Kind of Awesome: Miley Cyrus covers The Smiths in Philly on Saturday night
On Saturday night, pop star Miley Cyrus headlined the Wells Fargo Center in a reportedly outrageous performance that involved a tongue-shaped-slide, a hot dog that flew around the arena – wait, wait, does this mean she took a page from Phish? – confetti cannons, nine costume changes and The Smiths’ “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out.”
In the final third of the set, during a cluster of covers that also included Coldplay’s “The Scientist,” Cyrus dropped her rendition of this 80s anthem of isolation and introversion. Which on the one hand might seem counter to the singer’s ostentatiousness, and I’m sure many a music snob might turn their nose up at her perceived misappropriation of a cherished classic or whatever. She even acknowledges, in her cheeky introduction, that the song was probably not one her audience was familiar with – “I know they’re you’re all time favorite band, and you know every word.”
But, I mean, a good song is a good song. Cyrus and her band do it justice – listen to her belt the lyrics when the second verse kicks in at 2:10. And, given his noted embracement of celebrity and pop culture, I feel like Morrissey would probably be cool with this as well. Watch a video of the cover below via Philly concert videographer Joe Burns (aka Pilgrms Progress) and check out more video from the performance at his YouTube channel.