensemble, the vocalist’s attire edges between flamboyant and sleek. If anything, the outfit perfectly captures the mood Musgraves goes on to build throughout her twenty-song set. From any seat at the Palais, the vocalist’s presence is undeniable.

Musgraves’ delicate and soothing vocals, woven with her mirage-like and galactic visuals is a testament to the meticulousness she brings to her craft. Interpolating her signature rainbow aesthetic into her visual and lighting creates a holy, peaceful element to Musgraves’ show.

As her sweet, tender vocals ripple through the audience from the stage, all the way to the back end of the dress, Musgraves’ biggest weapon is on show. She reels her audience in with insanely controlled vocals, which you could argue, surpass her studio delivery.

Kacey Musgraves’ lyricism centres around her observations of the light and love she sees in others. But, what she doesn’t know is that the radiance she detects in others is engrained within herself. In her heartfelt, composed delivery of the lines “you’re my golden hour” and “oh, what a world, and then there is you”, I can’t help but notice that the warmth she notes in others, is paralleled with the brilliance that the crowd sees in Musgraves.

Credit: instagram.com/nadiah.j

Midway through her sublime set, Kacey Musgraves successfully accomplishes an act that is peak difficulty in a live show, all in under two minutes. Following ‘Die Fun’, Musgraves and her band have a real rocker moment, blasting deep and climactic guitar.

Mesmerizingly, her and her ensemble grace us with a beautiful transition into the more sombre, ballad-like ‘Mother’. The orchestral rendition of the track, played in a tight semi-circle, with Kacey fronting the group is raw, emotive and cements a community bond between Kacey and her team, and between her audience.

Twenty-four hours since her last “shoey” encounter, Musgraves finally concedes on her last Australian tour date. She upholds Australian convention, yet diverges from its traditional execution. Her class remains intact as she downs tequila in a glass slipper, coining what could be referenced as the Cinderella shoey.

Taking a bow and priding herself on her milestone, the crowd erupts, purely out of shock and disbelief, considering last night’s course of events. Her endearing and humorous personality shines through, giving us just another reason to fall more deeply in love with Kacey Musgraves.

It’s widely obvious that Musgraves is a Texan at heart. She scatters anecdotes from her life in Texas throughout the night, giving us nonpareil insight into the Texas charm, as well as the lowlights of the life paved out in the West.

Despite her introspection and earnest approach taken in detailing Texas, the audience is still able to bring joy and laughter to the night. Musgraves says something as simple as “I’m from a town in Texas called Mineola”, which is met with a loud shriek from one audience member. The vocalist laughs and replies “you must not have been there, otherwise you wouldn’t be screaming”. Once again, Musgraves’ personable character and charisma exudes. She listens and pulls from the energy of her crowd, bringing a refreshing spin to the night.

Musgraves understands the line between simply delivering her craft and allowing the audience to become immersed in her musicality. She lets her fans “get a little crazy” in ‘Follow Your Arrow’, letting us all “make lots of noise” as we collectively belt the final chorus. She genuinely embraces the love her fans propel towards her with gratitude. “Thank you for singing”, she tells us all. When the straight and narrow gets a little too straight, jump up and dance with Kacey Musgraves. 

Musgraves concludes with ‘High Horse’, treating fans to her most disco, vibrant track. For the finale, everyone is out of their chairs, having a wildly good time. With everyone feeling giddy and high-spirited, nobody is afraid to have a boogie and grin from ear to ear. The perfect way to cap off the evening at the “fancy” Theatre. 

Kacey Musgraves hails victorious in the Melbourne show of her Australian leg of the ‘Oh, What a World Tour’. Not only is she a vanguard of country music, now we can say for certain, she also holds this status as a touring artist. Her polish, poise and engagement with her crowd is enough to give people the show of a lifetime.

Kacey Musgraves advocates the message that “we are who we are”. And from her set tonight, it’s evident that part of what makes up who we are is our admiration for Musgraves and the way she captivates a crowd.