Billy Ray Cyrus Delivered A Disastrous Performance At Trump’s Liberty Ball

Despite being well-known for his number-one singles, Billy Ray Cyrus‘ January 20 performance at Donald Trump’s Liberty Ball didn’t quite resonate. The 63-year-old singer performed his hits, including “Achy Breaky Heart” and the viral hit “Old Town Road,” with Lil Nas X in Washington, D.C., but the evening descended into what many called an “epic disaster.”

Technical Issues Take Center Stage

Midway through his set, Cyrus ran into some major technical difficulties. After finishing “Old Town Road,” he noticed something was off with his guitar. “Is my guitar still on?” he asked, visibly confused. “I think they cut me off. I don’t hear my guitar anymore.”

Despite holding the instrument up and asking for help, the issue persisted. “Is anyone awake?” Cyrus quipped, glancing backstage. He even turned to the audience, asking, “Do y’all hear it? Is anyone back there? Can somebody turn my guitar back on? We’re going to sing a bit more.”

Adding to the moment, Cyrus joked about the situation: “Y’all want me to sing more or you just want me to get the hell off the stage? I don’t give a damn.”

Eventually, a crew member came to the rescue, and the guitar was fixed. Cyrus brushed it off with humor, saying, “When you have technical difficulties, you got to just keep going. Or as President Trump would say, you got to fight!”

Social Media Doesn’t Hold Back

While Cyrus powered through, social media wasn’t so forgiving. Fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to criticize everything from his voice to his stage presence.

“Billy Ray Cyrus’ performance at Donald Trump’s inaugural Liberty Ball is an epic disaster,” one user wrote. Another chimed in, “That Billy Ray Cyrus ‘performance’ was absolutely pathetic. Worst s*** I’ve seen in a while.”

Some viewers even questioned whether Cyrus was singing live. “Billy Ray Cyrus, clearly lip-syncing, looks like he crawled out from under a bridge before this weak performance,” one person tweeted.

Cyrus’s appearance also became a talking point. Dressed in a black jacket, dark jeans, a colorful scarf, and a cowboy hat, he drew comparisons to Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean. “Billy Ray Cyrus or Captain Jack Sparrow … you tell me,” one person joked. Another wrote, “When did Billy Ray Cyrus turn into Captain Jack Sparrow? What the f*** was that?!?!”

Star-Studded Lineup

Cyrus wasn’t the only performer at Trump’s three inaugural balls. The event also featured acts like Kid Rock, Jason Aldean, the Village People, Rascal Flatts, Parker McCollum, Gavin DeGraw, and Liberty University’s Praise Choir.