“I was there for the people and we had a blast,” the “Old Town Road” singer said while speaking out following his performance, which was called an “epic disaster,” “cringe-worthy,” and a “train wreck” on social media.
Billy Ray Cyrus is speaking out after his bizarre performance at President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
During the Liberty Ball on Monday, the country star took the stage to perform a rendition of his and Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” before he experienced technical difficulties.
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Cyrus, 63, played the guitar and very quietly sang into the microphone, while the 2019 track played through the speakers and the music video appeared on screen. After the song ended, Cyrus then began singing again, performing what appeared to be an acoustic version of the song sans backtrack — before the singer began wandering around the stage while asking the audience to join in.
“They told me to kill as much time as possible,” he said, before saying he was going to perform his 1992 hit, “Achy Breaky Heart.”
However, Cyrus seemed to have technical issues, noting that he thought he may have been “cut off.”
“Check? Is anybody awake?” he then asked, looking backstage, before asking, “Y’all want me to sing more or you want me to just get the hell off the stage?”
After someone joined Cyrus onstage and was seemingly unable to figure out what was wrong, Cyrus said he was going to perform a cappella, praising Carrie Underwood after she had also experienced tech issues during her inauguration performance of “America the Beautiful.”
“In life, when you have technical difficulties, you just gotta keep going, or as President Trump would say, ‘You gotta fight!'” Cyrus told the crowd, who cheered in response.
He then took his microphone off the stand, snapped the beat with his fingers, and sang — although he mainly spoke the lyrics — to “Achy Breaky Heart” while walking around the stage.
Cyrus was subsequently mocked on social media, with people taking to X to share their thoughts on the odd performance and Cyrus’ bizarre behavior.
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“Billy Ray Cyrus’ performance at Donald Trump’s inaugural Liberty Ball is an epic disaster,” a user wrote on X, while others described it as a “train wreck” and “cringe-worthy.”
“So far, the leading contender for ‘Cringiest Moment Of The Year’ has to be Billy Ray Cyrus’ acapella version of ‘Old Town Road’ at Trump’s inauguration,” another critic said. “That performance looked and sounded like s–t.”
Others believed Cyrus’ performance was a “representation” of what is to come under Trump’s second presidency.
“Billy Ray Cyrus’ performance at Trump’s inauguration is the perfect metaphor for the next 4 years,” a person wrote, while another said, “Billy Ray Cyrus bizarre and technical difficulty filled performance at Donald Trump’s Inauguration is the perfect representation of how inept and sad the next 4 years will be.”
Following the criticism, Cyrus spoke out, sharing a statement with PEOPLE. According to the musician, he was “invited” by Trump himself.
“I wouldn’t have missed the honor of playing this event whether my microphone, guitar and monitors worked or not,” he said. “I was there because President Donald J. Trump invited me. I had a ball at the Liberty Ball last night and I’ve learned through all these years when the producer says, ‘You’re on,’ you go entertain the folks even if the equipment goes to hell.”
“I was there for the people and we had a blast. That’s called rock n roll!!!” he added.
