Billy Ray Cyrus has broken his silence after being roundly mocked for his disastrous appearance at Donald Trump’s inaugural ball.
The veteran country singer, 62, was panned over his outing at the Liberty Ball at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. hours after the inauguration.
He was targeted by social media users over issues including the authenticity of his performance – which appeared to be plagued with technical difficulties, hours after Carrie Underwood also saw glitches impact her rendition of America The Beautiful.
Now Cyrus, 63, has issued a statement addressing his own botched stage show, which included his songs Old Town Road and Achy Breaky Heart.
‘I wouldn’t have missed the honor of playing this event whether my microphone, guitar and monitors worked or not,’ he defiantly told People.
‘I was there because President Donald J. Trump invited me. 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.’
Billy Ray Cyrus has broken his silence after being roundly roasted for his disastrous appearance at Donald Trump’s inaugural ball
He concluded his statement by putting a positive spin on the debacle, declaring: ‘I was there for the people and we had a blast. That’s called rock n roll!!!’
During the Liberty Ball, following a performance of the song Old Town Road, Cyrus could be heard discussing technical issues with the stage crew.
He was heard saying, ‘Is my guitar still on? I think they cut me off. I don’t hear my guitar anymore.’
Cyrus at one point gestured to his guitar and asked crew members, ‘Is anyone awake?’
He continued, ‘I don’t hear it? Do ya’ll hear it? Is anyone back there? Can somebody turn my guitar back on? We’re going to sing a bit more.’
At one point, a frustrated Cyrus conceded he was losing interest in continuing to perform.
‘Y’all want me to sing more or you just want me to get the hell of the stage?’ he said. ‘I don’t give a damn.’
After a technician remedied the situation, Cyrus referenced the Commander in Chief, saying, ‘When you have technical difficulties you got to just keep going – or as President Trump would say, you got to fight!’
The veteran country singer, 62, was panned over his outing at the Liberty Ball at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. hours after the inauguration
In another awkward sequence, Cyrus’ silhouette was seen walking around on the stage while the music played behind him
In another awkward sequence, Cyrus’ silhouette was seen walking around on the stage while the music played behind him.
‘That is just plain embarrassing,’ one social media user said. ‘What, Milli Vanilli wasn’t available?’
Social media users appeared to be disappointed in the technically-hindered performance in their feedback, with one user called the outing ‘possibly the cringiest few minutes in entertainment history.’
One user said it was ‘so embarrassing’ watching Cyrus was ‘giving a trainwreck performance’ Monday as he was ‘clearly lip-syncing’ and disheveled in appearance.
After a technician fixed Cyrus’ guitar, he said, ‘When you have technical difficulties you got to just keep going – or as President Trump would say, you got to fight!’
The nature of criticism at Cyrus for his outing Monday did not appear to be politically-driven, as supporters of the incoming president lobbed insults in his direction
One user noted how both Cyrus and Underwood were impacted by glitches
Social media users appeared to be disappointed in the technically-hindered performance in their feedback
The user noted that it appeared Cyrus was ‘bizarrely [wandering] around the stage,’ adding, ‘How embarrassing for him.’
Another person said the musical artist didn’t seem to understand that wore out his welcome, writing, ‘OMG – Billy Ray Cyrus isn’t leaving.’
The nature of criticism at Cyrus for his outing Monday did not appear to be politically-driven, as supporters of the incoming president lobbed insults in his direction.
‘I’m embarrassed for you @billyraycyrus,’ one user said. ‘This is a disgrace to our President and our country get off [the] stage.’
Another said, ‘I just watched them try to pull him off stage for 5 mins … they even killed the lights on him. Thank you Fox for filming that entire scene. Had me crying.’
Asked one user: ‘Can Trump pardon Billy Ray Cyrus for this performance tonight? Wow.’
