Miley Cyrus Answers Hollywood Bowl Critics: 'I Am Fully Present'

Miley Cyrus heard the chatter about her comeback concert, and she answered it the best way she knows how: live, on stage, straight to the fans.

Miley Cyrus addresses online criticism towards her Hollywood Bowl show this past Friday: “It is hard for me to stand up here and do this show. It does not come as natural as it once did…. But one thing I will not stand is any question about where my heart is when I’m on the… pic.twitter.com/gGRLwHozQ4

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) October 19, 2026

Miley Cyrus considered not doing her second show at the Hollywood Bowl after her first concert sparked "clickbait" criticisms on social media.

"I’ve never heard that I don’t put my heart into something," Cyrus told the crowd at her second show. "I’m a lot of things and we’re… pic.twitter.com/cOZZEENZxJ

— Variety (@Variety) October 19, 2026

Miley Cyrus performs “The Climb” at her sold-out concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/vWhqTy2AXX

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) October 17, 2026

At her second Hollywood Bowl show on Sunday night, the singer addressed online videos that criticized her first Bowl concert on Friday. "I can take a lot, but one thing I will not stand is any question about where my heart is when I'm on the stage. Not one. I am fully present," she told the crowd, according to Rolling Stone and Billboard.

What the critics said

Friday's show was a big deal. Rolling Stone reported that Cyrus had not performed live in four years before that night, and Billboard called it her first full concert in that time. (Billboard also noted that she recently changed her stage name to the mononym Miley.)

Afterward, some videos online claimed she was not fully present and did not sing every word of her songs, according to both outlets. Cyrus did not name anyone, but she made it clear what she thought of that commentary.

"I've never heard that I don't put my heart into something," she said, per Rolling Stone. "I don't know if any of you heard that. That somebody was doing commentary to get clickbait on their video talking about my show on Friday night, but I'm a lot of things and we're not even going to entertain that."

Rolling Stone added that she also joked about the criticism during her recent single "Bass Persuades," quipping that she had forgotten she was supposed to sing every word.

"It does not come as natural as it once did"

What made the moment so powerful was how honest she was. Cyrus told the audience that getting back on stage has been genuinely hard.

"It is hard for me to stand up here and do this show," she said, according to Billboard. "It does not come as natural as it once did to me before. Because, like all of us, we change, we evolve, we grow, and we find what gets to come with us. What continues to fit."

She also wanted fans to know they matter. "You all are more to me than an experiment. That is absolutely not what this is," she said, per Billboard. "This is not an experiment of you. This is an experience for me. You all make the experience possible."

Rolling Stone reported that she said anytime she has done something that is a stepping stone in her life or career, it has been "controversial."

Almost didn't happen

In one of the most candid moments of the night, Cyrus admitted that before she walked out to open Sunday's show with "Orbit," a ballad from Bass Persuades, she had already convinced herself the gig was not going to happen, Billboard reported.

"I was gonna run away, but never would I leave you all sitting in these seats unfulfilled from a show," she said. Billboard reported that the line got the crowd chanting "Miley! Miley! Miley!"

A comeback with friends

Friday's set had its own special moments too. According to Billboard, it featured a cameo from opening act Model-Actriz and an appearance by the Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne, who performed "Do You Realize??" and "Karen Don't Be Sad," a song from their 2015 joint project Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz.

What's next

Rolling Stone reported that Cyrus does not currently have any further tour dates scheduled. Her latest album, Bass Persuades, came out in September.

For fans who were there, Sunday felt less like a response to critics and more like a heart-to-heart. She is doing these shows on her own terms, and she wants everyone in the seats to know she means every minute of it.

She is not the only pop star getting real this week. Read how Selena Gomez opened up about quitting vaping and how her voice changed.