As soon as the lights dim at the BMO Harris Bradley Center Sunday night, an explosion of noise hits my ears. Tiny lights flicker from all over the stadium as cameras aim to capture any glimpse of the start of the show.
Hundreds upon hundreds of girls, clad in short skirts and leopard print, scream madly at the stage.
The screen on stage is illuminated with a giant picture of Miley Cyrus winking at the audience and sticking her tongue out. Suddenly, the tongue stretches out beyond the screen, becoming a slide and out pops Miley, sliding down her own tongue like a kid in a playground.
The show is just one stop on Cyrus' ongoing "Bangerz" tour.
The music is blasting, but I can barely hear it over the roar that somehow has managed to become even more deafening. The lights flash as Cyrus makes her way center stage and begins to sing.
The audience is comprised mostly of girls, all dressed in the appropriate Miley attire. Some have adopted the short, blond boy cut, and others have made do with decorating their outfit with Miley Cyrus’ face, tongue and all.
While many appear to be about high school age, others look like they could be in college. Regardless of age, they all chatter away excitedly, snapping pictures of the colorful, balloon-decked stage and, of course, themselves.
The concert is a success, complete with twerking, a golden car, a giant silver dog that fills almost the entire stage and an enormous flying hot dog.
Miley undertakes several costume changes, all of which are scandalous, teetering on the edge of partial nudity. It is not necessarily distasteful, but anyone who showed up expecting the Disney-era Cyrus probably suffered a heart attack.
There is one outfit that stands out in particular. It resembles a leaf-green bathing suit and is bedazzled with gold, orange and green sequin marijuana leaves. Around her neck, Cyrus wears a gigantic, diamond-studded pot leaf, as if the reference wasn’t already obvious.
It's clear that the child star has grown up, and like any other 21-year-old, Cyrus is experimenting with new ideas. With her Disney days behind her, she is embracing her crazy side and is all about putting on a good show for her fans in her own unique style.
Her music has matured and is now pumped full of sexuality and pieces of pop culture. It's time to let Hannah Montana go and make room for her edgy and talented counterpart: Miley Cyrus.
The girls of ICONA POP, who opened the show, did a spectacular job of warming up the crowd, wandering the stage and waving to those in front. Their catchy, upbeat tunes almost made me forget who I was really there to see.
