Miley Cyrus kicked off Super Bowl Sunday rocking the stage at the TikTok Tailgate held before Sunday’s (February 7) big game, where she performed for a group of vaccinated healthcare workers who were invited to the game by the NFL to thank them for all their efforts in battling COVID-19 over the past year.
“Thank you so much! Welcome to the TikTok Tailgate everybody. This is my first show in about a year, and I couldn’t imagine a better way to do this than in Tampa, surrounded by healthcare heroes,” Miley greeted the crowd. “We are so appreciative of you and all your diligence. And for that, we’re going to rock hard!”
Miley kicked off her performance with the Toni Basil classic “Hey Mickey” – which she changed to “Hey Miley” – followed by her Dua Lipa collab, “Prisoner.” The almost one-and-a-half-hour set saw the 28-year-old singer belting out old hits and new songs from Plastic Hearts, as well as the appearance of some surprise guests like Billy Idol and Joan Jett.
When Miley performed her 2013 hit, “Wrecking Ball,” she seemed to be emotional from the start of the ballad and appeared to struggle to perform the song. Part-way through, she ended up breaking down, admitting, it “never gets easier.”
She tried to jump back in, but had to stop again for a few lines to compose herself. Miley eventually powered through and finished the song, opening up about her feelings to the audience afterwards.
“Thank you guys,” Miley addressed the crowd. “You guys would know much more about this than me, about medicine, and you know, sometimes we have to take a big spoonful of our own.”
She proceeded to talk about “Wrecking Ball,” which she says is about “feeling completely broken and shattered,” sharing how much it meant to her that her fans related to those lyrics.
The breakup ballad is believed to be about her ex-husband Liam Hemsworth and their 2013 breakup. Although the two later reconciled and got married, they ended up separating in August 2019 after 8 months of marriage, finalizing their divorce in January 2020.
“I wear a lot of glitter and I wear a lot of armor, but I also wear my heart on my sleeve, and it gets broken a lot,” she confessed.
Miley closed out her set by performing “The Climb,” which she shares is “about never giving up and never giving in.”
“Everytime I feel like giving up, like it’s not worth the fight, I’m going to think of you,” she told the audience. “I want to thank you. You are our heroes. You are an idol of mine. I look up to you. I hope one day I can see you all again and sing some more songs for you. it has been my deepest honor and privilege, and I will never forget it. Gratitude.”
