By Miley Cyrus made her long-awaited return to headlining stages on Friday night with the first of two “Bass Persuades” concerts at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles — and the show proved she has no interest in playing the polished pop-star playbook anymore.
Miley Cyrus performing at the Hollywood Bowl (Credits: Variety)
The night opened with a striking gesture: Cyrus descended from a B-stage in the middle of the stands, then made the long walk back to the main stage. Once she arrived, she sat hunched over, visibly drained by the 200-foot trek through the crowd. “You guys gave me so much energy, but you also took a little energy out of me, too,” she told the audience, calling the experience “a little bit overwhelming.”
It was a remarkably candid admission for a star of her magnitude — and, per critics in the room, it set the tone for the entire evening. These October 16 and 18 shows are her first full headlining concerts in years, and Cyrus approached them less like a victory lap and more like an artist testing what she still wants from live performance.
The Anti-Pop Pop Star in Full Force
Across the nearly two-hour set, Cyrus appeared torn between the expectations of being a generational talent and her own restless muse. She threw herself into full-throated renditions of fresher, more opaque material from “Bass Persuades” — including “Orbit,” “Different Religion” performed with openers Model/Actriz, “Bass Persuades + Remixx,” and “Handstand” — while often letting the audience carry the vocals on her biggest hits.
Confounding, occasionally bizarre, but ultimately strangely entertaining, the show played like a snapshot of a megastar still figuring out what kind of artist she wants to become. That willingness to be unpolished and searching in front of 17,000 people is exactly what makes Cyrus compelling — the anti-pop pop star, refusing to be a nostalgia act on her own stage.
The Ultimate Dress Rehearsal
Cyrus has been open about her complicated relationship with touring. In a recent conversation with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, she said she’s more drawn to residencies than traditional tours, calling these Bowl shows “the ultimate dress rehearsal.” “People like to see me perform and I like to sleep in my marshmallow bed, so we can both be happy,” she quipped.
If Friday night was the rehearsal, the real question is what comes next. A residency built on this kind of raw, unpredictable energy could be exactly the right move — Miley on her own terms, no 200-foot treks required. One more night remains: the second Bowl show lands on Sunday, October 18.
Also Read: Miley Kicks Off Two-Night Hollywood Bowl Residency, Her First Headlining Shows in Years
Source: Variety — read the full story there.
