Miley Cyrus’s highly anticipated Bangerz Tour commenced in Vancouver on Valentine’s Day. While opinions from critics vary, there is unanimous agreement that the 21-year-old pop sensation’s latest tour is pushing the boundaries of what is considered suitable for her young fanbase. With provocative video montages showcasing her revealing outfits, satirical performances involving a man wearing a Bill Clinton mask, explicit gestures on stage, and suggestive dance moves with her backup singers, it is understandable why parents of pre-teens might be concerned.
Following the negative reception of a recent performance, concerned parents are leaving the show with their 9-year-olds, bombarding Cyrus’s record company with complaints and demanding the cancellation of the entire tour. Although it’s unlikely that their request will be granted, discussions have taken place among her record label and tour staff to find ways to make the show more tame. If they fail to rein in Cyrus’s behavior, it’s possible that the Bangerz tour could serve as the impetus for the establishment of a concert-rating system, similar to the ones for albums, movies, and video games.
One of the main reasons for the uproar among parents is the perceived sudden transformation of Cyrus from a wholesome Disney star to a provocative figure engaging in explicit behavior. Just a few years ago, she captivated young audiences on the Disney channel as her alter-ego Hannah Montana. However, over the past five years, she has gradually shifted her image to appeal to a more mature audience. 2013 marked the most significant departure from her previous identity, as Cyrus brought on Larry Rudolph, who had previously managed Britney Spears, as her manager. Under his guidance, Cyrus’s evolution into adulthood took on a more explicit and drug-infused direction.
It is reasonable to question how parents who bought tickets to see Miley Cyrus were not aware of the scandals and controversies she has been involved in for the past six months. However, it is evident that some parents were indeed unaware. In a world where media is constantly bombarding us from multiple sources, it becomes apparent that the responsibility of informing the consumer lies with the creators of the media, rather than the consumers themselves.
For many years, different forms of media have had their own rating systems to inform consumers about the content they contain. The concept of movie ratings has been around since 1930, while video games have had their own ratings since 1994. These ratings, assigned by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, were introduced in response to the emergence of excessively violent and sexually explicit console games like Mortal Kombat. Interestingly, music does not have a required rating system like movies and video games. Instead, the decision to label an album as “Explicit” is left to the discretion of the record label. This practice, also known as the Parental Advisory Label (PAL), was established in 1985 and gained attention when Prince’s album, Purple Rain, became the top-selling record of that year to carry the warning label.
Any rating system in the concert industry would likely function similarly to the record method, using a binary classification rather than a graded model. In today’s era of highly produced shows, every aspect of the performance is meticulously planned, eliminating the spontaneity and chaos that once characterized concerts in the 1970s and 1980s. Outlandish acts like Ozzy Osbourne’s infamous bat-head biting no longer occur. GG Allin was perhaps the most notorious shock performer, regularly engaging in self-mutilation on stage and even promising fans that he would commit suicide during his career. However, Allin tragically died from a heroin overdose without fulfilling his promise. In Todd Phillips’s 1993 documentary about Allin, his brother and bass player Merle explains that “with GG, you never plan on completing the tour…for two reasons: either prison or the hospital.” If some concerned parents have their way, Miley Cyrus’s tour may not last for the entire run of 39 planned shows in North America. Even now, amidst mixed reviews and controversy, prices for the Bangerz tour on the resale market continue to decline. The average price for the remaining dates has dropped to $179, down from $225 just two months ago.
The unintended consequences of introducing PAL on records resulted in an increase in demand for records with the label. The presence of the label itself became a factor that attracted buyers. While it remains uncertain whether issuing an explicit warning for purchasing tickets to see “Bangerz” would have a similar effect, it would undoubtedly emphasize that Miley Cyrus is not merely a more mature iteration of Hannah Montana. For individuals who have been sufficiently isolated and unaware of her highly publicized transformation, it would serve as a necessary cautionary message.
