Billy Ray Cyrus broke his silence after technical issues led to a haphazard performance at Donald Trump's presidential inauguration on Tuesday at the Liberty Ball.
In a statement to People magazine, the country music star described the glitchy show as a "rock 'n' roll" moment.
"I wouldn't have missed the honor of playing this event whether my microphone, guitar and monitors worked or not. I was there because President Donald J. Trump invited me," he said after the performance. "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!!!"
In video of the ordeal, Cyrus was strumming his guitar after playing a video intro to his and Lil Nas X's chart-topping hit "Old Town Road." As the song's audio played, Cyrus struggled, with his guitar and vocals barely audible. At one point, he turned away from the audience for several seconds before returning to the mic, whistling the song's melody and strumming his guitar as the video credits rolled behind him
Cyrus attempted to engage with the audience, encouraging them to clap along, saying, "They told me to kill as much time as possible." Addressing the silent crowd, he asked, "Do y'all want me to sing more or do you just want me to get the hell off the stage? I don't give a damn."
Cyrus then asked, "Is my guitar still on? I think they cut me off. I don't hear my guitar anymore." After saying "check" into his microphone, Cyrus said, "Is anybody awake? I don't hear it. Do y'all hear this? Where's everybody at? Check. Is anyone back there? Can someone turn my guitar back on? We gonna sing a little bit more."
After a guitar tech unsuccessfully tried to fix the technical issue, Cyrus concluded his performance telling fans to "just snap your fingers" as he performed an acapella version of "Achy Breaky Heart" before leaving the stage.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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