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| Kacey Musgraves @ the Chase Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Kacey Musgraves delivered the good Tuesday night at Chase Center with a concert that championed inclusion and diversity and demonstrated the wide scope of her reach that has extended her beyond country and into the pop stratosphere. Her “Deeper Well World Tour” brought together a three-act lineup that she described as a “festival I put together that no one would have.” Openers Nickel Creek brought their upbeat bluegrass to the opening slot, while Father John Misty brought a somewhat dark, brooding vibe to the middle. Musgraves took the night into an ethereal vibe while constantly engaging with the crowd.
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| Kacey Musgraves @ the Chase Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Indeed, “Cardinal” - her first number - began with an image of her brightly lit form coming to Earth before she stood in a projected doorway to take in the audience’s welcome and then walked across an orb structure that served as the background for much of the show. The song ended with her crossing dramatically back over the orb and laying down to be raised high in the air in a prone position simulating death. “Butterflies” followed with the singer on her acoustic guitar as giant, fuzzy butterflies were projected on the screen behind her.
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| Kacey Musgraves @ the Chase Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Following the second song, Musgraves set her guitar aside and walked the crowd – welcoming San Francisco’s various types of concertgoers and touching (not for the last time) on inclusion. She then proceeded to include the audience as she delivered “Sway” under a heavy green lighting while the entire audience’s arms were raised and went back and forth.
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| Kacey Musgraves @ the Chase Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Perhaps the best part of the concert was the time spent out on the “B stage” near the back of the arena floor. Unlike many times when an auxiliary stage is connected by a catwalk and bare bones, Musgraves’ B stage was an island of its own – disconnected from the main stage and beautifully decorated and lit. Musgraves walked along the side of the floor to get out to the stage the audience surrounding it had grown from three-deep during the opening acts to nearly all the general admission floor fans.
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| Kacey Musgraves @ the Chase Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
When she reached the B stage, she once again touched on inclusiveness – lamenting that country music has once been the most welcoming music and how she had been subjected to the wrath of fans who were not accepting. She delivered a terrific stripped-down version of “Follow Your Arrow.” The song, which became Musgrave’s biggest hit just over a decade ago has become a bit of a LGBTQ anthem thanks largely to the lyrics “Kiss lots of boys or kiss lots of girls if that’s something you’re into.”
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| Kacey Musgraves @ the Chase Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
“We weren’t going to do this song tonight, but I want to throw it in. It smells so good in here,” Musgraves told the crowd as she let fans know that while she may not be smoking as much marijuana as she was once well-known for, she “hasn’t completely stopped partaking.” The impromptu “Heaven Is” followed that intro. “I have some bats#@t crazy people in my family. But, we have to keep therapists busy. So, this is about my family,” Musgraves said to introduce a fun version of “Family is Family.” The crowd went wild for “The Architect” off her 2024 Deeper Well album before Musgraves welcomed Nickel Creek to join her on the stage for a “murder ballad” as the ensemble covered rapper SZA’s “Kill Bill.”
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| Kacey Musgraves @ the Chase Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Musgraves turned her return to the main stage into a triumphant New Orleans-like parade with Nickel Creek members wearing masks, costumed characters joining in for the walk back and Musgraves up front waving a ribbon as she led the parade. As she returned to the stage, the orb and screen behind her simulated a volcanic eruption to lead into Musgraves playing acoustic guitar and singing her 2018 hit “Slow Burn” off Golden Hour. “Space Cowboy “ and a rocking version of “Justified” off 2021’s Star-Crossed followed. Musgraves next delivered a rollicking cover of Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” - followed by a prancing version of “High Horse” as cannons sprayed confetti across the entire arena floor and giant balloons were bounced over the audience.
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| Kacey Musgraves @ the Chase Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
“We’ve covered a lot of ground tonight. We are going to be as present as possible for these last two songs,” Musgrave told the crowd after taking a moment to recognize a front-row fan’s birthday by leading the crowd for a “Happy Birthday.” She finished out the night and her 90-minute set with the title track of her new album Deeper Well leading into 2018’s “Rainbow” and sending the audience home.
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| Nickel Creek @ the Chase Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Earlier, bluegrass act Nickel Creek had done an impressive job of bringing positive energy and fun to start off the night at the Chase Center. Asking a bluegrass band to hold court and attention in a huge arena is no easy task. But on songs like “Scotch and Chocolate” and “Where the Long Line Leads” siblings Sarah and Sean Watkins and mandolin-vocalist Chris Thile led a fun set that was full of smiles. Sarah Watkins combination of fiddle-playing and singing particularly sent a jolt into the crowd.
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| Father John Misty @ the Chase Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
In the middle slot, Father John Misty brought his expansive sound with his full band and a heavier vibe as he stood under dramatic blue lighting. Though, it may have been a case of “one of these things is not like the other,” the crowd seemed very appreciative and seemed to enjoy his set that featured songs such as “Strange Encounter,” “Nancy from Now On” and an impressive version of 2018’s “Mr. Tillman” – an ironic tune centered around a hotel concierge trying to deal with a long-term guest who at the very least shares Misty’s real name (Josh Tillman). The band behind him brought large, spacious versions of his songs to life on Tuesday – providing more than enough volume to fill the Chase Center.
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