Miley Cyrus Pays Tribute to Dolly Parton at Hollywood Bowl Comeback Concert

Miley Cyrus took the stage at the Hollywood Bowl on Friday night for her first public concert in four years. During her 18-song set, Cyrus performed songs from her new album, Bass Persuades, live for the first time and brought out both Model/Actriz and The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne, the latter of whom joined her for performances of “Do You Realize??” and “Karen Don’t Be Sad.”

Another notable moment came when Cyrus paid tribute to her late godmother, Dolly Parton, with a cover of “Jolene.” In an emotional speech before the performance, she recalled the one and only time she got to see Parton in concert as a fan rather than joining her onstage. As it happened, the show took place at the Hollywood Bowl, and despite Cyrus’ desire to enjoy the performance anonymously, Parton playfully embarrassed her by calling her out from the audience after covering a Hannah Montana song.

“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 she’s right here beside me every day, all the time, more than she ever could be when she was physically here—I feel her more now than ever. And knowing that I get to share this story with you all makes that night so worth it,” Cyrus said.

“This memory is gold to me. Me and Dolly, we are eternal. Nothing in this life could ever tear us apart, and I’m gonna see her again. And I can’t fucking wait, because I miss her.”

Cyrus has another show at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday night, but no additional dates have been confirmed. However, during a recent interview with Apple Music, she didn’t rule out more live performances, though she suggested she’s more inclined to do residencies than traditional tours. “This is the ultimate dress rehearsal. I’ve learned now through the [ticket] queue that my calculations are correct and people will come to me. I don’t need to drive to you. Proven, that was a quick test. I win. So this is perfect because people like to see me perform and I like to sleep in my marshmallow bed so we can both be happy.”

Homenagem completa de Miley Cyrus para Dolly Parton com “Jolene”. 🥹 pic.twitter.com/LacqiA2Yjp

— Miley Now (@hqmileynow) October 17, 2026

Orbit
Different Religion (with Model/Actriz)
Bass Persuades + Remixx
Handstand
Something Beautiful
Jolene (Dolly Parton Cover)
Walk of Fame
Redlights
Do You Realize?? (with Wayne Coyne)
Karen Don’t Be Sad (with Wayne Coyne)
We Can’t Stop
Wrecking Ball
Snow
Used to Be Young
The Climb
Party in the USA
Let’s Get Married
Flowers

Miley Cyrus’ Speech About Dolly Parton

“One of the main reasons that I wanted to perform at the Hollywood Bowl, above every single one, is that I only got to see Dolly Parton live in concert one time in my entire life, and it was here.

I spent a lot of time backstage, and if she had it her way, I would be standing right beside her in a matching costume. And so, when I was coming to the show at the Bowl to see her, I said, ‘You know, I would love a night where I can just experience you—just enjoy you like the rest of the world has gotten to. So, Dolly, I don’t want to perform tonight; I just want to sit in my seat and watch the show like everybody else.’ She said, ‘Okay, Miley.’ That never means okay.

So I’m sitting in my seat back there where some of you are, and all of a sudden, Dolly enters—and I hear ‘The Best of Both Worlds.’ Yeah, Dolly opened the show performing Hannah Montana!

Well, that’s not even the end of the story. She comes out and she goes, like a proud aunt, ‘I don’t know if y’all know this, but my goddaughter is Hannah Montana, and she’s actually here tonight! But she’s sitting out in her seat—she didn’t want anyone to bug her. She said she just wanted to watch the show!’

Which completely defeated the entire purpose of the conversation we had just had, because absolutely no one was aware that I was at the concert until she drew an obnoxious amount of attention to it!

But 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 she’s right here beside me every day, all the time, more than she ever could be when she was physically here—I feel her more now than ever. And knowing that I get to share this story with you all makes that night so worth it.

This memory is gold to me. Me and Dolly, we are eternal. Nothing in this life could ever tear us apart, and I’m gonna see her again. And I can’t fucking wait, because I miss her.”