Weekend stage forecast: Nashville’s Kacey Musgraves

Kacey Musgraves, who performs Friday at Amalie Arena, is almost the antithesis of the contemporary country singer, female edition: Her smart songs are often quiet and introspective and they’re put across, on record and onstage, with eclectic disregard for style or what radio station programmers might think.

Musgraves music channels ‘60s folk/rock, with elements of rock ‘n’ roll, psychedelia and sinewy electronic pop, as well as the breathy folk-fueled coffeehouse music and hook-laden pop songcraft of today. There’s a bit of country in there, too.

Fittingly, the concert’s two warmup acts are at opposite ends of the spectrum: The high-end bluegrass trio Nickel Creek (Chris Thile, Sean Watkins and Sara Watkins) and “high lonesome” indie band Lord Huron (think Fleet Foxes or My Morning Jacket).

From the start, East Texas native Musgraves was called “The country star for people who hate country music.”

She’s also a free spirit who speaks her mind.

Nashville, not surprisingly, didn’t know what to make of Musgraves at first, since she doesn’t fit anybody’s idea of a mold.

She was embraced, of course, when her debut, 2013’s Same Trailer Different Park, sold a million copies and spawned three platinum singles (“Merry Go Round,” “Blowin’ Smoke” and the controversial “Follow Your Arrow”).

She and her band are touring behind Deeper Well, Musgraves’ sixth album (only her Christmas collection failed to make it to No. 1). She’s won seven Grammys, and countless accolades from country music’s big awards-bestowing organizations.

Deeper Well is nominated for four Grammys (Feb. 2, 2025 is awards day).

Tickets for the Friday event are here.

Sara Delbeato plays multiple characters in “Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty,” at freeFall Theatre. Image: Thee Photo Ninja.

The others

As we’re making way for the turkey, the bay area’s performance calendar is relatively light this weekend. Here are the other stage events worth looking at between today and Sunday, which is Dec. 1:

It’s Year 27 for the Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour. The jolly jazz saxman is joined Saturday at Ruth Eckerd Hall by saxophonist Vincent Ingala, guitarist Adam Hawley and vocalist Rebecca Jade. Find tickets here.

Fox TV chat show host-slash-standup-comedian Jimmy Failla performs Saturday at the Capitol Theatre. Find tickets here.

Opening Friday at Stageworks Theatre: The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical. With Betty, Lin and Pickles, along with the rest of the gang from Armadillo Acres. Yes, it’s the Yuletide sequel to David Nehls and Betsy Kelso’s The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Stageworks’ big hit of 2023. Find tickets here, and be sure to catch the ladies on Friday’s edition of our Arts Alive! podcast.

At freeFall Theatre, Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty: A New Sherlock Holmes Adventure continues this weekend (well, not Thursday) through Dec. 15. Find tickets here.

Chevy Chase will appear onstage Sunday at the Straz Center (Morsani Hall) to reminisce and chat, following a screening of his 1989 movie National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Tickets are here.

Your weekend stage forecast appears every Thursday in the Catalyst’s CREATE section. 

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