Hannah Montana's one singer, two superstars

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Live Review: Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus in Portland, OR

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Miley Cyrus makes her fans all smiley in Anaheim

The star of the hit Disney Channel show 'Hannah Montana' elicits screams from young fans.

When the fictional character you love more than anything else steps out of your TV to appear in flesh and blood and rhinestones before your very eyes – well, who wouldn't scream?

And so when the moment came – when Hannah Montana of Disney Channel fame descended from the rafters of Honda Center in a backlit cage on Saturday – you can pretty much imagine the ear-piercing shrieks of an "OMG-I-can't-believe-it's-her!" nature that erupted from the crowd.

This was the Big One for tween entertainment this fall, a concert tour that sold out within a minute or two of tickets going on sale in each city. A ticket so coveted that desperate parents threw themselves on the expensive mercy of ticket brokers. And any kid lucky enough to score a ticket could barely stand the wait.

Stepping out the cage, real-life star Miley Cyrus – who performed as her TV character for the first half of the show – sashayed down the runway singing "Rock Star," twinkling in a black-and-silver-spangled top over knee-high leggings and black boots.

"Life's What You Make It" followed that, with eight backup dancers bounding around the stage, then "Just Like You," and by then – three songs in – it was time for the first of a half-dozen costume changes.

Appearing back on stage in blue jeans – sparkly, sparkly blue jeans – to sing the song "Old Blue Jeans," Miley kept the crowd enthralled, and with good reason: these songs are practically part of their musical DNA by now, listened to over and over again on the Disney Channel sitcom, on Radio Disney, and the CDs that have sold by the millions.

And here's the thing – easy as it is for non-believers to mock Hannah and Miley, if you set aside your prejudices, it's easy to like this stuff.

The songs are catchy, with strong hooks and melodies – far better than the Partridge Family pop yours truly grew up on. And unlike some other tween acts, Miley had a real five-piece rock band backing her up and seemed to be doing more real singing than Britney Spears or Ashley Simpson or any number of other divas do.

"Nobody's Perfect" had my 6-year-old deputy reviewer Anna Lily jumping up and down on her seat, where she stayed through "We Got the Party," on which Miley was joined by her opening act, the Jonas Brothers.

After that, the second half of the show opened with Miley as Miley – gone was the platinum wig her character wears in her rock-star guise on TV, present was the real 14-year-old singing songs she recorded under her own name, including hits "Start All Over," "East Northumberland High," and "G.N.O. (Girl's Night Out)," her latest Radio Disney hit.

In just under 90 minutes she was done, and the crowd filed out, exhausted but happy.

"I never thought it was going to be like that," said Kimmie Daniels, 12, of Corona, who came with friend Taylor Young, 12, and the "Miley Rox Our Sox" sign that they'd made. Left at home was their scrapbook on why they love Miley.

"She's beautiful," Kimmie said.

"She's a great singer," Taylor added.

And on and on, making it clear how much the show had meant to them – and all the other kids – who'd been there.

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Pop princess Montana rules Oakland

That wasn't a sly dig at Montana's Radio Disney-approved music -- or that of her alter-ego, and real person, Miley Cyrus. It was merely words of caution since there was to be screaming on this night -- lots of it.

The high-pitched screams of pure joy coming from the thousands of pre-teen girls packing the Oracle Arena arrived in constant waves. The girls started screaming well before their idol took the stage, as the big overhead screens showed a steady succession of pictures of the 14-year-old singer. Yet, those were nothing in comparison to the shrieks heard once the house lights dimmed and all the months of waiting was over.

At that point, it was pure Montana-mania.

There's been a lot of that going around lately. The Hannah Montana tour -- featuring Cyrus both performing as herself and appearing as the lead character of the popular Disney Channel show -- has turned out to be the hottest ticket of the year. Supply has been dwarfed by demand on this tour, which includes a date Sunday at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, and there are reports of people paying thousands of dollars for tickets.

Hopefully, those occurrences didn't happen for the Oakland show since promoters released a batch of tickets on the day of the concert.

Much like Disney's "High School Musical'' was in 2006, Hannah Montana has become this

The show's premise is fairly simple -- a young teen balances a double-life as high school student and rock star -- yet it's certainly captured the attention of young, mostly female audiences.

"She's a young girl who all the other young girls want to be like,'' said Hayward resident Melissa Martinez, who brought her 8-year-old daughter, Ericka, to the show. "Every day, my little girl comes home and she's got to watch `Hannah Montana.' ''

Opening with "Rock Star,'' a track from this year's "Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus,'' the young singer delivered a razzle-dazzle 75-minute performance that was full of costume changes, big dance numbers and plenty of personality. The multi-media star -- the daughter of country singer Billy Ray "Achy Breaky Heart'' Cyrus -- divided the set into two parts.

In the first half, she played her TV character, Hannah Montana, and then spent the second half introducing the crowd to Miley Cyrus. She played the characters like separate entities, going so far as to greet the crowd anew once she took off the blonde wig and "transformed'' into Miley.

This is where the true genius of this situation can be found. For every new movement in pop music, it seems, there are two leaders -- from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to Nirvana and Pearl Jam to 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys to Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. By establishing two distinct characters, Cyrus has been able to fill both chairs and hasn't left much room for outside competition. She's also made herself less dependent on Disney and provided an avenue to grow professionally and attract older crowds. Like I said -- genius.

Of course, this Hannah Montana thing is working so well for her that she might just retire at age 15 and live very comfortably off her earnings. What she earned on this night at the merchandisce booth, given the hundreds of kids wearing tour T-shirts, must have been staggering.

"We have to buy the Hannah Montana clothes, the Hannah Montana dresses, the Hannah Montana hairpieces,'' said Castro Valley's Kara Costa, who was in attendance with her two daughters, 10-year-old Marissa and 8-year-old Jordan. "We have to have the whole thing.''

Watching the kids react to the show, it was easy to draw comparisons to other pop-music phenomenoms from the past -- like `N Sync, Britney and, even, the Beatles. For some in attendance, however, there's simply no comparison. One of those folks was Castro Valley's Sarah Luzuriaga, who brought her 9-year-old nieces, Kaylei Mae Long and Cori Ann Long, to the concert.

"This is bigger than the Beatles for the girls,'' she said.

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Here's why Hannah Montana rules

Posted by Grant Butler November 01, 2007 10:09AM

It didn't take long Tuesday night to feel like a fish out of water at the "Hannah Montana" concert.

At the Rose Quarter box office, I asked the ticket seller for a single ticket, and was stared down with a look of utter disbelief.

"For tonight?" he asked incredulously.

He had cause to wonder whether I'd lost my mind. As a middle-aged man, I couldn't have been more removed from the target demographic for the tween idol Hannah Montana, a jet-setting pop star played by 14-year-old Miley Cyrus on the popular Disney TV show. And from the looks of the crowd milling outside the arena - mostly moms and young daughters on a girls night out - I clearly didn't fit in.

Because the show wasn't completely sold out, despite weeks of online ticket-reselling mania on eBay, Craigslist and the like, I was able to snag a great seat right next to the stage.

"Have fun," the ticket seller said as he handed me my chit, making me feel like a complete weirdo.

Here's what's not weird: By the end of Cyrus' 90-minute, 17-song set, I was captivated by the "Hannah Montana" experience and figured out why she's so enormously appealing to girls between 8 and 12.

For starters, there's the clothes. Cyrus had seven costume changes, an array of sequined tops, shiny boots and glittering jeans that were more Technicolor than a Disney cartoon. And everything was covered in cascades of glitter and rhinestones. How could anyone resist a wardrobe that's so high on the sparkle factor?

And this gal can move and sing. Whether she was being herself or her secret alter ego "Hannah," Cyrus and her 10 backup dancers and singers covered every inch of the stage and its catwalk - which extended 10 rows into the audience - like caffeinated panthers. Almost every number was up-tempo and just the stuff for pulse-racing popping, locking and strutting.

All that onstage energy carried over to the crowd. Cyrus asked everyone to stand up and dance, and the arena became a sea of waving arms, jiggling glow sticks and unison jumping in place. As fun as Cyrus was to see, it was more fun to watch all that youthful energy in motion.

The whole "Hannah"/Miley dual identity of both the TV and arena show is irresistible, too. As "Hannah," she's an international sensation. But she can retreat to being Miley, a regular teen unencumbered by the pitfalls that typically come with stardom, like tabloid photographers and greedy hangers-on.

Still, more than anything, Cyrus' appeal is rooted in her songs. There's not an ounce of cynicism in her music, with most of the lyrics exploring themes of daring to dream, believing in yourself and building self-confidence. These ideas mesh perfectly for girls making that difficult life transition that a pre-looniness Britney Spears once perfectly described: "I'm not a girl, not yet a woman."

In "East Northumberland High," Cyrus delves into the experience of first-time heartbreak with the resilience of laughter winning out over sadness. With "Nobody's Perfect," she sings about how everyone makes mistakes, and that messing up shouldn't be an excuse for giving up. And with "Life's What You Make It," she celebrates individuality and how much fun it can be to be different from everyone else.

That certainly rang true with me. Tuesday night, I was the square peg at the "Hannah Montana" show. But that didn't stop me from giggling and having a great time, too.

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