Kacey Musgraves Jams With Gloria Gaynor on ‘I Will Survive’ in New York City [Watch]
Kacey Musgraves gave her fans in New York City a very special treat during her concert performance at Radio City Music Hall on Tuesday night (Oct. 15). The country and pop singer-songwriter brought Gloria Gaynor to the stage for a joint performance of Gaynor's massive 1978 hit, "I Will Survive."
Clad in a sparkling dress, Musgraves begins the song by herself in the fan-shot video above. The audience begins to sing along almost immediately as she voices the song's opening moments over simple piano chords, and she pauses dramatically at the mid-point of the first verse, whereupon Gaynor emerges from the wings and takes up where she left off as the crowd cheers.
They deliver a fun and energetic rendition of the hit, which reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 and became a smash hit all over the world after Gaynor released it in 1978. Musgraves' band go full-on disco for the cover. It's a song she's performed live before, but Gaynor's presence ratchets up the energy for a crowd-pleasing performance that the fans in NYC appeared to love.
The singers embraced afterward, engaging in a mutual admiration society live onstage in front of the fans.
"Isn't she wonderful?" Gaynor says in the video. She tells the fans she recorded "I Will Survive" 40 years ago, "and I can't tell you how pleased I am that Kacey is carrying on the tradition, helping you all to survive."
"Thank you for joining me," Musgraves responds.
Gaynor turned to Instagram on Wednesday (Oct. 16) to post a video of herself with Musgraves in the dressing room afterward, sharing a triumphant handclasp.
"Backstage with @spaceykacey last night at @radiocitymusichall after our surprise duet! You are such a sweetheart, Kacey!" she wrote alongside the clip.
Musgraves' NYC gig was part of her current Oh, What a World Tour II, which is set to run through Oct. 25 before wrapping up with a performance in Nashville.
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