It's been forever since I've gotten to do a concert review, and what's a more fitting return than Miley Cyrus? Ever since Miley announced her Bangerz Tour I had been toying with the idea of going. I really wasn't sure I wanted to spend that amount of money when I wasn't sure if the show would even be worth going to. Boy, was I wrong.

A friend and I had talked about going but we decided it was just a lot of money to spend. Then comes Tuesday, two days before Miley's show in East Rutherford, NJ, and my favorite website Hypable gets a pair of tickets and decides to give them away in a contest. Naturally I decided to enter, and lo and behold the next day I got an email saying I was going to the show! After minutes of flailing about in ecstasy, I got in touch with my friend Carol and made travel plans.

So we get to the venue and naturally we pick up some merch because how can you go to a Miley concert and not get a shirt with her sticking out her tongue on it? We made our way to our seats, but as soon as we found them we turned around and walked to the other side of the venue. I didn't expect much from free tickets and of course they were situated behind the stage (who the hell wants to sit there?). We went to the back of the venue and quickly found seats that gave us a straight view of the stage. Not bad at all.
Sky Ferreira took the stage first and what a travesty that was. People hail her as some kind of musical god, but I've never gotten into her. She played a couple songs that were quasi catchy in a '90s nostalgia kind of way, but she literally had no stage presence. I was watching the lights instead of her. Thankfully Icona Pop were up next, and they knocked my socks off. Those girls are not to be messed with. They performed all their singles, including their brand new one, 'It's My Party', that they had literally released two days before. Hearing their Swedish beats blasting through the arena was incredible and such an adrenaline rush. And then they ended with 'I Like It' and all was right with the world.
After far too long of an intermission, the lights dimmed and the anticipation and energy in the arena skyrocketed. Miley's face showed up on the screen as her eyes and mouth went crazy, and as the music amped up her mouth began opening and a long pink tongue made its decent. The tongue is actually a slide, and once it came all the way out, Miley popped out of her own mouth, waved frantically to the crowd, and then slid down the tongue. It was quite epic and I'd say it even rivals Britney's entrance on her The Circus Starring: Britney Spears tour. The opening notes of her Britney-assisted track 'SMS (Bangerz)' started and we were off.
What followed was ninety minutes of sheer outrageousness like only Miley could deliver. She had everything from fake Miley money to a giant bed where she had an orgy with her dancers to a giant Sesame Street puppet to outrageous multi-colored costumes. It was one energetic, crazed performance after another, but it was exhilarating. I went into the show not expecting much, but Miley proved to me that night that she's an entertainer and she's indisputably the leading pop star at the moment.

One of my favorite aspects of the show was how diverse it was. Bangerz is largely a hip-hop/rap album with an infusion of dance, but for the show Miley amped up her country roots with songs like '4x4' and 'Do My Thang'. But then songs like 'Drive' and 'Someone Else' were highlights of the night as her voice soared over the massive synths and pulsing beats that were amplified in the live arena. Her energy was high and she never let us forget that she was having the time of her life with her crass body movements and usage of the F-bomb. But hey, she's just being Miley, ya'll!
Things got mellow many times throughout the night though. Miley's dog just passed away a few days before the show and it affected her hard. She broke into tears many times, and let us all know that she was struggling to put on a smiling face. The pain was evident but she channelled it into her music, making those tender moments even more beautiful. Her acoustic portion of the show included a Bob Dylan track, Dolly Parton's 'Jolene' and the iconic Lana Del Rey anthem 'Summertime Sadness'. It was during this time that Miley's vocals took center stage and she proved why she's up there on that stage performing. As much as her antics may make headlines, she's got the goods to back her up and no one can take that away.

What made this show special for me though was that I came away with a new appreciation for her music. A concert is meant to give you that intimate connection with an artist, and Miley's show made me feel her music unlike any other show I've ever been to. Songs like 'On My Own', 'Someone Else' and 'F U' had always been good, but hearing and seeing them live gave me a whole new respect for them. 'Someone Else' sounds completely different than the studio version and was one of the major highlights of the show. And she rides out of the stadium on a giant hot dog during that song so how could you not have a greater appreciation for it?
Even though she didn't perform 'Party In the U.S.A.' she gave us 'Can't Be Tamed' with a massive replica of her dog. It was the only reminder of Miley's past music career, but Carol and I both freaked out when it came on and Miley slayed that song so it did her past justice. Miley is a much different artist than she used to be five years ago and I respect her so much more. The Bangerz Tour was full of extravagances like bobble head rappers and lots and lots of twerking, but it's a show that I'm never going to forget. Miley is the undisputed leader of the pop scene at the moment as far as I'm concerned.