Country singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves penned a heartfelt tribute to the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders after the dancers performed at her Saturday night concert in the American Airlines Center.
The East Texas native has been on tour in support of her sixth studio album Deeper Well, which recently received a Grammy nomination for best country album.
At the second of her two shows at the AAC, the iconic cheerleading squad — who are the subject of the new Netflix docuseries America’s Sweethearts — stepped in as background dancers for the song “High Horse.”
Musgraves thanked the team’s longtime director, Kelli Finglass; choreographer Judy Trammell and the cheerleaders for making the concert “so unforgettably Texan” in a Tuesday Instagram post.
“They said my high kicks need a little work but other than that I have a decent shot,” she joked.
In the comments, the cheerleaders’ Instagram account wrote: “Best night ever!!! Thank you for having us.”
The squad and Musgraves have history together. The dancers accompanied her rendition of “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” at the State Fair of Texas in 2016, and Musgraves appeared on Country Music Television’s Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team that same year.
Musgraves was also joined by Fort Worth’s Leon Bridges at her Friday night concert in Dallas, according to social media posts. The “Coming Home” singer hit the stage for a performance of “Superbloom,” a track he features on in the deluxe version of Musgraves’ Deeper Well.
“I love where I’m from,” Musgraves said with an expletive at the show, according to the Dallas Observer.
Musgraves recently drew backlash for joking at a Toronto concert that her hometown of Golden, some 80 miles east of Dallas, was “not something to cheer for” after the audience applauded her mentioning it.
She later took to her Instagram story to clarify and apologize for the comment.
“‘Not much to clap for’ because most people would be shocked to see that where I come from is so hilariously small there isn’t even one stoplight. Not even one real grocery store,” she wrote.
“It’s a place that at first glance might not seem too special until you stop for a spell and spend time there.”
Musgraves, who now calls Nashville home, described Golden as “sacred” to her.
“There is a tough duality sometimes; being a very proud Texan while also not aligning with all the viewpoints there. Regardless, I always have Texas and the grit it gave me in my heart,” she wrote.
