It was an old-school tribute kind of moment at Wednesday night's CMA Awards. Kacey Musgraves, with her hair piled high, was on stage singing with country icon Loretta Lynn. Musgraves' hairdo was paying homage to Lynn and old-time country music. Behind the two singers was a replica of a Grand Ole Opry backdrop.
The duet Musgraves and Lynn were delivering with such passion was the true country classic "You're Looking at Country" - Lynn's 1971 hit single. And all of the country stars and music industry movers and shakers looking at the duo from inside Nashville's Bridgestone Arena - and the millions of viewers tuning in from across the country - had no idea that one of the performers wasn't wearing any underwear. And it wasn't the legendary Lynn.
Minutes after the curtain came down on the 48th annual CMA Awards show, Musgraves revealed to reporters in the arena's press room, "And just so y'all know, right before I sang, my panties came off," according to Yahoo! Music.
Just before walking on stage for her duet with Lynn, Musgraves was getting ready to slip into her sequined mini-dress with sheer side panels. Those see-through side panels negated the wearing of standard underwear, because they would have been visible to the audience. So a different kind of undergarment that looked more like skin was required and the special undergarment had to be stuck on instead of worn.
"They were the stick-on kind, I mean, just look at this dress," the country singer acknowledged to the press corps, according to Yahoo! Music. "They were stuck on, and then they weren't stuck on, so I literally had to rip 'em off and throw them somewhere."
Then Musgraves, who took home the CMA award for Song of the Year for "Follow Your Arrow," added, "In case you see them somewhere around here, they're mine."
So, what happened to the singer-songwriter's panties?
One real possibility comes to mind, and one tongue-in-check speculation needs to be addressed.
The real possibility is that the panties that Musgraves shed backstage could well end up on Ebay. No kidding. Weirder stuff has been - and will be - sold on Ebay.
Before the show started, Musgraves was out walking the red carpet. Her huge hairdo caught everyone's attention. "I'm from Texas. I love big hair - it's full of secrets," she told reporters lining the red carpet, according to Yahoo! Music. "First of all, I'm really, really inspired by the '60s: the fashion, the cars, the music. And tonight I'm kind of paying homage to what I'm performing."
So, ready for the tongue-in-cheek speculation? What if Musgraves' wardrobe assistant didn't know what to do with the underwear when the singer stripped them off? What if, instead of tossing them into a corner of the dressing room, the assistant hurriedly tucked them into that mound of Musgraves' piled high hair, thinking that the singer could retrieve them later? And, because the hairdo was so massive, what if Musgraves was completely unaware of the stowed panties?
OK, that's probably not what happened to the missing underwear. But, until we find out, we've got a full-blown CMA Awards show mystery. Just sayin'...
