Sickly Cyrus still entertains

MILEY CYRUS, METRO STATION, EnergySolutions Arena, Sept. 29.

It took a while for the audience to realize something wasn't right during the third song of Miley Cyrus' concert at the EnergySolutions Arena Tuesday night.

The song, "7 Things" started OK, but Cyrus walked off the stage and one of the backup singers took over the lead vocals. Even the musicians looked around in confusion.

When the tune ended, Cyrus' stage manger announced the band would take a short break because Cyrus had a touch of the flu.

That was the only real glitch of the night, because Cyrus, after that short break, resumed her set with "Bottom of the Ocean." And, with a few adjustments to the set list, completed her show and gave the audience an eyeful of visual presentations and flashy choreography.

The teen idol left "Kicking and Screaming" and "Wake Up America" out of the song lineup, but performed the other songs, which included "Breakout," "Start All Over," "Obsessed," "Spotlight," "G.N.O." and "Party in the USA."

She even gave a little nod to the late Michael Jackson with a "Thriller" dance interlude that segued into "Let's Get Crazy."

The big stage effects came during "Fly on the Wall," where two of her dancers climbed video-screen walls, and a cover of Joan Jett's "I Love Rock N' Roll," where Cyrus mounted a motorcycle that was lifted over the crowd with stage cables.

There was also an acoustic set where the band gathered at the tip of the center stage-extension and performed "These Four Walls."

Cyrus, looking a bit tentative throughout the show, didn't seem to mind when her voice went flat. And neither did the fans.

In fact, they helped her out during "Hoedown Throwdown." Most of the audience, even the parents, participated in the country line dance that highlighted the song.

Cyrus also took advantage of the captive audience and showed the trailer to her new movie, "The Last Song" before emerging at a grand piano to play "When I Look at You," the signature love song from that movie.

Opening the concert was the Los Angeles band Metro Station. The four-man band, fronted by Cyrus' older brother Trace, plowed through a set that included the rock, pop 'n' roll hits "Kelsey," "Shake It" and "Seventeen Forever."

The guitar-slinging, long-haired, tattooed Trace Cyrus got the audience pumped and ready for his sister.

If there was any worries that Miley Cyrus would become another Britney Spears train wreck, those worries were quelled during Tuesday night's show.

She kept the show family-friendly and, although obviously sick, looked like she had a good time.

e-mail: scott@desnews.com