Miley Cyrus draws 1.5 million people to Hollywood Bowl queue

Miley Cyrus returned to a major concert stage at the Hollywood Bowl on Friday, opening an 18-song, two-night run, The Hollywood Reporter said in an Oct. 17 article.

The show mattered because of its scarcity and demand: about 1.5 million people joined the ticket queue for roughly 36,000 seats across the two performances, the article said.

Cyrus, 33, used the performance to frame live work as something she is still measuring against her health and private life. “For me, performance can’t be everything because the curtain closes and the lights go down, and I have to go back home and be happy with who I am,” she told the audience, according to the article.

The concert, billed as Bass Persuades Live at the Hollywood Bowl, supported her latest album, Bass Persuades. The publication said Cyrus opened with newer material and used several pre-recorded black-and-white videos during the evening.

The Hollywood Reporter said Cyrus has spoken publicly about the strain live performance places on her mental health and wellness. It said her last large-scale world tour was almost a decade ago, while her previous major concert was four years earlier.

That history made the Hollywood Bowl dates more than a routine album showcase. For promoters and fans, the performances offered a rare test of how one of pop’s most recognisable names engages live audiences while avoiding the demands of a conventional tour cycle.

Cyrus also tied her decision to play the shows partly to her godmother Dolly Parton, the country music figure who died earlier this year, the article said. The evening included guest appearances by Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips and Maxx Morando, both described by the publication as Cyrus collaborators.

The set mixed songs from Bass Persuades with older hits, including “Party in the USA” and “We Can’t Stop,” according to the article. The publication said Cyrus appeared more invested in the newer material, while crowds and backing tracks carried parts of some older songs.

What the Bowl shows do not yet establish is a broader touring plan. Cyrus told the audience she had been uncertain whether live performance would remain part of her future, and the article reported that she was unsure whether she would play another show of this scale.

A second Hollywood Bowl performance was scheduled for the same weekend, The Hollywood Reporter said.