Kacey Musgraves brought aural rainbows to the White Stage on Sunday afternoon. While the clouds sped over above the crowd, bringing flash downpours and alternately bathing everyone in warm afternoon sunshine, often at the same time, Musgraves’ clear vocals soared warmly over the festival audience.

The country singer, who hails from Texas, admitted that she had been worried about the turnout for her first show in Japan, and was pleased to find her reception to be a warm one, finding people in the crowd who had written her name on their arms as well as others waving Texas flags.

During her performance, Musgraves busted some expectations with her holographic two-piece, a good choice as she glimmered up on stage and sang movingly about subjects that are more relateable than the love songs one seems to always jump to when thinking about the genre. Not only do her lyrics cover the standard romantic themes (“Space Cowboy”), but also the more comical (“Family”) and prosaic (“Weekend”), the latter of which gets curiously close to home in subject matter for his writer. Her mulling on the knowledge that good times must end (“High Times”), even while one is in the thick of them, rings true as well, especially as we were half-way through the set already…

Musgraves’ songs are touching and relatable, her music embracing traditional country motifs while dipping into more pop territory in final song “High Horse”, where she even brings out a troop of dancing geisha to join her. The clarity of her voice and the evocative and dreamy mood created with her band was a perfect contrast and antidote to the tempestuous climes about us.