LOS ANGELES — Miley Cyrus broke down in tears at the Hollywood Bowl on Friday night, then sang “Jolene” for the godmother she lost less than two months ago.
As the opening notes played, she put a photograph of Dolly Parton on the screen. Parton died on Aug. 25 at 80 after what her representative called a “brief battle with cancer,” and the Bowl show came weeks after Dolly Parton was laid to rest in Nashville.
The story Cyrus told the crowd was small and specific. She once asked “Aunt Dolly” for a night off from being part of the act, a chance to sit in the audience at this same venue and enjoy a Parton show like everyone else. Parton said “Okay, Miley,” which Cyrus joked never means okay. Then Parton opened with “The Best of Both Worlds,” the Hannah Montana hit, and announced that her goddaughter “is Hannah Montana” and was “sitting out in her seat.” Nobody had known Cyrus was there until that moment.
That memory is why Friday mattered beyond a setlist. The Hollywood Reporter reported that Cyrus said she felt Parton “right here beside me” and could not wait to see her again because she missed her, speaking between tears. “Me and Dolly, we are eternal,” she told the room, then introduced the song as one of the greatest pieces of music her “Aunt Dolly” wrote, produced and performed. It follows Reba McEntire’s Emmy tribute to Dolly Parton last month, but this one came from family.
Later in the night she held a heart-shaped frame with an image of Parton during “Wrecking Ball,” which The Hollywood Reporter said was one of Parton’s favorites. Parton’s estate has already announced Dollyfest, a Nashville and London festival planned for 2027, so the public grieving has a long runway.
It was the first of two Bowl nights, and the second is Sunday. Cyrus released her 10th studio album, Bass Persuades, on Sept. 18. The Hollywood Reporter’s account does not say whether the “Jolene” tribute was planned, whether it will return on Sunday, or how large the audience was, and TEH could not find verified video of the moment to check any of it against.
