HOLR HIGHLIGHTS
The key details readers need to know.
- Kacey Musgraves kicked off her Middle of Nowhere Tour in Chicago on August 21, performing at the United Center on her 38th birthday.
- During “Rhinestoned,” Musgraves was lifted above the audience on a huge pair of mirrored disco balls, creating the night’s most talked-about visual.
- The show featured 11 songs from Middle of Nowhere alongside older favorites including “High Horse,” “Merry Go ‘Round,” “Butterflies,” “Golden Hour” and “Follow Your Arrow.”
- Musgraves also used the opening night to ask fans to support the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, giving the celebration a more serious side.
August 24, 2026
Kacey Musgraves Opens Her Middle of Nowhere Tour With Giant Disco Balls, a Birthday Celebration and a Lot to Say
Kacey Musgraves clearly wasn’t interested in playing it safe on opening night.
The singer brought her Middle of Nowhere Tour to Chicago’s United Center on August 21, turning what was already a major night into something even more personal. It was her 38th birthday, it was the first official night of the new arena tour, and she had a stage production big enough to make sure nobody in the building was going to forget it.
Then came the disco balls.
During “Rhinestoned,” Musgraves appeared above the crowd sitting between two enormous mirrored balls that looked deliberately, unmistakably cheeky. The image quickly became the most talked-about moment from the show, with fans online turning the unusual stage setup into a running joke almost immediately. Page Six described the props as giant disco balls shaped like testicles, while other coverage noted the obvious anatomical joke behind the design.
It was very Kacey Musgraves.
She Didn’t Just Bring the Disco Balls to Chicago
The viral moment can make the concert look like one giant joke, but the actual show was much bigger than that.
Musgraves built the tour around Middle of Nowhere, her latest album, and the production gave the record a much larger home than a standard concert stage. The United Center setup included a circular stage and a smaller stage farther back on the floor, giving Musgraves different spaces to move between throughout the night.
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The set itself was also heavily focused on the new album. The Chicago performance included 11 tracks from Middle of Nowhere, among them “Everybody Wants to Be a Cowboy,” “Dry Spell,” “Abilene,” “Back on the Wagon,” “I Believe in Ghosts,” “Uncertain, TX,” “Horses and Divorces,” “Rhinestoned,” “Mexico Honey” and “Middle of Nowhere.”
Credit: Kacey Musgraves IG
But Musgraves didn’t leave her older catalog behind.
“High Horse,” “Merry Go ‘Round,” “Butterflies,” “Golden Hour,” “Slow Burn,” “Space Cowboy” and “Follow Your Arrow” were also part of the night, giving longtime fans plenty of familiar material alongside the new songs.
Opening Night Happened on Her Birthday
There was another reason Chicago was the obvious place to begin this tour.
Musgraves had originally announced that the Middle of Nowhere Tour would begin at the United Center on August 21, her birthday, with Midland as the opening act.
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An additional Chicago show had later been added for August 20, but that date was canceled before the tour began. The August 21 performance remained the official kickoff.
So when Musgraves walked onto that stage, she wasn’t just starting another run of concerts. She was beginning a new era on her own birthday, in front of a sold-out Chicago crowd, with a new album she clearly wanted to make the center of the night.
The crowd also sang “Happy Birthday” to her during the show, adding a personal moment to an otherwise huge production. Her grandmother was reportedly in attendance as well.
The Setlist Shows Where Kacey Is Right Now
There is something revealing about the balance of the set.
Musgraves gave Middle of Nowhere a major presence, but she didn’t treat the album as a replacement for everything that came before it. Songs from different points in her career were woven into the same show.
That’s important because her career has never fit neatly into one box.
Credit: Kacey Musgraves IG
She is a country artist, but she’s never been afraid of pop, disco, psychedelia or more experimental production. Her songs can be funny, romantic, sad, political or completely unserious, sometimes within the same album.
The opening night reflected that.
One minute the crowd was singing along to “Merry Go ‘Round.” Later, Musgraves was flying over them on giant sparkling balls during “Rhinestoned.”
Honestly, that’s probably the most accurate description of a Kacey Musgraves concert.
She Also Made Room for Something More Serious
The biggest story from the night wasn’t necessarily the one that became the funniest online.
Musgraves used her Chicago opening to ask fans to support the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, a Chicago-based nonprofit that advocates for immigrant children who are separated from their parents or otherwise navigating the U.S. immigration system.
According to reporting from Page Six, the organization helped nearly 2,000 children from 53 countries in 2024. Musgraves has supported the organization before, including through a Depop initiative involving pieces from her wardrobe, with proceeds benefiting the Young Center.
She has also previously supported a Mexican mariachi family whose children later appeared at her Texas shows after the family was released from ICE custody.
So there was a serious message underneath all the rhinestones and spectacle.
The Middle of Nowhere Era Is Off to a Very Kacey Start
The tour comes after the May 1 release of Middle of Nowhere, which has already given Musgraves another major chapter in her career. The Chicago show suggests she’s not interested in presenting the album quietly.
She has the giant stage, old favorites, new songs, and humor.
And apparently, she has two enormous disco balls.
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That combination is what made the opening night work. The show wasn’t trying to turn Kacey Musgraves into someone she’s not. It simply took the parts of her personality that fans already know—the country songwriting, the Texas influence, the dry humor, the glamour, and the weirdness—and gave all of them an arena-sized stage.
The disco balls might be the image everyone remembers first.
But the bigger story is that Kacey Musgraves has officially entered her Middle of Nowhere tour era, and she started it exactly the way you’d expect: confidently, humorously, unapologetically and with absolutely no fear of making the whole thing sparkle.
FAQs
When did Kacey Musgraves’ Middle of Nowhere Tour begin?
Kacey Musgraves officially kicked off the Middle of Nowhere Tour on August 21, 2026, at Chicago’s United Center. The show also marked her 38th birthday.
What happened with the giant disco balls at Kacey Musgraves’ concert?
During “Rhinestoned,” Musgraves was lifted above the audience on a large mirrored structure featuring two disco balls with an intentionally suggestive shape. The moment quickly became one of the most discussed parts of the opening show.
What songs did Kacey Musgraves perform in Chicago?
Her opening-night set included 11 songs from Middle of Nowhere, including “Mexico Honey,” “Rhinestoned,” “Horses and Divorces” and the title track, alongside older songs such as “High Horse,” “Golden Hour,” “Butterflies,” “Slow Burn” and “Follow Your Arrow.”
Who opened for Kacey Musgraves in Chicago?
Midland served as the opening act for the Chicago stop of the Middle of Nowhere Tour.
Why did Kacey Musgraves mention the Young Center during the concert?
Musgraves used the opening night to encourage fans to support the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, an organization that advocates for immigrant children who are separated from their parents or navigating the immigration system.