When Miley Cyrus took the stage at Austin City Limits in 2021, the energy inside Zilker Park shifted instantly. Festivals are a strange beast—there are always competing acts, sound bleeding from other stages, and a sea of fans that range from diehards in vintage merch to casual festivalgoers who just want to dance and sing along to the songs they know. But on that night, Miley owned it. She didn’t just play a setlist; she staged a career-spanning, genre-blending showcase that reminded everyone that she’s not just a pop star, she’s a chameleon who thrives in chaos, reinvention, and spectacle.
Miley has always been one of those artists who exists in constant evolution. From the Disney Channel beginnings to the Bangerz-era wild child, through psychedelic experiments, rootsy country-pop turns, and finally into the gritty, glam-rock-inspired Plastic Hearts era, she’s never been predictable. ACL 2021 fell squarely in that Plastic Hearts chapter, but the beauty of her show was how she threaded together everything she’s done—the hits, the covers, the experiments, the reinventions—into a cohesive, fiery performance.
The Opener: “We Can’t Stop” with a Pixies Twist
The set began with “We Can’t Stop,” but this wasn’t the same track that once dominated pop radio in 2013. Miley weaved in elements of the Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?” and suddenly the whole thing felt warped and surreal. Hearing her mash up a glossy party anthem with an alt-rock classic was a statement of intent. She wasn’t there to play things safe or strictly nostalgic—she wanted to remind people she could bend genres at will. Fans screamed the “la-da-di-da-di” hook, while others caught the Pixies nod and lost their minds. It was the kind of opener that told you this wasn’t going to be a cookie-cutter pop show.
The Plastic Hearts Era
Right after, she launched into “WTF Do I Know” and the title track “Plastic Hearts.” These songs came alive on stage in a way that recordings only hint at. Guitars snarled, drums pounded, and Miley prowled across the stage with a mix of rock-star swagger and pop precision. Dressed in a leather-heavy outfit with glittery touches, she looked like she had one foot in the 1980s Sunset Strip and one in modern pop stardom. ACL is known for its eclectic lineups, but seeing her channel Joan Jett while still keeping her pop sensibilities intact was something unique.
Her cover of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass,” a song she had been performing regularly around that time, was one of the night’s big highlights. She didn’t just sing it—she tore into it, giving Debbie Harry’s cool detachment a grittier, more feral edge. Fans who discovered her Heart of Glass rendition during the pandemic livestreams already knew she could crush it, but hearing it live with tens of thousands of voices screaming along made it even more powerful.
The Deep Cuts and Experiments
After setting the tone with the rock-heavy run, she dove back into older material like “SMS (Bangerz)” and “Dooo It!”—the latter truncated but still full of that psychedelic, anarchic energy from her Dead Petz era. These weren’t necessarily songs casual fans expected, but that’s what made them fun. Miley has always been fearless about including oddball tracks in her setlists, and ACL was no different.
“Love Money Party” and “23” (a Mike WiLL Made-It cover from her hip-hop-leaning era) kept things unpredictable. Not everyone in the crowd remembered those songs in detail, but they served as reminders that Miley’s career has never been linear. She’s always experimented, sometimes recklessly, but always authentically.
Slowing Things Down: “Malibu” and Beyond
The midsection of the set allowed her to catch her breath and pivot into ballads. She delivered “Malibu” in the Lost Frequencies remix version, which gave the song a dreamy, almost EDM edge. It was one of the more surprising arrangements of the night—more festival-friendly, more euphoric than the acoustic original. For fans who remember the original’s sweet sincerity, this version reframed it in the context of ACL: big, sweeping, communal.
“Nothing Breaks Like a Heart,” the Mark Ronson collab, was another mid-set highlight. Live, the song took on a haunting quality, with Miley’s raspy voice cutting through the layered instrumentation. She followed it up with “Maybe,” a cover of The Chantels’ doo-wop classic, which showed yet another side of her voice. It was raw, soulful, almost reverent—proof that she can strip things down when she wants and still captivate a festival crowd that might otherwise be impatient for the hits.
Nostalgia and Surprises
From there, the nostalgia trip kicked in. “7 Things” sent longtime fans into a frenzy, the chorus being shouted back louder than Miley herself. Then came a stunning version of “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down),” the Cher classic. With minimal instrumentation and just her voice carrying the melody, it was one of the night’s most dramatic and unexpected turns. It felt almost cinematic, a palate cleanser before she went full throttle into pop again.
“See You Again” got the entire crowd moving, reminding everyone that Miley’s early hits still slap live. Then came “Midnight Sky,” which has basically become her modern anthem. Neon lights bathed the stage in purple and red as Miley strutted with pure rock star confidence, leaning into that Stevie Nicks-esque energy that fans adore.
“The Climb,” of course, was inevitable. When the opening notes rang out, you could feel a collective wave of emotion roll through the audience. Festivalgoers who might have once dismissed Miley’s Disney roots suddenly found themselves belting out the chorus with strangers. It was one of those moments where cynicism just fell away—ACL or not, everyone wanted to climb that mountain together.
The Final Stretch
The home stretch was stacked: “Can’t Be Tamed” with its defiant energy, “Wrecking Ball” with an emotional twist (blending in Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U”), and the juggernaut closer “Party in the U.S.A.”
“Wrecking Ball” was the emotional peak. Miley leaned hard into the ballad side of it at first, her voice cracking just enough to feel real, before launching into the cathartic chorus. Adding the Prince nod gave it extra weight—an acknowledgment of musical lineage and her respect for the legends who came before her.
Then came the inevitable explosion of joy: “Party in the U.S.A.” No matter how much she’s evolved, reinvented, or pushed against her past, that song still unites a crowd like few others. People waved flags, strangers danced together, and for those few minutes, Miley was both the pop star who ruled the late 2000s and the rock-inspired artist she’s become.
The Setlist in Full
Here’s the setlist she performed at ACL 2021:
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We Can’t Stop (with elements of “Where Is My Mind?” by the Pixies)
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WTF Do I Know
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Plastic Hearts
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Heart of Glass (Blondie cover)
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SMS (Bangerz)
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Dooo It! (shortened)
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Love Money Party
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23 (Mike WiLL Made-It cover)
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Malibu (Lost Frequencies remix)
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Nothing Breaks Like a Heart (Mark Ronson cover)
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Maybe (The Chantels cover)
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7 Things
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Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) (Cher cover)
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See You Again
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Midnight Sky
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The Climb
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Can’t Be Tamed
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Wrecking Ball (with elements of “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Prince)
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Party in the U.S.A.
Final Thoughts
Miley Cyrus at Austin City Limits 2021 was a set that proved her adaptability, her vocal power, and her ability to craft a narrative through music. She could have leaned solely on Plastic Hearts material and a couple of hits, but instead, she pieced together a show that honored every era of her career, sprinkled in legendary covers, and reminded fans why she’s still one of the most unpredictable and exciting artists in pop.
Was it perfect? No. Some transitions felt rushed, and a few of the deep cuts didn’t resonate with every part of the festival crowd. But that’s the beauty of Miley—she doesn’t perform to be safe, she performs to push, to challenge, and to leave an impression.
By the end of the night, whether you were a lifelong fan or just a casual festivalgoer, you left knowing you’d seen something singular. Miley Cyrus may reinvent herself constantly, but the one constant is that when she takes the stage, she makes it hers completely.