Watch Miley Cyrus Go All Out in Her Super Bowl Pre-Game Performance
Miley Cyrus took the stage ready to rock today. She appeared, at the 3:30 p.m. E.T. TikTok Tailgate Super Bowl pre-game livestream, wearing a rhinestone-studded black and pink cheerleader uniform with
'FTW' across the chest. The outfit was complete with pink knee pads and heeled black boots. She kicked off the show with "Hey, Micky," substituted with "Hey, Miley."
She moved into "Prisoner," her song with Dua Lipa from Plastic Hearts, and was later joined onstage by Billy Idol, who sang their duet "Night Crawling." They transitioned into Idol's 1982 hit "White Wedding."
Cyrus also gave a performance of Blondie's "Heart of Glass," saying that the artist was one of the artists who influenced her on her latest album. She also sang "Head Like a Hole" by Nine-Inch Nails, saying "there's a first-time for everything. After she performed "Jolene," she gave a shout-out to her "fairy godmother," Dolly Parton. "If you can't tell that we're related, rhinestones run in the family," she said, pointing to her blinged-out outfit.
Idol wasn't Cyrus's only special guest onstage: the rock icon Joan Jett joined Cyrus onstage for their song, "Bad Karma. They also did duets of "Bad Reputation," and I Hate Myself for Loving You." At this point, Cyrus had changed into a black and pink football jersey, with matching football pants and black heels.
"When folks think of football weekend, they don't always think strong women, but after this I thinks they will," Cyrus said, after Jett left the stage.
No fiery performance like this would be complete without Bikini Kill's "Rebel Girl," which Cyrus performed with a passion of which the "riot grrrl" band would be proud.
This Super Bowl show comes just a couple of months after Cyrus released Plastic Hearts in the middle of a pandemic, which means a big national tour was out of the question. Tonight, she performed for a special audience: healthcare workers who have been on the frontlines of this crisis.
"This is my first show in about a year, and I could not imagine a better way than here in Tampa surrounded by all these healthcare heroes," she said, referring to the local and national healthcare providers in the audience. She continued later: "I hope I can have more like these [concerts]. And that dream will only be a reality because of people like yourselves...Our gratitude toward you is infinite." She added that she released Plastic Hearts knowing that she "might never get to perform it live" for her fans.
During the show, she shouted out local hospitals, whose workers were attending the event. "It's my honor to perform for you, and a dedication of a song can never repay you for a service, she said, before launching into her song "High." "You, like a neon light, shining though a door that I can't keep closed," the song lyrics read, in part. She also dedicated her song "Angels Like You" to the crowd.
In what was a full set of both covers and her own music, Cyrus was sure to include her older songs, such as her 2009 hit "Party in the U.S.A," "The Climb" (2009), "Wrecking Ball" (2013). "I wear a lot of glitter, and I wear a lot of armor, but I also wear my heart on my sleeve," she said, calling for unity, "coming together, the power being in all of us, not one of us."
At the end of her set, which she finished with "The Climb," she said, "I try not to be too selfish, but I needed this as much as anybody else."
Ahead of her performance, Cyrus posted photos of all the prep she did to get ready, including singing "Rebel Girl" while running on a treadmill.
She also posted this walking video of herself singing "Plastic Hearts" from her 2020 album of the same name.
As she flew to Tampa to attend the Super Bowl, she took a video of her Super Bowl LV-ready nails on the wall of the plane. "Party in the U.S.A." played over the video.
She also posted this adorable shot of young Miley, all ready for a football game with her cheerleading pom-poms.
It seems as if young Miley would be a big fan of 28-year-old Miley's look and tonight.