Miley Cyrus Breaks Down Honoring Dolly Parton at Hollywood Bowl

Miley Cyrus broke down in tears on Friday night while paying tribute to her late godmother Dolly Parton during her first major concert in years at the Hollywood Bowl. The performance, one of two sold-out shows at the Los Angeles venue, opened with the live debut of four songs from her newly released album Bass Persuades, but the evening's emotional center came when she dedicated a cover of Parton's 1973 hit "Jolene" to the country icon, who died on August 25 at age 80.

Cyrus told the crowd that one of the reasons she wanted to play the Hollywood Bowl was a memory of the only time she had seen Parton perform there. She recalled asking her "Aunt Dolly" for a night to simply enjoy the show from the audience, but Parton opened with the Hannah Montana theme song "The Best of Both Worlds" and then announced to the crowd that her goddaughter was sitting in the seats. "Which defeated the entire purpose of the conversation that we had just had, because absolutely no one was aware that I was at the concert until she drew an obnoxious amount of attention to it," Cyrus said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Sitting at the edge of the stage, Cyrus spoke through tears about feeling Parton's presence with her. "Like so many things Dolly did that I didn't understand at the time, sitting here with you all right now, feeling her all around me, knowing that she's right here beside me every day, all the time, more than she could be when she was here, I feel her more now than ever," she said, as reported by Rolling Stone. She added, "This memory is gold to me. Me and Dolly, we are eternal. Nothing in this life could ever tear us apart. And I'm gonna see her again. And I can't fucking wait 'cause I miss her."

Before launching into "Jolene," Cyrus praised Parton's musical legacy. "Some of the greatest music that we have today was written, produced, performed by my Aunt Dolly, and this is one of those songs," she said. Later in the set, during "Wrecking Ball," Cyrus clutched a heart-shaped frame containing a photo of Parton, telling the audience that the 2013 hit was Parton's favorite song of hers, according to Parade.

The concert marked Cyrus's first proper headlining show in about four years and her first time performing at the Hollywood Bowl. The set included tracks from her recent albums, a surprise appearance by Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne, and an encore duet with her fiancé Maxx Morando. Cyrus will return to the venue for a second sold-out show on Sunday, October 18.