REVIEW: Kacey Musgraves @ Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion 9/12

By Hannah Rogers

On Thursday night at Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion, a sea of light-up cowgirl and cowboy hats could be seen swaying to the endearingly well-written and produced tunes of rising country artist Kacey Musgraves — known to her fans as “Spacey Kacey.” This stop on the second leg of her Oh, What a World Tour marks Musgraves’ second performance in Boston this year, after having performed at the Boch Center Wang Theatre in January.

Musgraves — who has won six Grammy Awards since 2014, including Album of the Year for 2018’s Golden Hour — performed all the songs from Golden Hour, and included a few hits from her earlier albums such as “Merry Go ‘Round” and “Follow Your Arrow” from 2013’s Same Trailer Different Park, and “High Time” and “Family Is Family” from 2015’s Pageant Material.

Based on the excitement in the room after the first few strums of the guitar, it was clear that these fans had been waiting for Spacey Kacey’s performance for awhile. That anticipation reached its climax when Musgraves stepped on stage into a cloud of smoke, where only her silhouette was visible for the first minute or so of “Slow Burn.” 

Whimsical and psychedelic light shows danced around Musgraves and The Crispy Boys, who accompanied her on stage, throughout the night. Musgraves made sure to carve time out to introduce each Crispy Boy by name and where he’s from. The instruments played by the guys included bass, guitar, banjo, keyboard, drums, and the oh-so Western pedal steel guitar.

Though Musgraves is considered to be a country artist, many of her songs from Golden Hour offer a mix of country, pop, and alternative sounds. Dancier tunes like “Velvet Elvis” and “High Horse” had people moving to the beat, while the more melancholy ballads like “Rainbow” and “Mother” brought some to tears. One thing that can be said about every single song, however: the crowd knew the words.

It’s true that Rockland Bank Trust Pavilion is no TD Garden, but it seems to me that Musgraves is certainly on her way there.