Kacey Musgraves Gives Dallas Butterflies On The “Middle Of Nowhere Tour”

Written by Isabella Navarro

Kacey Musgraves took the stage at American Airlines Center for her first of two nights in Dallas, Texas, for the ‘Middle of Nowhere Tour” on Oct. 10, 2026. 

A five-minute countdown displayed on the 360-degree screen above the center main stage with “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC playing. The crowd yelled “Thunder!” in unison, waiting for the lights to turn off and the show to begin. 

At 9:20 p.m., Musgrave’s band entered the stage and started playing the instrumentation of “Everyone Wants to Be a Cowboy.” On the far right side of the arena, a side stage with a trailer and the Texas and United States flags waved over, with Musgraves emerging in the spotlight in a rhinestone ‘Dallas’ top, blue jean shorts, and curled hair. 

Musgraves then moved to the main stage where a big star sat in the middle and sang “Dry Spell,” “justified,” and “High Horse.” “High Horse” was shortened and included a banjo and Norteño accordion, tapping into the Latin elements that Musgraves has been inspired by through the tour.  

“How’s everyone doing tonight?” Musgraves asked the crowd. “Except the Longhorn fans, we're gonna drown our sorrows together,” for the Texas Longhorns had lost their football game just hours before the show. Musgraves then sang one of her iconic hits, “Merry Go ‘Round,” with a guitar in her hand. The outer edge of the stage turned in a full circle so Musgraves could see all of the audience while performing. 

“Butterflies” off Golden Hour had everyone cheering in excitement when the guitar riff started. An LED remote-controlled drone of a butterfly flew around the arena while Musgraves sang under dark blue strobe lights. 

“Dallas, have you ever been ghosted before? It’s spooky season,” Musgraves said before singing “I Believe in Ghosts.” Musgraves explained how she’s lived in Mexico for the past year and a half, and loved the variety of sounds and instrumentation. Those creative ideas led Musgraves to incorporate cowbells and the accordion in “Uncertain, TX.” 

One song that’s part of the set is “(Hey Baby) Que Paso” by Texas Tornadoes, which Musgraves covers each show. At the end of the song, the screen panned to Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico and his girlfriend. The arena roared in cheers for Talarico, making another public appearance after being at Austin City Limits Festival the day prior. 

Texas has been declared one of Musgraves' favorite places, as she’s from Golden, Texas, and the love for the state showed during the set when she sang the first surprise song “Good Ol’ Boys Club” off her 2015 album Pageant Material. 

After going back to the original set, Musgraves added two more surprise songs, “It Is What It Is” and “Dime Stone Cowgirl”, two songs she said she hasn’t played in years. The longtime fans sang along to the songs together while newer fans listened to Musgraves’ angelic voice. 

“Let’s go back to 2012, shall we?” Musgraves said before performing “Follow Your Arrow.” Rainbow lights lit up the stage while everyone sang together, “So, make lots of noise (hey) / Kiss lots of boys (yup) / Or kiss lots of girls, if that's something you're into.” 

Musgraves ended the concert with a cover of George Strait’s “All My Ex’s Live in Texas.” The big star was lit up red, white, and blue with smaller stars dangling from the top of the screen. The Texas flag was also displayed in the middle of the stage while the crowd sang with Musgraves. At 11:15 p.m., Musgraves exited the stage and thanked the crowd for coming to her show on a Saturday night. 

Musgraves showed how country isn’t just singing about heartbreak or playing the guitar; there can be other elements that inspire country music and its evolution. Musgraves brought Latin instrumentation, cowboy boots, and dreamy vocals that prove how she’s still in her prime.