Miley Cyrus 'Bass Persuades' Hollywood Bowl Debut: Concert Review Embraces Her Anti-Pop Pop Star

After descending from a B-stage in the middle of the stands at the Hollywood Bowl on Friday night, Miley Cyrus sat hunched over on the main stage, clearly back in the spotlight from the 200-foot walk. You guys gave me a lot of energy, but you also took a little energy from me, [...]

After Miley Cyrus stepped down from a B-stage in the middle of the Hollywood Bowl on Friday night, sat hunched over on the main stage, clearly walking the 200-foot path back into the spotlight. "You guys gave me a lot of energy, but you also took a little energy away from me," he said. "It's too much for me, if you could imagine from where I was walking among each of you and feeling how much passion and love each one of you is giving me. And I appreciate you so much. But it's too much for me and it's a little overwhelming." RELATED BOX OFFICE STORIES: 'Street Fighter' Aims For $30M Opening, 'You Can See Everything' Could Reach $8M

It's an admission that a seasoned pop star — one of our biggest and brightest — rarely wants to make her big debut in years. And yet, Tez seemed to be playing Cyrus' first L.A. gig in support of his latest album, Bass Persuades, a record with some brilliant moments but lacking the singular vision that marks some of his strongest work. Throughout the nearly two-hour set, Cyrus defied the pressures of a generational talent, proudly pursuing his inspiration with fuller renditions of newer, more opaque material while letting the audience sing along to his biggest hits. It was confusing, often strange and ultimately strangely entertaining, a portrait of a big star who after all this time is still figuring out what kind of artist he wants to be. Popular in Variety

It's a thrill for anyone who's followed Cyrus' career since breaking out as a Disney star with "Hannah Montana," trying to tap into different styles while following the brooding sound of mainstream pop. He transforms in an instant, finding massive success with a focus on deeply unconventional genres and sounds, beginning with his 2013 reinvention of Bangerz and its subsequent world tour, his latest extensive tour. Since then, she's remained prolific and wide-ranging, ranging from psych-pop ("Miley Cyrus and Every Dead Petz") to glam rock ("Plastic Heart") and, perhaps not coincidentally, with songs like "Wrecking Ball" and "Flowers" giving audiences a bowl of their shows.

Miley Cyrus rocks out during her performance of 'We Can't Stop' at the Hollywood Bowl pic.

On Friday night, Cyrus got up close and personal with her new material with songs from "Bass Persuades" and some of the more ambitious 2025 "Something Beautiful." She's performed so infrequently that roughly half of the songs on the playlist were live: In the past few years, Cyrus has played only two shows exclusively for fans, in Los Angeles and Paris, shows that, regardless of the pressures — interviews, TV appearances, radio drops — have bolstered her powers as a performer.

However, Cyrus quickly grounded the program in her reality, where she learned to balance her public and private life. "For someone who likes to keep life fun and likes to jump out of planes and be spontaneous, doing the same thing your whole life can lose its luster if you don't push yourself to create something beautiful, which is the life I live," he said.

For Cyrus, this means expanding the boundaries of pop music and, by proxy, becoming a pop star. All bets were off when he launched into "Orbit," a very subdued ballad about romantic magnetism. Already the pace was unpredictable, giving way to the synth pop of "Different Religion" (featuring and opening for Model/Actriz) and Fentanyl Red's "Bass Persuades". He let his freak flag fly with Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne on Stage B for "Do You Get It?" to shake and their collaboration "Don't Be Sad Karen", and took the stage for "Walk of Fame", one of the most supermodel songs in her discography.

Amidst his reflections on fame, he had a truly emotional moment remembering his godmother Dolly Parton, recalling the only time he ever saw her perform at the Bowl a few years ago. "Like so many things Dolly did that I didn't realize at the time, I'm sitting here with you right now, I feel her around me, and I know she's here with me every day, always, more than I ever could when she was here. “And knowing that I get to share this story with all of you makes the night so worth it. This memory is gold for me. Dolly and I, we are eternal. Nothing in this life can ever tear us apart. And I'm going to see him again and I can't fucking wait because I miss him."

Miley Cyrus breaks down in tears as she pays tribute to Dolly Parton at the Hollywood Bowl: 'Dolly and I are forever.' ❤️ pic.

It was here that he felt most at home, pulling out the familiar notes of "Julien" as he had done so many times before. So it was strange that he largely turned the microphone to the crowd for his biggest hits, "We Can't Stop" and "Party in the USA," where Kevin reappeared with a giant set of balloons spelling out "Fuck Yeah Hollywood Bowl." Cyrus seemed to steer clear of those lines, aware of the power they held over the crowd, while knowing they were so woven into the cultural fabric that they no longer belonged solely to him.

Perhaps that's why Cyrus' debut at the Hollywood Bowl felt so proprietary, so intrinsically tied to and willing to explore his recent past. There were no traditional dance breaks or wild parts to punctuate the songs. Here was 33-year-old Cyrus who was coming out on the other side of the hatted factory with the freedom to be what he should be. It doesn't matter that much when it's sold out in two nights, 18,000 fans are still watching.

Miley Cyrus performs "Party in the U.S.A." In one of his first major performances in four years. pic.