Something to smile about.
Miley Cyrus brought sequins, feathers and plenty of her sparkling personality to the historic Ryman Auditorium in her hometown of Nashville to celebrate Pride Month with a special Peacock concert event. From disco covers to drag queen performers, Miley Cyrus Presents Stand By You is a moving tribute to the long "Climb" for LGBTQ+ rights and representation. Plus, it was one heck of a party!
Special guests Maren Morris, Little Big Town, Brothers Osborne, Orville Peck, Mickey Guyton and more stars aligned to share a message of love and acceptance. And yes, there were plenty of "Dancing Queen"s.
"This feels like a peaceful protest," Miley shared on Instagram on June 23 ahead of the streaming premiere. "There are laws endangering the lgbtq+ community all around the country and even here in my home state - We can't stop and we won't stop doing everything in our power to create the changes we want to see not just here but AROUND THE WORLD! You've gotta start somewhere! So I've begun in Nashville, TN for my #mileypridespecial coming to @peacocktv June 25th!"
Check out our 16 favorite moments from Stand By You below!
Miley Cyrus Presents Stand By You is streaming now on Peacock.
(E! and Peacock are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
Miley Cyrus kicked off her Stand By You concert with a special rhyming country folk song in honor of the Peacock streaming Pride event. "We're here at the Ryman in Tennessee for a Peacock special from yours truly, who was raised not far from this shiny stage," Miley sang. "Known for being too glam to give a damn, I guess you can say it's in my genes."
Miley continued that she hoped to not "let Dolly down" in reference to her iconic godmother Dolly Parton, later crooning, "It's my love and admiration for this community. Yeah, I brought guests and I got jokes but that's not all that's happening here, folks!"
Miley got a little help from drag queen pals Jaidynn Diore Fierce and Kylie Sonique Love while belting out "Believe" by Cher. "Happy Pride, everybody!" Miley shouted.
Miley shared her excitement at performing again following the height of the coronavirus pandemic. "I just want to say after this last year and a half, I think we can all use some good, ol' entertaining escapism and I'm just happy and honored to be the one to to serve an hour of flamboyant fantasy, honey!" Miley announced. "But the LGBTQ+ community that we're here to celebrate and honor is constantly experiencing the struggles that some of us had only had to face due to COVID-19, such as isolation, being distanced or removed from our families, or feeling a loss of freedom in lockdown."
Miley continued, "Hate and justice and inequality is a global pandemic all on its own. This community and the rights of individuals a part of it are at risk. Lockdown does not have to be physical. What about when you are not able to move freely as your expressive self because of violence or judgment?" Her non-profit foundation Happy Hippie works to "erase the hate and replace it with freedom" for LGBTQ+ youth.
Country superstar group Little Big Town joined Miley onstage for a cover of "True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper.
Miley introduced her hit "My Heart Beats For Love" before her performance. "This next song is off a record of mine called Can't Be Tamed, which was about my own personal self-expression and freedom," she explained. "This song is one that I wrote for a friend of mine that was struggling to come out in 2010. There is still so much progress to be made."
Brothers Osborne rocked out with Miley while covering Pat Benatar's "We Belong". Miley added after the song, "We do belong, all of us."
Madonna fans rejoiced as Miley belted out a medley of beloved hits including "Music," "Express Yourself" and "Like A Prayer."
Orville Peck joined Miley for a steamy cover of "Cowboy Take Me Away" by The Chicks.
Peck, in his signature face covering, danced close with Miley, who sexily teased, "You look so damn good. I can't see your face but it ain't gonna matter when the lights are off."
Later, Miley reflected on the progress of acceptance. "It might not feel like it all the time but we have made a lot of progress in recent years," she started, citing the legalization of gay marriage in 2015 and record number of LGBTQ+ Olympic athletes and lawmakers. "This is a celebration...We are seeing our community represented more and more in all of its beautiful diversity in culture, politics and leadership."
Maren Morris and Miley were the perfect duet on ABBA's "Dancing Queen" and even Miley was starstruck! "She's everything," the Grammy nominee gushed about Maren.
Fans went wild as Miley sang "We Can't Stop" before giving a show-stopping performance of The Pretenders' "I'll Stand By You."
Miley introduced "queen" Mickey Guyton to duet on Blondie's "Heart of Glass." Yet Miley promised that Mickey "doesn't have a heart of glass, but of gold."
Before performing her beloved hit "The Climb," Miley had a moving message for viewers: "Nashville is the home of country music, and country music is all about authentic storytelling, and the more people we welcome in and allow them to be who they are, the more personal stories we will get to hear," she opened up. "I encourage and ask my city to be welcoming to all people because that's who we are and that's what we do."
Miley added, "This next song is about not being discouraged by the distance but being inspired by the journey. Life's a climb but the view is great."
Miley joked, "Don't sue me Shania," while rocking out with pom poms for "Party in the U.S.A." as cheerleaders performed alongside her.
Miley took on Lenny Kravitz's "Freedom" for her final song to close out the show. "It's a song not about what we want, but what we demand," she stressed.
Following her stunning cover of "Freedom," Miley offered one last sentiment for audiences. "Freedom is a basic human right, but right now for some of us, it's more of a privilege and a luxury," Miley concluded. "My dad [Billy Ray Cyrus] always says that a problem clearly defined is half-solved. But we know the issues we're faced with, but now we have to look them fearlessly in the eye and confront generations of bigotry and hatred...We need to combat these issues with education, compassion, brazenness, and above all else, love. Love is always the answer. Love is never wrong."
(This story was originally published on Friday, June 25, 2021 at 5 p.m. PST.)