Miley Cyrus Gets Emotional During Star-Studded Super Bowl 2021 TikTok Tailgate Performance
Billy Idol and Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus' certainly has the spirit.
The 28-year-old pop star headlined the TikTok Tailgate at Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Florida, on Sunday, performing hits like "High" and "Edge of Midnight" from her 2020 album Plastic Hearts, as well as past singles including "We Can't Stop."
At one point, while singing her 2013 song "Wrecking Ball," Cyrus got emotional, tearing up and struggling to sing through the popular chorus.
Afterward, she told the audience, "Singing that song, 'Wrecking Ball' about feeling completely broken and shattered ... everyone suffering is different, even everyone's threshold of pain ... I wear a lot of glitter and I wear a lot of armor and I also wear my heart on my sleeve, and it gets broken a lot."
Doug Benc/AP/Shutterstock Miley Cyrus and Billy Idol
Wearing a black and hot pink cheerleader-style skirt and top with matching kneepads and heeled boots, Cyrus covered tracks including Nine Inch Nails' "Head Like a Hole," Dolly Parton's "Jolene," "Heart of Glass" by Blondie.
She was also joined by '80s music icon Billy Idol to perform their song "Night Crawling," as well as rock superstar Joan Jett to sing "Bad Karma." While singing Jett's "Bad Reputation" with the performer, Cyrus stepped out in a new outfit — a glittery, black and pink football uniform.
Portions of Cyrus' performance aired during the CBS Super Bowl LV Pregame Show. While viewers from the U.S. and Canada were able to access the live pre-game content by visiting the @NFL account on TikTok, 7,5000 vaccinated Florida-based health care workers attended the COVID-19 safe hospitality event in-person.
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During the performance, Cyrus called out the names of some of the healthcare groups in attendance, saying "the dedication of this song could never repay you for your services."
Due to the airborne transmission of COVID-19 and case spikes across the country, the CDC continually advises against gatherings of large groups and recommends six feet of distance and face coverings at all times.
Earlier in the day, Cyrus shared some photos from her soundcheck, posing on a pink velvet pool table set up on the decked-out stage. Wrote Cyrus — who was wearing black cowboy boots with her denim cut-off shorts and a green t-shirt — "GAME ON!"
Cyrus also gave fans a look at some of her preparation leading up to the big game, including singing "Rebel Girl" by the band Bikini Kill on the treadmill as a practice in vocal stamina.
Other performers at Super Bowl LV include H.E.R., who will sing "America the Beautiful," and Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan, who will duet on the national anthem.
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This year's halftime show will star the Weeknd, who has said that he will be performing in both the stands and on the field during the show.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs are facing off at Super Bowl LV on Sunday in Tampa. The game will air on CBS at 6:30 p.m. EST.
