Miley Cyrus kicked off her “Miley: Bass Persuades – Live at the Hollywood Bowl” shows on Friday night at the famed Los Angeles venue, giving her first headlining performance in years.
The pop star, who is going mononomously as just Miley for this era, announced this pair of Friday and Sunday shows in early September along with the news that her new album, “Bass Persuades,” would be released on September 18 via Atlantic Records. “It’s been a while,” said Cyrus of the shows at the time on Instagram. “The Hollywood Bowl is my favorite place to experience music and see my favorite artists. I’ve sat in those seats many times, but I’ve never taken the stage. LA is my heart and I’m bringing it home. See you there. ❤️ Miley.”
Indeed, it has been a while since Cyrus graced the stage as a headliner outside of festivals. The closest approximation was a performance earlier this year at the taping for the “Hannah Montana” 20th anniversary special, and before that with “Spotify’s Billions Club Live” in Paris last June for a select group of fans. The month before that, she debuted her new album “Something Beautiful” with a fan-only TikTok event at Los Angeles’ Chateau Marmont. The last time she did a full-fledged tour was for “Bangerz” in 2014.
Cyrus has been open about her decision not to tour, telling British Vogue in 2023 that after the “Bangerz” tour, she decided to take a break from it. “It’s been a minute,” she said at the time. After the last [headline arena] show I did [in 2014], I kind of looked at it as more of a question. And I can’t. Not only ‘can’t,’ because can’t is your capability, but my desire. Do I want to live my life for anyone else’s pleasure or fulfillment other than my own?”
Last month, Cyrus clarified her stance on live performances during an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, explaining that she’d be more open to doing residencies. “This is the ultimate dress rehearsal,” she said of her Bowl shows. “I’ve learned now through the queue that my calculations are correct and people will come to me. I don’t need to drive to you. Proven, that was a quick test. I win. So this is perfect because people like to see me perform and I like to sleep in my marshmallow bed so we can both be happy.”
See the entire setlist below:
Orbit
Different Religion with Model/Actriz
Bass Persuades + Remixx
Handstand