Billy Ray Cyrus Brushes Off His Messy Inauguration Performance After Having a Meltdown on Stage: 'Had a Blast'
Billy Ray Cyrus is brushing off the chaos that ensued when he performed at a post-inauguration event on the night of Monday, January 20.
As OK! reported, some social media users accused him of having a "meltdown" on stage when his sound cut out, but he insisted the technical mishap wasn't that big of a deal.
"I wouldn’t have missed the honor of playing this event whether my microphone, guitar and monitors worked or not," he wrote on Instagram. "I was there because President Donald J. Trump invited me."
"I had a ball at the Liberty Ball last night and I’ve learned through all these years when the producer says, 'You’re on,' you go entertain the folks even if the equipment goes to h---," the singer, 63, noted. "I was there for the people and we had a blast. That’s called rock n roll!!!"
"In life, when you have technical difficulties, you just gotta keep going, or as President Trump would say, 'You gotta fight,'" the "Achy Breaky Heart" crooner added.
As OK! reported, the Hannah Montana alum — who looked somewhat disheveled with messy hair and a thick beard — began singing "Old Town Road" in a very raspy voice, but the audio from his guitar wasn't working.
He improvised by letting the crowd finish one of the lyrics, telling them, "If you encourage me, I’ll keep going. They told me to kill as much time as possible."
- 'Shut It The F**k Off': Axl Rose Has A Meltdown At Guns N' Roses Mega-Stadium Gig Over 'Spotlight,' Shuts Down Concert
- Stevie Nicks Hints She Opted To Conceal Lindsey Buckingham's 'Dirty Laundry', Says Time Alongside Her Ex In Fleetwood Mac Was 'Toxic'
- Watch: Billy Ray Cyrus Has Onstage Meltdown While Performing at Donald Trump's Liberty Ball — 'Is Anyone Awake?'
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
After about one minute of the audio not working, he complained to the crowd, "I think they cut me off. I don't hear my guitar anymore."
"Is anyone awake? I don't hear it. Do y'all hear this? Where's everybody at? Is anyone back there? Can somebody turn my guitar back on?" he asked, growing impatient. "We're going to sing a bit more."
"Y'all want me to sing more or you just want me to get the h--- off the stage?" he continued. "I don't give a d---."
At one point, Cyrus appeared to give up, as he put his guitar down and started oddly wandering around the stage.
Social media users were in shock over the ordeal, with one person tweeting, "Oh my god! Billy Ray Cyrus' performance at Donald Trump's inaugural Liberty Ball is an epic disaster."
"Billy Ray Cyrus was so high at the inauguration event that he made Kid Rock look like a… like a… well… like a slightly less high idiot," another person claimed, while a third wrote of his appearance, "That's Billy Ray Cyrus? Good Lord, what happened to him? Is he ill? He does not look well. I mean, a bath and a brush would do a lot of good."