On a particularly sunny Friday in February, about 215 die-hard “Hannah Montana” fans gathered at Los Angeles’ Sunset Gower studios for a chance to relive their childhood dreams: To see Miley Cyrus perform as Hannah Montana, 20 years after she first put on that blonde wig.
While many of the fans had seen Hannah Montana in concert during the Disney Channel show’s heyday in the 2000s and 2010s — with some even donning their original concert shirts — the chance to see Cyrus perform live is quite limited nowadays. The pop icon has been adamant on her lack of desire to tour, with some lucky fans perhaps catching a couple songs during intimate gatherings at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles.
So, when Disney doled out invitations to see Cyrus perform as Hannah for the “Hannah Montana” 20th anniversary special, fans jumped at the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, traveling across the globe with as little as one night’s notice top hop off their plane at LAX.
That was certainly the case for Brazilian superfans Lucas and Renato, who “manifested” invites to the taping after seeing Cyrus’ Bangerz tour in Brazil years before. Their prayers were answered when they received invites the day prior to the taping, and after meeting in line at immigration and making the connection, they banded together for the whirlwind experience.
Stories of last-minute flights and accommodations seemed to be the case for many attendees, with fans flying in from everywhere from New York, Europe and even Australia — though London-based Iris had a bit more notice after her friend pulled some strings from work connections to get her in, enabling her to make a week-long trip out of the taping.
“We all thought it was going to be a mini concert, just one-night only,” said Priscilla Meier, who attended the taping alongside friends Stephanie Niemiec and Emmalia Razis. “We were like, ‘We’re going wherever it is. I will pay thousands of dollars. I do not care.’ And then it turned out to be this, and I was hoping, praying, manifesting, and then yesterday, we got the email at the same time, and I was like, ‘Oh, my God. It worked.’”
For many of the fans, “manifesting” meant catching the attention of Disney by obsessively posting on social media begging to attend. One attendee, Sydney, joked that she “humiliated” herself by tweeting at Disney over 100 times, but when she received her invite the night before, she jumped on a plane from NYC. Sydney stood in line for the taping in the open Los Angeles heat alongside Kylie, who lives in Los Angeles but flew back in the drop of a hat from her Florida vacation when she received a DM from a Miley Cyrus fan account in response to a TikTok she made wearing Hannah’s signature yellow zebra outfit. It was only fitting that she wore it to the taping.
@kylieklunder Please @Miley Cyrus @Alexandra Cooper #hannahmontana #20thanniversary ♬ original sound – Disneyedits012
Also in attendance was Chelsea, an alumni of the Make-a-Wish foundation whose wish to see Hannah Montana in concert came true in 2009, three years after first putting in the request.
Fans came decked out in signature “Hannah Montana” looks with plenty of Y2k nostalgia, from sequin and chainmail tops and scarves and blonde wigs to cowboy boots. And if fans didn’t come suited with a wig, production handed plenty of blonde wigs out ahead of Cyrus’ performance, which even caused some in-fighting within the group.
After plenty of heat and waiting, fans were welcomed into the soundstage, where a subdued stage looked opposite the iconic living room and closet sets of “Hannah Montana.” Fans flooded into the set, and as they awaited Hannah, they danced and sang along to “Party in the U.S.A.,” “Hoedown Throwdown” and “Everybody Makes Mistakes,” to name a few tunes.
A glimpse at a monitor also fueled whispers that the first performance would include “This Is the Life” and “The Climb,” as did an appearance from Tish Cyrus-Purcell.
When Cyrus finally appeared as Hannah Montana, fans went wild. She jumped right into the performance with her bedazzled gold mic, bringing the anniversary full circle by kicking off with “This Is the Life,” the first song she ever performed as Hannah, before bringing audience members to tears with “The Climb.” She performed the combination twice, giving fans a giggle as she tousled her hair.
“It’s a little confusing, huh — it’s like a hybrid Hannah, little bit of Miley, little bit of Hannah,” Cyrus told the crowd, pulling the joke together a few minutes later when she asked a crew member to grab her sunglasses from the ground because her sparkly black dress didn’t allow her to bend down. “That’s the Miley part,” she joked.
Most Cyrus’ remarks about integrating Hannah and Miley can be seen in the special, but several additions weren’t including, like Cyrus saying “Disney was the first to do drag on TV” or teasing the audience, “You’re going to be so gagged for what’s to come.”
As Cyrus disappeared for a set reset and costume change, fans took in several new guests on the stage, including anniversary special host and EP Alex Cooper, Cyrus’ fiancé Maxx Morando and several young cast members from the upcoming “Camp Rock 3” movie.
By the time Cyrus returned, the stage had the “Hannah Montana” logo on full display, and Cyrus rose up through the stage in signature Hannah fashion before diving into “Best of Both Worlds,” which wrapped up with a confetti cannon.
While production encouraged fans to chant “Hannah” ahead of each rendition, the chant eventually turned into “Miley” — which Cyrus relished. “I love that last chant,” she said. “As soon as we’re cut, it’s back to Miley.”
With confetti everywhere and fans’ energy expended from singing their favorite songs and cheering for the legend that Cyrus remains, Cyrus bid farewell to the crowd. “We actually grew up together,” Cyrus said, noting the connection was so rare to find.
“I loved being Hannah then, and I’m so living for it now,” she said.
The “Hannah Montana” 20th anniversary special is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+.
