Miley Cyrus returned to the stage on Friday, October 17, 2026, for her first major concert in four years, and broke down in tears while honouring the woman who shaped her the most.
The sold-out Hollywood Bowl show was the first of two nights Cyrus was performing at the iconic Los Angeles venue in support of her tenth studio album Bass Persuades.
However, before the music, she stopped to speak about the woman who inspired her to book the venue in the first place, Dolly Parton.
Miley Cyrus told the crowd that the only time she had ever sat and watched Dolly Parton perform live was at the Hollywood Bowl years ago, and rather than having Miley join her on stage, Parton surprised the audience by opening with “The Best of Both Worlds,” the signature hit from Hannah Montana.
“All of a sudden, Dolly enters, but I hear ‘The Best of Both Worlds.’ Yeah, Dolly opened performing Hannah Montana,” Cyrus said, laughing through her tears.
She recalled telling Dolly Parton she wanted to perform at the Hollywood Bowl herself one day, with her godmother responding with an “Okay, Miley”
What followed was a moment that brought the entire bowl to a standstill.
“Like so many things Dolly did that I didn’t understand at the time, sitting here with you all right now, feeling her all around me, knowing that she’s right here beside me every day, all the time, more than she could be when she was here, I feel her more than ever,” Cyrus said, visibly struggling to hold it together.
She brought a tissue to her eye and paused before delivering one of the evening’s most powerful lines.
“Me and Dolly, we are eternal. Nothing in this life could ever tear us apart. And I’m going to see her again, and I can’t f**king wait because I miss her.”
She then led into a full performance of Dolly’s iconic “Jolene”
