Kacey Musgraves brings Pageant Glitz to Pittsburgh

Kacey Musgraves performed at Stage AE on Saturday, February 27 as part of her Country & Western Rhinestone Revue tour to promote her newest album “Pageant Mate-rial,” which came out in June 2015.

First, Langhorn Slim opened the night in a bowler hat and a short selection of country mixed with folk. His songs included “Song For Sid” and “The Way We Move.”

For the headliner, the stage was glitzed out in redneck-chic pink tinsel and neon cacti. Kacey took the stage in a short blue pageant dress and cowboy boots with her band in suits trimmed in flashing lights. She opened the night with title track “Pageant Material” and her recent hit “Biscuits.”

Musgraves had more covers in her set than expected with titles like Gnarls Barkley (“Crazy”), TLC (“No Scrubs”), and Mary Poppins (“A Spoonful of Sugar”). She also did her own version of Miranda Lambert’s “Mama’s Broken Heart,” which she wrote for Lambert. This left less room for songs from Musgraves’ albums but left the crowd excited for more.

In true pageant fashion, Kacey Musgraves introduced each member of her band with a talent show. One of them even juggled. There was also a booth open before the show started where audience members could get their own pageant photo.

The show ended with Musgraves coming back on the stage in lightup cowboy boots, performing her own rendition of “These Boots Are Made For Walking.” She then waited for the crowd to grow quiet (which took a while) and performed an acapella version of “Happy Trails” with her band supplying the harmony.

It was absolutely worth staying the entire time for this show. Kacey and her band kept the audience guessing until the very end. Next time she comes, be sure to buy a ticket, and don’t forget your boots.