Billy Ray Cyrus faced criticism after a troubled performance at Donald Trump’s Liberty Ball, where technical glitches disrupted his set. Struggling with equipment issues, he asked the crew if his guitar was working, leaving fans to call the performance a “trainwreck.”
Billy Ray Cyrus sings acapella at Trump inauguration after technical issues
Billy Ray Cyrus faced backlash after his performance at Donald Trump’s Liberty Ball.
During the event, technical issues disrupted his set, forcing him to perform Old Town Road without proper equipment. Struggling with the issues, he tried singing a cappella but was overheard asking the crew if his guitar was working. At one point, Cyrus asked: “Is my guitar still on? I think they cut me off. I don’t hear my guitar anymore.”
Cyrus even pointed to his guitar during the performance, asking the crew: “Is anyone awake? I don’t hear it. Do y’all hear it? Is anyone back there? Can somebody turn my guitar back on? We’re going to sing a bit more.” Frustrated by the ongoing problems, he openly questioned whether to continue. He told the audience: “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.” Earlier in the night, Carrie Underwood also faced technical difficulties when her backing track failed, forcing her to sing without music.
Fans took to social media to comment on Cyrus’s performance. One user wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Billy Ray Cyrus is giving a trainwreck performance at Donald Trump’s Inaugural Liberty Ball. WTF is going on?” Another added: “This is just plain embarrassing,” while a third described it as “possibly the cringiest few minutes in entertainment history.”
Last year, the Achy Breaky Heart singer performed at the funeral of Corey Comperatore, a man shot and killed at a Donald Trump rally. The 76-year-old presidential candidate was also injured during the rally when Thomas Matthew Crooks attacked him in Pennsylvania. Comperatore, a 50-year-old Army reservist and former fire chief, reportedly “died trying to protect his family.” At the remembrance service, held on July 19, 2024, Cyrus, 62, sang the classic hymn “Amazing Grace.”
A source told People: “Corey Comperatore is an Army reservist veteran and former firefighter chief. [Cyrus] has always been passionate about honoring troops and first responders. Today, he was honored to join the family and perform during the service.”
Cyrus also performed “Some Gave All,” the final track on his 1992 debut album of the same name. The service began with a procession of around 500 fire trucks, which drove from the church to the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company in Sarver, Comperatore’s hometown and workplace for many years.
This comes after Trump himself paid tribute to the Army veteran, describing him as an “unbelievable person” following the tragic incident.
He said: “Tragically the shooter claimed the life of one of our fellow Americans, Corey Comperatore, unbelievable person, everybody tells me. He was incredible, he was a highly respected former fire chief. He lost his life selflessly acting as a human shield to protect them from flying bullets. He went right over the top of them and was hit.
“What a fine man he was Immediately after the incident, Crooks was shot dead by police on the scene and Comperatore – who is survived by his wife and two daughters – was remembered by his family as a “beloved father and husband, and a friend to so many throughout the Butler region.”
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