★★★★★
If you’re sick of cheesy Instagram posts, Valentine’s Day gift boxes and dreamy, picturesque romances, then Kacey Musgraves is ready to light your soul on fire.
Country-pop artist Kacey Musgraves played at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 3, marking the halfway point of her “star-crossed” tour. Her D.C. performance brought high attendance, making for a particularly large and excited audience.
Fans made a point to prove to the Texas native that maybe everything is actually bigger in our nation’s capital, as concertgoers were adorned in large, light-up cowboy hats, sparkly boots and neon outfits that matched her set. The Capital One stage crew was busy handing out LED wristbands that glowed to match the color of lights on stage during each song, an accessory provided at each of her venues along the tour.
Written after Musgraves’ 2020 divorce, the “star-crossed” album takes inspiration from this tumultuous time in her life and relationships. Musgraves opened the show literally on fire, singing the titular “star-crossed” in front of a flaming heart, setting the tone for a show about heartbreak, passion and independence.
Musgraves then followed this powerful opener with “cherry blossom,” a song about holding on to the people you love. The song references Tokyo, where cherry blossoms are the official flower, but D.C. natives felt right at home when a spray of the iconic pink petals began to fall from the ceiling.
The show was visually stunning, as dreamy graphics displayed on the screen behind the artist and colorful lights washed over the crowd. The theme of the show seemed to revolve around vintage photos and Valentine’s Day motifs, with videos of flowers, hearts and Musgraves’ face with fun filters appearing on the screen behind her.
Musgraves’ own vintage Vivienne Westwood top added to the evening’s romantic mood, depicting a Renaissance-era painting of a couple lovingly looking into each other’s eyes.
Later in the set, Musgraves began to incorporate songs from her previous album, “Golden Hour.” Fan favorites “Space Cowboy,” “High Horse” and “Butterflies” all made their way into her performance, which provided an upbeat and nostalgic juxtaposition to the generally slower tone of “star-crossed.”
About halfway through the show, Musgraves removed her stilettos to perform the remainder of her set barefoot. She sat down on the stage to perform “camera roll,” preparing herself to be even more vulnerable than she had been up until that point. Performing the song “camera roll,” Musgraves’ lyrics discuss the pain of looking at photographs and reminiscing about the past — a symbolic moment that revealed what it must have been like for her to write the album right after her divorce.
Musgraves finished the show with an encore of two songs from “Golden Hour”: “Slow Burn” and “Rainbow,” which were accompanied by a dazzling real rainbow made with projected lights that stretched from the stage to the far end of the stadium. This end of Musgraves’ show was as symbolic, dramatic and beautiful as the show’s beginning.
With her evocative lyrics and enchanting concert displays, it’s clear that Kacey Musgraves is a born performer, and she knows how to keep her audience’s hearts on fire long after the curtains have closed.