Billy Ray Cyrus recently reflected on his memorable performance at President Donald Trump’s Inaugural Ball on January 20, where technical difficulties created a bit of chaos on stage, making his performance a viral moment. Despite the mishaps—such as his microphone, guitar, and monitors malfunctioning—Cyrus expressed no regret over the experience.
In an interview with People, the country star shared that, even with the technical issues, he wouldn’t have passed up the opportunity to play at the event. The fact that he was invited by President Trump made the experience significant in itself. “I wouldn’t have missed the honor of playing this event whether my microphone, guitar, and monitors worked or not,” Cyrus said, adding that he had a great time at the Liberty Ball.
Known for his laid-back approach to live performances, Cyrus mentioned that his decades of experience in the music industry taught him how to keep the show going, even when things aren’t going as planned. “I was there for the people, and we had a blast. That’s called rock n roll!!!” he quipped.
The performance itself gained traction online due to the viral clips showing Cyrus struggling with the sound issues. He opened with Old Town Road, his Grammy-winning collaboration with Lil Nas X, but the audio failed to sync with his playing. As the music video played in the background, Cyrus could be seen attempting to strum along and sing, but his voice and guitar were inaudible. At one point, he humorously asked the crowd, “Check? Is anybody awake? I don’t hear it, do y’all hear this?” before a crew member rushed on stage to try and fix the issue.
Despite the technical snafus, Cyrus took it in stride, staying upbeat and keeping the energy alive, proving that sometimes rock n roll is all about rolling with the punches—even if it means a little chaos on stage.