Miley Cyrus' BANGERZ tour rolled into Toronto last night, less like a wrecking ball than a d-lysergic call to arms, replete with dancers of all shapes and sizes, including a little person and veritable giant, a gold-plated, cash-spewing car, her famed space kitten, an arena-high inflatable dog, an orgy-sized bed, furries, laser baby, a massive muppet, Abraham Lincoln, cowboy costumes, animation by Ren & Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi, a seven-piece band, giant bobble-headed rappers, countless barely-there bodysuits and a cover of "Jolene" that would make her godmother Dolly Parton pretty proud.
Oh, and Miley also emerged onto the stage sliding down a giant tongue, cheerfully spat water onto the front rows, line-danced during "Do My Thang," crooned a bunch of ballads -- including singing "Adore You" to dancers in a two-person horse costume while underage girls throughout the arena made out with each other for the "kiss cam" -- and eventually exited flying in the air on a giant hot dog.
It was, for all intents and purposes, Cirque de Soleil as filtered through a drug-soaked, sex-crazed, party-driven teen with more money than God. But the surrealist spectacle was just that -- a spectacle, or as Miley described it, a "good-ass party."
But Cyrus is a show-woman, not a showgirl as some dismiss her. As much as her butt was proudly on display -- though she resorted to twerking only briefly during concert highlight "23" -- her vocals were, too. The hockey arena sound didn't do her any favours early on, an the insane audience screaming didn't help, but unlike her contemporaries she didn't use backing tracks and, midway through the show, delivered a seated set on a secondary stage that let her truly show off her powerful pipes.
As she doesn't yet have enough songs to fill a two-hour concert, Cyrus used this opportunity to do covers. Would have been nice if she'd paid tribute to hometown hero Drake with a take on "Hold On, We're Going Home," but hard to complain with Bob Dylan's "Lonesome When You Go," Lana Del Rey's "Summertime Sadness," Coldplay's "The Scientist" and that killer "Jolene."
Which is not to discount her own songs. Show opener "SMS (Bangerz)," country-rap tune "4X4" and her statement-of-purpose song "Love Money Party" were both delivered with enough oomph to drive the 99 per cent female crowd into a frenzy. (The gender divide was so pronounced that most of the men's rooms were turned into women's washrooms for the night.)
And though the show did drag a bit due to not having enough actual bangers to draw from, she encored with two of last year's best songs, "We Can't Stop" and "Wrecking Ball," the latter of which had everyone in the Air Canada Centre screaming along to the rafters (and may have permanently damaged my hearing. Seriously, do you hear that ringing?!?)
"Party in the USA," her first post-"Hannah Montana" hit ended the show on a bit of an anti-climax, albeit an upbeat one with red, white and blue confetti, a little person dressed as the liberty bell, two dancers dressed as Mount Rushmore (!) and Miley adorned in a cowgirl hat and an American flag bodysuit while singing about Jay-Z on the radio.
But while she may never have the critical credibility that Jay enjoys, she does seem poised to match his longevity. People like to dismiss pop music as pointless fluff and pop singers as equally ephemeral. And, yes, much of it is just that. But not all.
This tour is not just about making money or selling singles, it's about Miley claiming her crown as pop music's new queen -- as weird as Gaga, but less pretentious, as charming as Britney but can actually sing, as sexy as Katy but with better songs.
She's not totally there yet, but she's 21 and a total pro. Miley may be playing up the parental advisory provocation -- which, based on the scantily clad, sold-out crowd, is very appealing to females in their teens and twenties -- as a fun means of sloughing off her Disney image. But while she sings "I'm a female rebel, can't you tell?" she's not as reliant on it as critics think.
Gaga's career is faltering because eventually shock wears off, but Miley's tour makes clear she's talented at a lot more than twerking, even if she needs more strong songs to fill out her setlist. But once she has a few more albums in her arsenal, she can't be stopped.
