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Billy Ray Cyrus said “you just had to be there,” after his appearance at the Liberty Ball on President Donald Trump’s Inauguration Day stirred social media comments deeming the performance “heartbreaking,” legitimately concerning” and more.
Cyrus, 63, posted a clip of his “Achy Breaky Heart” performance on Instagram on Wednesday (January 22). He wrote in his caption: “This was the most fun part of the Liberty Ball! And if you didn’t see it… you just had to be there. ‘I just don’t think you understand.’”
Cyrus performed “Achy Breaky Heart” a cappella after his rendition of “Old Town Road,” his genre-blending 2019 collaboration with Lil Nas X. The music video played in the background, but the audience couldn’t hear the country star’s vocals or guitar. He walked around the stage saying, “I think they cut me off. …Is anybody awake? I don’t hear it. Do y’all hear this? Where’s everybody at? Check. Is anyone back there?” Cyrus also noted that fellow country artist Carrie Underwood also experienced technical difficulties at the Inauguration ceremony on Monday (January 20). She performed “America the Beautiful” a cappella, and invited others to sing along with her.
“I wouldn’t have missed the honor of playing this event whether my microphone, guitar and monitors worked or not,” he said in a statement on Instagram on Tuesday (January 21). “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. I was there for the people and we had a blast. That’s called rock n roll!!!”