Billy Ray Cyrus breaks silence on his performance at Trump's inaugural ball: 'You just gotta keep going'
WASHINGTON, DC: Billy Ray Cyrus, 63, has opened up on his disastrous performance during Donald Trump's inaugural festivities on Monday, January 20.
The country singer’s Liberty Ball performance left some viewers puzzled due to a series of technical issues.
Billy Ray Cyrus says 'you just gotta keep going'
Billy Ray Cyrus started his set while a music video played on large screens behind him.
He appeared to watch the video for most of the performance, occasionally singing into the microphone at a barely audible volume.
After completing the video-backed song, Cyrus performed an encore of the same track but delivered the lyrics in a shaky, spoken-word style.
Later, he attempted to play his hit song 'Achy Breaky Heart' only to discover that his electric guitar wasn’t connected to the audio system.
Fuck me running 🤣🤣🤣 Billy Ray Cyrus appears to have smoked a mountain of crack and knocked back about 15 Busch lights. Billy Ray Cyrus gives up entirely after attempting to perform at the Liberty Inaugural Ball for Donald Trump and bizarrely wanders around the stage. pic.twitter.com/Q3CKBoFb0L
— zach moushon (@ZachMoushon) January 21, 2025
"Check? Is anybody awake?" Cyrus said, turning backstage for help.
"Y'all want me to sink more or you want me to just get the hell off the stage?" he joked during the technical hiccup.
A backstage assistant arrived to fix the issue, but no immediate solution was found.
"In life, when you have technical difficulties, you just gotta keep going," Billy Ray Cyrus told the crowd.
"Or as President Trump would say, 'You gotta fight,'" said Cyrus during his Liberty Ball performance, as per USA Today.
Billy Ray Cyrus says he attended event because Donald Trump invited him
Despite the mishaps, Billy Ray Cyrus reflected on the night in a positive light.
On Tuesday, January 21, he told People that he wouldn’t have let equipment issues stop him from performing.
"I wouldn’t have missed the honor of playing this event whether my microphone, guitar and monitors worked or not. I was there because President Donald J Trump invited me," Cyrus said in a statement.
"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," he said.
Billy Ray Cyrus calls his performance at Donald Trump's inaugural 'rock n roll'
Many described Billy Ray Cyrus' performance as "train wreck" and a "epic disaster," according to MEAWW.
Cyrus, however, stood firm in his belief that he was there to entertain the audience no matter the circumstances.
"I was there for the people and we had a blast. That’s called rock n roll!" Cyrus added while speaking to People.
Similarly, Carrie Underwood faced technical difficulties, performing 'America the Beautiful', a cappella after her equipment failed.
Other performers during the inauguration events included Nelly, Jason Aldean, Gavin DeGraw, Lee Greenwood, Kid Rock, and the Village People.
