It was probably intended as a chance for an old legend to show a young upstart how to do it. But the hotly anticipated duet between Madonna and Miley Cyrus on MTV Unplugged (taped in Los Angeles on Tuesday and aired nationwide on Wednesday) ended up feeling more like a passing of the pop torch.
At the end of the hour-long broadcast, the two joined forces on a mash-up of the material girl’s single “Don’t Tell Me” and Cyrus’ hit “We Can’t Stop.” With her black outfit and rhinestone-encrusted cowboy hat, Madge came suitably dressed for her cameo but her voice was where she fell short. The 55-year-old has never been a great singer and next to Miley’s impressive range and stage presence, she was undoubtedly humbled. Madonna’s best days are behind her, but Miley’s best days are clearly still to come.
It wasn’t just this duet that suggested Miley’s career is still to peak. The show was well-judged balance between the surreal and the sublime throughout.
Over the last six months, Miley Cyrus has mastered the art of creating “WTF?” moments that get the world gossiping. Even though we’ve come to expect it, the 21-year-old delivered more confusion early on as she strode on to the stage wearing a red and white gingham outfit with a blonde wig. Miley then proceeded to make Unplugged look like a deranged barnyard hoedown; a twerk here, a dancing little person there, and a pantomime horse seemingly everywhere. The MTV franchise has long been associated with sullen looking musicians sitting limply on stools, but that was never going to be how Miley did things.
Cyrus gets continually criticized for behaving in an over-sexualized manner but these are antics that only people who haven’t had sex would find sexy. Cyrus’ ass-slapping, horse-straddling shtick was more in the high-camp spirit of Benny Hill, designed to make you laugh rather than to turn you on. Unless of course you have a weird thing for people in horse costumes.
Once she had everyone’s attention, Miley moved in for the kill and showcased some of the best songs from last year’s “Bangerz” album. The stripped down set allowed her majestic voice to dominate, particularly during the Fleetwood Mac-esque “Rooting For My Baby,” a dramatic version of the album standout “Drive” and her signature track “Wrecking Ball.”
Although the costumes and décor were a tongue-in-cheek tribute to her country roots, Miley took a moment to pay a genuine homage to that upbringing by singing a flawless version of “Jolene”- written and performed originally by her Godmother Dolly Parton. “I tried to bring Nashville here tonight,” exclaimed Miley. In her own bizarre and entertaining way, she did just that.