Miley Cyrus Opens New Era at Hollywood Bowl, Honors Dolly Parton — SkimNews
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- Miley Cyrus opened her first headlining concert in roughly four years at the Hollywood Bowl on Friday, debuting four new songs from her newly released album "Bass Persuades" and performing the first of two sold-out shows at the iconic venue.
- Miley fought back tears before a resonant "Jolene," telling the crowd that her late godmother Dolly Parton had once beckened her onstage at the same venue — the only time Miley had seen Parton perform — and declaring, "Me and Dolly, we are eternal. Nothing in this life could ever tear us apart."
- Miley surprised fans by summoning Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne — her collaborator on "Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz," which she called her favorite album she's ever made — to perform "Do You Realize??" and "Karen Don't Be Sad" on a mid-audience B stage.
- Miley notched several firsts at the Bowl — first time performing there, first time using her first name only at a show, and a Sunday show coinciding with the 19th anniversary of her first headlining tour; she hasn't mounted a full tour since the Bangerz Tour in 2014.
- Miley closed the night with "Let's Get Married" alongside partner Maxx Morando on drums, then pivoting straight into "Flowers" — a juxtaposition the reviewer framed as romantic commitment and self-declaration landing back-to-back.
- Coverage led by Variety zoomed in on the Dolly Parton tribute; the source review spreads wider across the full setlist, noting the up-down energy arc and that during "We Can't Stop," "Wrecking Ball" and "Party in the U.S.A." the crowd carried choruses while Miley ceded the spotlight.
Why it matters: The Hollywood Bowl stop marks Miley's first proper headlining show in about four years and her first sustained reentry into touring since the 2014 Bangerz Tour, with a new album cycle behind her. The Dolly Parton tribute landed as a rare public farewell inside a career-relaunch moment, and the Flaming Lips cameo ties her most personal collaborative project back into her set.
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