Miley Cyrus honors Dolly Parton at Hollywood Bowl return

Miley Cyrus honored her late godmother Dolly Parton at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on Friday, October 16, before singing ‘Jolene.’ The tribute came during what Rolling Stone described as Cyrus’s first proper headlining show in about four years, giving her return to the stage a personal focus alongside new music.

Why the Hollywood Bowl mattered to Cyrus

Cyrus told the audience she had once seen Parton perform at the Bowl, according to Variety, and that the memory partly inspired her to play there. Rolling Stone reported that Parton invited Cyrus to perform with her on that occasion. Cyrus became tearful as she recalled it from the edge of the stage before her rendition of ‘Jolene.’

Variety reported that Cyrus subsequently shared a tribute on Instagram reflecting on private moments with Parton, including a final conversation about music and metamorphosis. At the Bowl, the connection was part of the performance itself: Cyrus sang one of Parton’s best-known songs at the venue where she remembered joining her godmother onstage.

New songs and guests at Cyrus’s return

The concert also introduced material from Cyrus’s newly released album ‘Bass Persuades.’ Rolling Stone reported that she opened with ‘Orbit’ and gave four songs from the album their live debut. She later performed the title track from her previous album, 2025’s ‘Something Beautiful,’ as another live debut. Cyrus told the crowd that returning to the stage ‘doesn’t feel as natural as it did’ when touring was a regular part of her life.

Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne joined Cyrus on a stage in the audience for the band’s ‘Do You Realize??’ and ‘Karen Don’t Be Sad,’ a song from their ‘Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz’ collaboration, Rolling Stone reported. For the encore, Cyrus performed ‘Let’s Get Married’ with her partner Maxx Morando on drums, followed by ‘Flowers.’

Friday’s show was the first of two sold-out Hollywood Bowl concerts that weekend, according to Rolling Stone. The second was scheduled for Sunday, October 18, which Cyrus said marked 19 years since her first headlining tour.