Kacey Musgraves celebrated her 38th birthday in style by kicking off the arena run of the Middle of Nowhere Tour at Chicago’s United Center on Friday (8/21) with Midland opening the sold-out show.
A little more than half of the setlist was devoted to her new album, Middle of Nowhere, and of course she mixed in hits from her previous albums including Same Trailer Different Park and Golden Hour.
But what has caught the attention of the media and fans was when the sassy singer floated around over the 20,000 Chicagoans casually crooning between a pair of disco balls.
These weren't just any old sparkly reflective orbs you'd see in your local dance club or karaoke bar.
These looked like, as Wikipedia says are "the vehicular vanity accessories resembling a dangling [male private parts]."
“It takes a lot of balls to get up and do what I do every night," the Grammy-winning star said as the spectacle descended from the roof of the arena home of the NBA Chicago Bulls.
"It takes two gigantic, anatomically-correct sparkling balls, in fact,” she said before getting in.
"Musgraves sat in a seat in the middle of the shiny balls, which were suspended above the air," Page Six, who typically doesn't cover country concerts, wrote.
"She looked completely comfortable as she performed, wearing a white tank-top, jeans and a cowboy hat."
It'll be interesting to see if Kacey uses the cheeky prop on her entire tour as several states have tried to regulate or ban the actual tailgate decoration.
Maryland and Virginia lawmakers introduced bills in 2007 and 2008 that would have prohibited vehicle displays resembling exposed genitalia, but nothing came to fruition. Likewise the Florida Senate approved a proposed $60 fine in 2008 for hanging them from your vehicle, but the measure died in the Sunshine State House.
South Carolina however charged a woman in Bonneau in 2011 of having them on her car, citing an existing obscenity which resulted a $445 ticket. She took it to court and the case was repeatedly continued and never produced a significant appellate ruling.
The city of Honolulu went the other direction in 2013, when their city attorneys advised police that such decorations might be tasteless but were protected speech under the First Amendment.
Over in Idaho, the potato state enacted House Bill 270 last year expanding its indecent-exposure law to cover toys or products resembling male or female reproductive parts when displayed publicly in a way that offends another person.
Screw them onto the back of your tailgate and don't be surprised if you're charged with a misdemeanor.
How funny would it be if she started selling the disco balls via her merch table?
Yes the tshirts and hoodies are a must, but after she sang "Rhinestoned" while in that hilarious contraption, what would say Middle of Nowhere Tour 2026 better than that? And imagine how easy it would be to spot a Kacey fan than if you saw a pair of those puppies dangling from the back bumper of an otherwise basic car or truck?
Another unique aspect of the Middle of Nowhere stage is an outer ring that Kacey stands on playing guitar and singing into a microphone and stand.
Unlike traditional rotating stages, only the outer ring rotates giving the illusion of her as a star circling around the band effortlessly while giving everyone in the stadium a chance to see the whites of her eyes.
Middle of Nowhere, which dropped in May, debuted at #3 on the Billboard album chart, sales of the record resulted in the biggest opening week of her career.
It was propelled by the naughty “Dry Spell” and corresponding video which peaked at #55 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #15 on Hot Country Songs.
Kacey now heads to Canada where we hope her props can clear customs. Then she's back in the States through the end of October with stops at Madison Square Garden as well as Staples Center.
Get your tickets off her website.
Middle of Nowhere Tour
8/24 Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON, Canada
8/28 TD Garden, Boston, MA
8/31-9/1 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
9/4 Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
9/5 CFG Bank Arena, Baltimore, MD
9/8 PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
9/9 Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH
9/11 Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
9/12 Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO
9/22 Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
9/23 T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, MO
9/25 Bourbon & Beyond, Louisville, KY
9/27-9/28 Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
9/30 State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
10/2 Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC
10/5 Toyota Center, Houston, TX
10/7 Moody Center, Austin, TX
10/10 American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
10/13 Ball Arena, Denver, CO
10/15 Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT
10/17 Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix, AZ
10/18-10/19 Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
10/23 Oakland Arena, Oakland, CA
10/26-10/27 Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA
