Miley Cyrus delivered a teary tribute to her godmother Dolly Parton at the Hollywood Bowl last night, sitting on the edge of the stage and lamenting the fact that she’d only got to see the country music icon perform just once at that very venue.
“I only got to see Dolly Parton live in concert one time in my entire life and it was here,” Cyrus told the Bowl crowd. “I spend a lot of time backstage and if she had it her way, when she was playing a show, I’d be standing right beside her in a matching costume. And so, when I was coming to the show at the Bowl to see her, I said, ‘You know, I would love a night where I could just experience you, I could just enjoy you like the rest of the world.”
Cyrus continued by noting that the night she saw Parton perform, her idol, knowing Cyrus was watching, opened the show by performing the theme song from Hannah Montana. “I feel her now, more than ever,” Cyrus said, adding, “I’m going to see her again and I can’t f*cking wait cos I miss her.”
With that, Cyrus launched into a rendition of Parton’s classic “Jolene.”
According to Rolling Stone, Cyrus’ Hollywood Bowl setlist also included the songs “Orbit,” “Different Religion,” “Bass Persuades,” “Handstand,” “Something Beautiful,” “Walk of Fame,” “Redlights,” “Do You Realize??,” “Karen Don’t Be Sad,” “We Can’t Stop,” “Wrecking Ball,” “Snow,” “Used to Be Young,” “The Climb,” “Party in the U.S.A.,” “Let’s Get Married” and “Flowers.”
Cyrus has honored Parton before, writing in August following the icon’s death, “I will always love her and want to make her proud. My heart breaks for the world, her family and friends who will miss her deeply. We’re in this loss together and we will see her in all of the most beautiful things.”