Miley Cyrus Got Brutally Honest About The Criticism Of Her First Concert In 4 Years—And Revealed She Almost Didn't Return For Night 2

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Miley Cyrus made her long-awaited return to the concert stage over the weekend, performing her first major shows in four years at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California.

But her triumphant comeback quickly became controversial and nearly caused the singer to walk away from her second performance altogether. So what happened?

During her Sunday, Oct. 18 concert, the 33-year-old addressed criticism of her Friday night show and called out "clickbait" videos accusing her of not singing every word of her songs or being sufficiently engaged with the audience.

Cyrus had plenty to say about those allegations. More unexpectedly, she explained how difficult it had been for her to return to the stage.

"I've never heard that I don't put my heart into something," the singer told the audience at the second of her two-night Bowl performances.

"I don't know if any of you heard that somebody was doing commentary to get clickbait on their video talking about my show on Friday night, but I'm a lot of things, and we're not even going to entertain that," said Cyrus.

The singer kicked off her two-night Hollywood Bowl engagement on Friday, Oct. 16, marking her first major concert in four years. The performances marked a milestone for Cyrus, who has largely stepped away from traditional touring in recent years.

Not everyone was impressed with her comeback. Some critics took issue with Cyrus allowing the audience and her backup singers to handle parts of her biggest hits rather than singing every lyric herself.

The Los Angeles Times specifically called out her songs "Wrecking Ball," "The Climb," "Party in the U.S.A.," and "We Can't Stop" as examples, writing that "her clear-eyed appraisal of the relationship that binds an idol and her audience...was kind of a thrill to behold," then adding, "The problem was that her singing for the most part wasn't."

By her Sunday night performance, Cyrus had apparently seen enough criticism to address it directly. "The controversy, it used to be a lot of fun," she said. "It still can be."

"I can be pretty melted. I love that about me," she continued. "I actually used to live my life pretty hard. Because life's hard so I thought I had to get hard. But, you know, I didn’t enjoy my life as much when I was living hard. I love pouring myself into something."

"It is hard for me to stand up here and do this show," Cyrus said. "It does not come as natural as it once did to me before. Because, like all of us, we change, we evolve, we grow, and we find what gets to come with us. What continues to fit."

Miley Cyrus on the criticism towards her first Hollywood Bowl show:

“This is not an experiment of you. This is an experience for me and you all make the experience possible.” pic.twitter.com/vKRoIcgT3s

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) October 19, 2026

Pop Crave / Via x.com

"And you all are more to me than 'an experiment,'" she said. "That is absolutely not what this is. This is not an experiment of you. This is an experience for me. And you all make the experience possible. The only way that I get to test my personal boundaries, my limits, what I think I can do..."

"I mean, before I came out for 'Orbit,' I already told myself I wasn't going to come on stage, I was going to run away," Cyrus went on. "But never would I leave you all sitting in these seats, unfulfilled from a show. So I can take a lot, but one thing I will not stand is any question about where my heart is when I'm on the stage. I am fully present."

Later in the show, while singing "Bass Persuades," the lead single from her most recent album, Cyrus also sarcastically referenced the criticism of her singing, quipping: "Oh, I forgot, I'm supposed to sing every f***ing line!"

The weekend was an emotional one for Miley Cyrus. At Friday's concert, she paid an emotional tribute to her late godmother, Dolly Parton, who died in August 2026.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, "The singer broke down in tears speaking about the country music pioneer as the intro to Parton's iconic song 'Jolene' played in the background."

Miley Cyrus may not be the same performer she was four years ago, but her choice to stay onstage might say more about her devotion to her fans than singing every song lyric ever could.

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