- Billy Ray Cyrus performed at one of Donald Trump’s inauguration balls
- He experienced numerous technical errors
- Some fans called it an ‘epic disaster’
Billy Ray Cyrus’s performance during Donald Trump’s Liberty Ball was a bit of a disaster, to say the least.
The country star performed his hit Achy Breaky Heart and a cover of Lil Nas X’s Old Town Road, but he experienced technical issues.
“Is my guitar still on?” he asked the stage crew at one point. “I think they cut me off. I don’t hear my guitar anymore.”
Struggling to get a response, he held up his guitar and said: “Is anyone awake?”
“I don’t hear it? Do y’all hear it?” he asked the crowd. “Is anyone back there? Can somebody turn my guitar back on? We’re going to sing a bit more.
“Y’all want me to sing more or you just want me to get the hell of the stage? I don’t give a damn,” he joked.
Eventually, a crew member came to fix the guitar. “When you have technical difficulties you got to just keep going,” Cyrus quipped. “Or as President Trump would say, you got to fight!”
“Can Trump pardon Billy Ray Cyrus for this performance?”
People watching the inauguration ball also wondered if Cyrus was miming, or if he was drunk.
“Can Trump pardon Billy Ray Cyrus for this performance tonight? Wow,” one X/Twitter user wrote.
Another joked: “Billy Ray Cyrus’ performance at Trump’s inauguration is the perfect metaphor for the next 4 years.”
A third person said: “What did we just witness with Billy Ray Cyrus? I wasn’t sure what I was looking at and had this look on my face.”
Can Trump pardon Billy Ray Cyrus for this performance tonight? Wow.
— Carter Garza (@cgrockstar74) January 21, 2025
watching 50 people try to collect billy ray cyrus from the stage pic.twitter.com/VQM9YKrqhl
— andi (@definitelyandi) January 21, 2025
Billy Ray Cyrus' performance at Trump's inauguration is the perfect metaphor for the next 4 years pic.twitter.com/JYVCpD75y1
— Dave Ryder 🌊💙🌎❄🏳️🌈 (@daveryder) January 21, 2025
What did we just witness with Billy Ray Cyrus? I wasn’t sure what I was looking at and had this look on my face. 🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/cpGuV3kr6r
— Laurie B (@LaurieBarb38950) January 21, 2025
Billy Ray Cyrus, clearly lip-syncing, looks like he crawled out from under a bridge before this weak performance at Donald Trump's inaugural Liberty Ball.
— Art Candee 🍿🥤 (@ArtCandee) January 21, 2025
So embarrassing. pic.twitter.com/wTtPNW4kaX
Billy Ray Cyrus coming out for the ball…. pic.twitter.com/EQ1ytOfpre
— col_catsup (@col_catsup24) January 21, 2025
Who else performed at the inauguration?
Carrie Underwood performed America The Beautiful after Vice President JD Vance took his oath of office.
American rapper Nelly also performed, as did Kid Rock. The Village People were also present as Trump is a known fan of their hit YMCA.
The group wrote on Facebook, “We know this won’t make some of you happy to hear however we believe that music is to be performed without regard to politics.”
“Our song YMCA is a global anthem that hopefully helps bring the country together after a tumultuous and divided campaign where our preferred candidate lost.”
