Miley Cyrus plays first of two Hollywood Bowl 'Bass Persuades' shows, reviewed

Left · 2Miley Cyrus, 33, played the first of two Hollywood Bowl concerts on Friday 16 October 2026, in support of the album "Bass Persuades". 1 2 Left · 2The Hollywood Reporter called it Cyrus's first major concert in four years and said it was nearly a decade since the last large-scale world tour; Variety described it as a first major show in years, noting that the 2013 "Bangerz" tour was the last extensive one and that Cyrus had staged only two fans-only shows, in Los Angeles and Paris, in recent years. 2 1 Left · 2Both outlets say the second and final night was due on Sunday 18 October, and both put attendance at about 18,000 a night; The Hollywood Reporter added that 1.5 million people joined the online queue for roughly 36,000 tickets. 2 1

Left · 2The set leaned on new material: Variety said Cyrus drew mainly on "Bass Persuades" plus a few songs from 2025's "Something Beautiful", and that nearly half the songs were live debuts, while The Hollywood Reporter counted an 18-song set mixing new and old hits. 1 2 Left · 2Both reviews report that Cyrus let the crowd carry much of the vocals on older hits such as "We Can't Stop" and "Party in the U.S.A.", while singing the new songs with more commitment; The Hollywood Reporter added that "Wrecking Ball" had a new arrangement and that "The Climb" drew one of the biggest reactions. 1 2 Left · 2Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips, a collaborator, joined Cyrus on stage, and The Hollywood Reporter also named Cyrus's fiancé Maxx Morando as a surprise guest; Variety named Model/Actriz as the opening act. 1 2

Left · 2The emotional peak in both reviews was a tearful tribute to Cyrus's godmother Dolly Parton, followed by a cover of "Jolene"; The Hollywood Reporter said Parton died earlier this year and that Cyrus held a small photo of Parton during "Wrecking Ball". 1 2 Left · 2Cyrus spoke to the crowd about balancing performing with a private life; The Hollywood Reporter said Cyrus was honest about not being sure of doing a show of this scale again, and Variety quoted Cyrus saying the walk back from the B-stage through the crowd was "a little bit overwhelming". 2 1 Left · 2The verdicts differ: Variety found the album to have "a few bright moments but lacking the singular vision" of Cyrus's best work and called the show "confounding, oftentimes bizarre and, in the end, strangely entertaining", while The Hollywood Reporter called it "cathartic" and said the hits were lighter on live vocals but "still endlessly enjoyable". 1 2