Kacey Musgraves Floats Into Uptown Charlotte on Deeper Well Tour

At the end of “Cardinal,” the first song of Kacey Musgraves’ Spectrum Center set in Charlotte on Dec. 5, the singer laid down on the stage and levitated up about 10 feet in the air. In a way, it was symbolic of what was to come: 90 minutes of her sweet-as-honey, comforting vocals floating through the air of the Uptown arena.

Acknowledging that it had been five years since she was last in town — when she sold out the Uptown amphitheater at the Music Factory, whatever it was called at that point — Musgraves noted that it felt great to sell out the much larger venue this time around. Considering her consistently rising star, there’s a good chance that the next time we see Musgraves in Uptown it’s at Bank of America Stadium.

Currently on her Deeper Well World Tour, which wraps in Nashville this weekend, Musgraves was coming off a disappointing Country Music Awards ceremony last month from which she came home empty handed despite three nominations. Something tells us the laid-back starlet, who’s had a complicated relationship with country music as an institution, wasn’t all that bothered.

At Spectrum on Thursday, the singer-songwriter rifled through nearly two dozen songs, old and new, for the appreciative crowd. Sometimes labeled as folk, country or indie, Musgraves’ music paints a broad swath across genres, resonating with fans of all ages.

She sings of heartbreak just as easily as she sings about getting high. Her full band lifts her up while she also shines in an acoustic setting; she played a few songs acoustically on a smaller stage in the middle of the floor, including a cover of SZA’s “Kill Bill” with openers Nickel Creek.

That on-again, off-again bluegrass trio Nickel Creek opened the show with a stellar set. Fiddle player Sara Watkins’ other band, I’m With Her, was recently announced as a performer for the 2025 edition of Merlefest, scheduled for April in Wilkesboro. Nickel Creek hit the peak of its brief set with their cover of Britney Spears’ “Toxic.”

Sandwiched between those two acts was Lord Huron, the California-based indie alt-country band that surely won over new fans with its enthralling set.

Kacey Musgraves setlist
Cardinal
Butterflies
Sway
Giver/Taker
Too Good to be True
Golden Hour
Happy & Sad
Lonely Weekend
Lonely Millionaire
Follow Your Arrow
Little Sister
The Architect
Kill Bill
Jade Green
Slow Burn
Space Cowboy
Justified
Neon Moon
High Horse
Deeper Well
Rainbow

Lord Huron setlist
Meet Me in the Woods
Dead Man’s Hand
Ends of the Earth
Secret of Life
I Lied
Let the Devil Come
Wait by the River
The World Ender
The Night We Met
Not Dead Yet

Nickel Creek setlist
Scotch & Chocolate
Where the Long Line Leads
Helena
This Side
Toxic
Smoothie Song
Hayloft
The Fox
Destination

Be sure to check out Queen City Nerve’s Soundwave, Charlotte’s most comprehensive live music listing, so you don’t miss out on any shows or concerts coming up. And hell, if you’re looking for something else to do, you can check out our events page as well, which runs the gamut of things to do in Charlotte. You don’t ever have to be bored again. You can check out more of Jeff’s pics and live reviews here.