I'm still in my twenties and don't (yet) consider myself an old stick in the mud. But two hours of Miley Cyrus’ Bangerz tour left me feeling in need of a shower.
I'm not sure whether I was more put off by the expectedly raunchy stage show of Cyrus and her all-too-visible crotch region or the throngs of approximately 16,000 adorers who gyrated, twerked and selfie'd their way through the show. I don't mean to make this my “what's wrong with young people today” speech, but there was something inherently unpleasant about watching the scene play out on Monday night.
First out was the female Swedish duo Icona Pop, who warbled through a string of poppy, unmemorable beats (and a slew of aggressive f-bombs) before launching into their unavoidable hit single, “I Love It.”
Following a short break, the crowd, ranging in age from early teens to late-twenties, reached a deafening pitch as Cyrus emerged in her apparently-signature one-piece bathing suit/negligee. Her opening track, “SMS (Bangerz),” could barely be heard over the overwhelming audience response.
Her 22-song set went heavy on new Miley material, including 13 tracks off the edgy Bangerz and just one indication of her pre-teen queen days (the show-closing “Party in the USA”). The surrounding stage held many of the highly sexualized qualities that typify her present image, including an inflated banana and a massive bed that she crawled around on.
Cyrus, herself, seemed all too at ease with her new persona. In addition to vamping it up with legs spread wide atop the bed, she spat water onto fans seated near the stage and led a ‘Make-Out Cam’ in which she urged her fans to “get as slutty as you can.”
When she wasn't getting needlessly provocative, she actually displayed some serious musical chops. Showcasing her range on songs like “Drive,” Cyrus seemed particularly at home on some Western/Bluegrass offerings. During a stretch of covers, she busted out a powerful version of Dolly Parton's “Jolene,” and a pleasantly twangy take on Bob Dylan's “You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go.”
Unfortunately, those were among the few pleasant moments of the night.
