Miley Cyrus
Friday, 8pm, Honda stage
Government name: Miley Ray Cyrus (née Destiny Hope Cyrus)
Nickname: Smiley Miley
Hometown: Franklin, Tenn.
Active since: 2006
Genre: High octane pop
Number of studio albums: 7
Number of Grammys: None, nominated for one
Latest release: Version of Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” featuring Elton John and Yo-Yo Ma
Influences: Blondie, Kathleen Hanna, Etta James, Pharrell Williams
Notable collaborators: Stevie Nicks, Billy Idol, Dua Lipa, Joan Jett
Breakout moment: 2010’s Breakout, to be very on the nose, her separation from the hugely popular character Hannah Montana
Songs she should play: “Party in the USA,” “The Climb,” “Midnight Sky,” “Wrecking Ball”
Songs she shouldn’t play: Any of the songs where she tries to rap
Brave experiments: A brief foray into construction – including tonguing a sledgehammer – for the “Wrecking Ball” music video
Best lines: “I’m like a puzzle, but all of my pieces are jagged”
Notable achievement: Skirting the child star black hole and going on to have a highly successful career far outside of the Disney Channel
Last local show: The Frank Erwin Center on January 24, 2008, though she appeared unannounced at Fader Fort during South by Southwest 2015 and performed three songs alongside Mike Will Made-It and Rae Sremmurd, announcing: “We’re high as fuck up here”
George Strait
Friday, 8pm, Lady Bird stage
Government name: George Strait Sr.
Nickname: King George
Hometown: Poteet, Texas
Active since: 1976
Genre: Neo-traditionalist country
Number of studio albums: 30
Number of Grammys: One win, 16 nominations
Latest release: 2019’s Honky Tonk Time Machine
Influences: Bob Wills, the Beatles, Frank Sinatra
Notable collaborators: Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, Lee Ann Womack
Breakout moment: “Fool Hearted Memory” reaching the top of the charts in 1982, the first of 60 No. 1 hits for King George
Songs he should play: Any of the 60 No. 1 songs, but most notably “Give It Away,” “Amarillo by Morning,” “Write This Down,” and “The Chair”
Songs he shouldn’t play: The king plays what the king wants
Brave experiments: Charging forward into the Aughts and beyond by sticking to the formula, even as country music shifted into big trucks and bro culture
Best lines: “He must have stolen some stars from the sky/ And gave them to you to wear in your eyes/ I had my chances, but I set you free/ And now I wonder why I couldn’t see.”
Notable achievement: The aforementioned litany of country radio bangers and induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame
Last local show: ACL Live on November 25, 2019
This article appears in October 1 • 2021.