Billy Ray Cyrus may have had an aching, broken heart Monday as he scrolled through his social media.
The veteran country singer-songwriter, 62, was panned performing at the Liberty Ball at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC for President Donald Trump's inauguration.
The Flatwoods, Kentucky, native was targeted by social media users over issues including the authenticity of his performance, which itself appeared to be plagued by technical issues, which also affected performer Carrie Underwood on Monday.
After a performance of the song Old Town Road, Cyrus could be heard discussing technical issues with the stage crew.
He was heard saying, 'Is my guitar still on? I think they cut me off. I can't hear my guitar anymore.'
Cyrus at one point gestured to his guitar and asked the crew members, “Is anyone awake?”
Billy Ray Cyrus, 62, was panned performing at the Liberty Ball at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC for President Donald Trump's inauguration
In another awkward sequence, Cyrus' silhouette was seen walking around the stage as music played behind him
He continued, “I don't hear it? Do you hear it? Is there anyone behind there? Can someone turn my guitar back on? We're going to sing some more.'
At one point, a frustrated Cyrus admitted that he was losing interest in continuing to perform.
“Do you all want me to sing more, or do you just want me to go on stage?” he said. “I don't care.”
After a technician resolved the situation, Cyrus turned to the commander-in-chief and said, “If you're having technical problems, you just gotta keep going — or as President Trump would say, you gotta fight!”
In another awkward sequence, Cyrus' silhouette was seen walking around the stage as music played behind him.
“That's just embarrassing,” said one social media user. “What, Milli Vanilli wasn't available?”
Social media users seemed disappointed with the technically hampered performance in their feedback, with one user calling the outing “possibly the creepiest minutes in entertainment history.”
One user said it was “so embarrassing” to watch Cyrus “put on a train wreck performance” on Monday because he was “obviously lip-syncing” and looked disheveled.
After a technician fixed Cyrus' guitar, he said, “If you're having technical problems, you just gotta keep going — or as President Trump would say, you gotta fight!”
The Flatwoods, Kentucky, native was targeted by social media users for his performance, which itself appeared to be plagued by technical issues
The nature of the criticism of Cyrus for his outing Monday did not appear to be politically driven, as supporters of the new president hurled insults in his direction.
One user noted how both Cyrus and Underwood were affected by disruptions
Social media users seemed disappointed with the technically hindered performance in their feedback
The user commented that it seemed like Cyrus was “bizarre.” [wandering] around the stage,” adding, “How embarrassing for him.”
Another person said the musical artist didn't seem to understand that he had worn out his welcome, writing, “OMG – Billy Ray Cyrus isn't leaving.”
The nature of the criticism of Cyrus for his outing Monday did not appear to be politically driven, as supporters of the new president insulted him.
“I'm ashamed of you @billyraycyrus,” one user said. “This is a shame for our president and for our country [the] phase.'
Another said: 'I just saw them trying to pull him off the stage for five minutes… they even turned the lights off on him. Thanks Fox for filming that whole scene. I had to cry.'
One user asked, “Can Trump pardon Billy Ray Cyrus for this performance tonight? Wow.'
