Hay bales, tumbleweeds and a one-stoplight town. That's what most folks think about when they hear the phrase "Middle of Nowhere."
But country superstar Kacey Musgraves is flipping the trope on its head, and she's having a ball — or two — as she does it.
After releasing her record "Middle of Nowhere," a collection of music inspired by her small-town Texas roots plus traditional Mexican and Tejano music, Musgraves has taken the show on the road.
So far, the eight-time Grammy-winner's raucous tour has been unforgettable, from a dangling pair of "disco balls" to a minor stage fire.
Musgraves will bring the show home to Music City on Sept. 27 and 28, playing Bridgestone Arena for two nights.
'Middle of Nowhere'
"This might be my favorite tour that I've ever done," Musgraves told The Tennessean in an exclusive phone interview.
"It's been really fun to take this idea of the middle of nowhere and bring it to all these big cities."
Here's how Musgraves' deeply personal exploration of solitude has become one of the biggest communal experiences of her career.
Kacey Musgraves' dating advice to Nashvillians
When Musgraves began writing "Middle of Nowhere," she was at the end of her Deeper Well Tour.
"I was going through a breakup and it was really painful," said Musgraves. "I really turned inward and started reevaluating a lot of my relationships. Why do I keep picking the same type of person? It's just not going well."
Musgraves said she was ready to "stop the tape" and be alone for a while.
"So often we just try to fill our empty spaces with people, things, distractions, habits," she said.
"I have never loved just spending a lot of time alone, but I really flipped my brain and tried to embrace the stillness. I started really appreciating the solitude, came to really crave it."
Musgraves released her 13-track album in May, a collection of music where her silken, gentle voice shines, as well as her cutting sense of humor.
In hits like "Dry Spell" and "Mexico Honey," Musgraves' witty lyrics range from self-deprecating to unabashedly horny.
She comedically laments a lack of bedfellows, reflects on the path of carnage men have left in her life, and uses the imagery of her rural upbringing to symbolize that alone doesn't have to mean lonely.
"I learned a lot through that period," Musgraves said, "and I think it was a really valuable lesson for me in my late 30s, to go, 'Okay, I don't need someone else to be happy.'"
When she does decide to dive back into the dating pool, she'll be doing it from a "place of sovereignty and power, not desperation or a scarcity mindset." That's how you attract someone on your level, she said.
Musgraves knows that dating in Nashville isn't for the weak.
Her advice to single Nashvillians?
"Girl, I had to go to Mexico to break the dry spell ... so maybe I'm recommending that," she said.
(Musgraves considers Mexico a third home base, with musical influences like norteño accordions and ranchera cowbells laced throughout her album.)
Don't just get out of Nashville to find a fling, Musgraves said. "Get out of the country," she laughed.
"But I don't know if I can help anyone there. Every man for himself."
From aloneness to arenas
Despite the album's themes of isolation, the tour has turned into a massive, chaotic party, spanning across North America.
Because of the immersive set, the audience members sitting higher up actually get to see more of the show.
Rustic, dusty roadhouse energy couples with large-scale spectacles make up the setting for her performance, including a round, moving walkway enclosing a stage embedded with a Texas star.
But the real show-stealer has been two giant mirrored spherical structures that descend from the ceiling. As they rotate high above the crowd, Musgraves straps herself into ... the family jewels.
"You have to be a special kind of deranged to think of something like that," Musgraves said.
"But the fact that they were able to be actually made is pretty incredible. It is my grandmother's favorite part of the show, so I've got to keep it in."
Musgraves said that if the particular prop were to malfunction, her crew said they would have to get her down with a large ladder.
"And I was like, 'Okay. I'm secretly kind of hoping that it does happen because it would honestly be hilarious.'"
While that mishap has not occurred, another did literally spark a viral moment. During Musgraves' show in Boston, she continued her set as a flame burned far overhead, ignited by pyrotechnics from her “Golden Hour” performance.
Handled like a true pro, Musgraves joked, “I have way too much hairspray to be standing under that.” And the show went on.
At another performance, she accidentally inhaled a full cannon of confetti. However, fans were quick to comment on the veteran performer's calm demeanor.
"I think I stress about the small stuff and then I'm calm about the big stuff," Musgraves said.
When things go wrong "all you can do is just laugh it off." Unplanned moments even remind Musgraves of what she loves about art.
"Whenever I go to a show, I don't necessarily care to see a robotically perfect performance," she said.
At her forthcoming Bridgestone shows, Musgraves said she's "got to bring something a little bit extra for Nashville."
"It's sort of a secondary hometown for me, so I'm hoping to have some special surprises in store."
Musgraves said fans can also expect a Dolly Parton tribute or two.
"She was quite honestly the closest thing that America will ever have to royalty," Musgraves said of Parton.
The two worked together several times, including a performance at the 2019 Grammy Awards. While Parton's songwriting opened doors for generations of artists, Musgraves said her lasting impact went far beyond music.
"Obviously her songwriting came first and foremost, but I think we all know that it was her kindness and her philanthropy and mission to sort of help others (that made an impact)... I just really admire her a lot. I know that I wouldn't be able to do what I do today if she hadn't have come first."
Musgraves is diving more into the philanthropy space, too, launching her Heart of the Woods Foundation earlier this year.
The initiative, which supports causes related to human rights, animals and environmental conservation, is currently focused on two particular organizations: The Galveston-Houston Immigrant Representation Project and The Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights.
"I just want to take a page out of Dolly's book and do things where I can," Musgraves said. "We really need each other in this crazy world."
It's a fitting sentiment for this chapter of Musgraves' career.
The "Middle of Nowhere" has, paradoxically, become the most communal place to be.
Audrey Gibbs is a music journalist at The Tennessean. You can reach her at agibbs@tennessean.com, and follow her on Instagram at @audreyraegibbs.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Kacey Musgraves is ready to 'have a ball' in Nashville. Maybe two.
