Earlier this year, I wrote an article about my favorite artist, Kacey Musgraves. I got to spend an evening listening to her amazing music on July 3rd, and I guess Harry Styles too.
I drove with my mom from my hometown all the way to Denver, which made up a 4.5 -5 hour trip. I did not care that Kacey was just the opener for Harry Styles, as I have been wanting to see her perform since I heard her first album. Instead of paying for a hotel, we got to stay in a friend’s house who lives in Brighton (Thanks, Becky). I probably spent a good chunk of time curling my hair and making sure I looked noticeable. How is she gonna miss a girl with a bright orange bandana?
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We showed up, probably three hours early, maybe even earlier, in order to miss the 5 o’clock traffic. We wandered around the outside of the Pepsi Center for a while, seeing only stands with Harry Styles merchandise, but none for Kacey. We waited a while for the restaurant that was connected to the stadium to open. Since I’m 21, my mom and I had a few drinks at the bar and ate some food before the fun started.
After walking into the Pepsi Center, I was on the hunt. There had to be a merchandise table for her somewhere! After wandering around and my mom buying more drinks, we found her only table. All of the other girls were lined up to buy Harry Styles shirts and bags, but not me. I ended up with a shirt and a pin to put on my motorcycle vest. My mom got a shirt and her newest CD.
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We made friends with the people next to us, who both had gone to multiple shows on the tour and said they loved it. They both said that they had never heard of Kacey before the tour, but loved her music now and said she played amazing. I was budding with anticipation. Then, it happened, my goddess walked out on stage and opened with “Velvet Elvis” from her new album and I started crying!
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I apologize for the quality of the photos, I was shaking and so excited! I also zoomed in because I was in the second row of seat behind the pit, which was still awesome! I couldn’t believe I was hearing her sing! She performed for about an hour or so, singing many songs from her new album. Kacey also sang a very westernized version of “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley (if you want to see the video, come find me, ‘cause oh my gosh, it’s amazing). She wrapped up her set by singing the song that made her famous “Follow Your Arrow,” which I screamed while everyone around me watched.
After she left, a big ring, covering the whole stage came down in preparation for Harry Styles. I had to go get some water because I had no voice whatsoever, I knew every song. We watched Harry and sat through thousands of screaming girls, but he was actually really good! I hadn’t heard his music since he left One Direction, but I highly recommend listening to him. He’s more rock than pop now!
Nothing though could prepare me for what happened later on. It was about an hour or so into Harry’s portion of the concert and I was just rocking out with my mom because we didn’t know the words. All of a sudden, the girls next to me pulled my arm and kept saying, “Kacey, Kacey!” I was so confused, and then I saw what they meant. Kacey Musgraves was against the railing in the pit, an arms length away from me, with her husband, Ruston Kelly (who is an awesome singer too), and her family. I kept trying to get her attention, without touching her, but she had her earplugs in still and definitely couldn’t hear me over Harry’s concert. She shortly went backstage and my body was shaking! Below is a picture for proof.
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My mom and I left before the concert was officially over so that we could beat the traffic and be in bed before too late. She put in the CD that she bought and I was still so awestruck. I was dramatically leaning my head against the window, looking out of it, mouthing the words, and crying. I was just relishing in the moment of what I had just experienced. I couldn’t believe what just happened.
All is not lost, however. I impulsively bought another ticket over the summer to see her Oh, What a World Tour next February. This time, I swooped in and got a meet and greet so that I can hug her, see how long her hair is and ask her why she didn’t see me. I actually won’t be that creepy, I’ll probably cry.
All in all, the concert was amazing! I enjoyed every second of it and I can’t wait to see her perform in her own show. Denver tickets have been sold out since the second day they were announced, but if you can’t go and see her live, please listen to her music. Sidenote: she has pending nominations for next year’s Country Music Association Awards as Album of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year. She is the Queen of Yee-Haw and I hope you enjoy her music as much as I do.