On Sunday (July 4), Miley Cyrus performed a one-off Fourth of July concert in Las Vegas, to mark the grand opening of a new casino. Performing a range of Plastic Hearts hits, the singer also treated fans to a few covers, including (appropriately) a version of the Cocteau Twins track “Heaven or Las Vegas”.
“I’m gonna sing a song that no one fucking knows,” she told the audience at the Resorts World Casino. “But you will know it after tonight.” In response to the cover, Cocteau Twins reposted footage from the event – which saw Cyrus projected onto the side of the casino – with the caption: “Surprise, surprise!”
The performance also saw Cyrus cover Blondie and Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”, which has become an undeniable fan favourite. “I’ve seen the tweets: ‘Stop doing covers!’” she told the crowd. “But somehow ‘Jolene’ was requested.”
She also performed “Party in the USA”, notable for her calls to “Free Britney!” midway through. Cyrus previously joined other celebrities to call for an end to Britney Spears’ conservatorship back in February this year. “We got to free this bitch,” she added at the Fourth of July performance. “It’s stressing me the fuck out!”
Outside of Las Vegas, Cyrus has also recently covered Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” with Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, and Metallica’s own Robert Trujillo. The song appears on the anniversary album The Metallica Blacklist, alongside reworked tracks by Rina Sawayama, Mac DeMarco, Weezer, St. Vincent, Moses Sumney, J Balvin, Phoebe Bridgers, IDLES, and Kamasi Washington.
Read more on why Miley Cyrus is the queen of cover songs here, and watch her take on “Heaven or Las Vegas” below.