Miley Cyrus has heard the criticism regarding her performance choices during her historic two-night stand at the Hollywood Bowl this past weekend, with the pop star taking a few minutes during night two to address what she called “clickbait” comments about her effort for her first major performance in years.
“I have never heard that I don’t put my heart into something,” Cyrus told the crowd early on in the show on Sunday, labelling some of the the commentary that had surfaced after night on as “clickbait.” She further said that the Bowl shows were not “an experiment of you, this an experience for me.”
Cyrus acknowledged to the crowd that playing shows doesn’t come “as natural as it once did,” and that she’d even considered not coming out Sunday but that “never would I leave you all sitting in these seats, unfulfilled from a show.”
“I can take a lot, but one thing I will not stand is any question about where my heart is when I’m on the stage,” Cyrus said. “Not one. I’m fully present… the only thing that I have is this moment with all of you.”
Before performing again, she told the crowd that reason she wasn’t doing “cartwheels” during the performance was because she had to sing live.
Cyrus’s concerts represent a rarity for the singer, who hasn’t done a proper concert tour in over a decade. Some of the online critique was focused around her letting the crowd and backing track handle the singing on some of her older hits like “Wrecking Ball” and “Party in the U.S.A.” While she didn’t sing all the words Sunday night, she did appear to sing more on those tracks for night two.
Cyrus’s first comments were the most notable and overt during the show, but it wasn’t the only time she would address some of the discourse from night one. From a secondary stage amongst the Bowl’s crowd, she elaborated further on comments she herself had made about how it was “overwhelming” being surrounded by all her fans.
“I’m excited to see you, feel you, touch you, but just know, this is deeper than a concert — someone up here singing and you all receiving the songs,” Cyrus said. “It’s more than that to me. And that’s what I meant by ‘it’s overwhelming. It just means so much to me, that’s what I meant.”
Overall, night two’s set was nearly identical to night one, with Cyrus once again leaving room in the set for a tribute to her late godmother Dolly Parton before performing Parton’s signature hit “Jolene.”
Before the “Jolene” performance, Cyrus told a funny and touching story about playing a video of “Jolene” to a Parton mannequin Parton had given Cyrus as a Christmas gift, putting a flower down and asking Parton’s spirit to flicker the lights if she was there.
“I didn’t say anything out loud but the entire hallway started flickering,” Cyrus said. “Max can vouch, he was there but he didn’t know what I said. So I know she’s here with me tonight, and I’m feeling some of the feelings that I’m most afraid of, but having her here with me is getting me through. And having you here with me is getting me through. So no matter what it takes, this show is for you and for Dolly.”
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