She’s pop’s good girl gone bad, the former star of kids’ TV who now delivers the kind of onstage performances you wouldn’t want your child to see.
Miley Cyrus, formerly known as Hannah Montana, brought her Bangerz tour to Dublin's O2 last night, and thousands of teenagers lapped up her raunchy stage show, which featured lots of her trademark "twerking" and plenty of appearances from her famous tongue, now a celebrity in its own right.
Her onstage antics have set many a tongue wagging in disapproval, but any tut-tutting was drowned out by Cyrus’s loud and lewd show, and judging by the screams that greeted her appearance, her star status has overshadowed her bad role model role.
A giant Monty Pythonesque image of Cyrus’s face dominated the stage, and out of its open mouth snaked a giant version of her tongue.
Cyrus slid down and began the night’s descent into bacchanalia with Bangerz, the title track from her current album.
It didn’t take long for a blow-up doll to be thrown onstage, and it took even less time for Cyrus to start pointing at her crotch, as if anyone in the audience still didn’t know where it was. Bangerz was followed by a barn dance, her troupe of dancers taking line-dancing to low places.
Hollywood yoga
Love Money Party was the money shot, Cyrus lying on the roof of a gold car, legs wide apart while fake money flew about the place. Must be some kind of Hollywood yoga class.
Next a big bed onstage and this one could hold quite a few half-dressed dancers, with Cyrus in pole position in the middle.
Can’t Be Tamed featured a giant inflatable dog, somewhat begging the metaphor there; for Adore You, Cyrus encouraged the audience to use their own tongues in a giant snoggathon. Not sure who was the winner here.
To her credit, Cyrus has a fine voice, and her songs hold up on their own without accompanying R-rated visuals.
She might not be as arty as Lady Gaga, but she makes Britney Spears look like an amateur – remember when we were shocked by her? And for all the crotch-grabbing and dirty talk, this is a well-oiled music-and-dance show, with no shortage of X factor.
