Kacey Musgraves took Madison Square Garden by surprise when she brought out Troye Sivan for her second sold-out show in New York on the “Middle of Nowhere” tour. The pair performed their dreamy pop collaboration “Easy” together for the first time, six years after the song’s release.
“What’s up New York?” Sivan said as he walked out in a brown country-inspired get-up that perfectly complemented Musgraves’ sparkly bodysuit. The moment was doubly surprising because fans had spent the week predicting New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani would join Musgraves onstage after she publicly invited him to the show on Monday.
“She’s so fucking funny, I don’t know if people know that about her.”
Sivan recalled how the song came together in a recent interview, saying Musgraves messaged him out of the blue: “I love this song.” He replied, “Well, do you want to hop on it?” He also called her 2018 album “Golden Hour” one of his “top five albums of all time.”
A Night of Surprises
The mayor angle was a running joke all week. “Hey so, @NYCMayor there seems to be a severe pothole issue at @TheGarden. You may wanna come check it out specifically at 8:45pm tomorrow night,” Musgraves wrote on X. Mamdani, who told Rolling Stone earlier this year that he’s “still listening to Golden Hour,” is known for quickly addressing issues New Yorkers raise on social media. He didn’t take the stage, but Sivan did.
Sivan showcased Musgraves’ humor in a new TikTok honoring his surprise appearance, in which the pair dance along to his new track “She’s the Best” backstage. “I love my cuntry queen,” he wrote in the caption. He is the first surprise guest to appear on the “Middle of Nowhere” tour, which runs through the end of October.
Why It Matters
Six years after “Easy” first dropped, the two stars had never performed it together live — so this was a genuine first for fans who’ve been waiting since 2020. It also signals the kind of warm, collaborative energy Musgraves is bringing to her biggest tour yet, with surprise guests and playful crossovers that keep each night unpredictable. With the tour stretching into the fall, the question now is who else might show up next.
