Concert review: The other side of Miley Cyrus

Tween queen Miley Cyrus came to sold-out Target Center on Thursday night to say bye, bye, bye.

Bye to Hannah Montana. Bye to bubble gum. Bye to tweendom.

Say hello to the new I-want-to-grow-up-fast Miley. Little girls who have worshipped this Disney supernova be damned. (Sorry, but that word seems to fit her new vibe.) Miley, who turns 17 on Nov. 23, wants to rock you with long-hair shaking, noisy guitars and short shorts.

Problem is, Miley can't rock a pair of short shorts or a hair-metal song. Whether she sang a ballad or partied in overdrive, her voice was more about volume than emotion. She couldn't command the stage with either grace or attitude. And she couldn't inject personality into any part of her presentation -- not even her patter.

"I'm happy to be here," the once-spunky girl-next-door said with no conviction whatsoever. "You guys are the best."

Although this show was more elaborate and physical than Miley's "Best of Both Worlds" tour in 2007, it felt like Arena 101 delivered by a too-much-too-soon TV star who needs to go back to the School of Rock. The effects tried to be cool but came across as lame: Miley and four women dancing like a PG version of the Pussycat Dolls with carpenter sawhorses as props to "Girls Night Out" (an evening of construction?) or Miley perched atop a red Harley-Davidson circling slowly over the crowd braying Joan Jett's "I Love Rock and Roll" (rock 'n' roll in slow motion? hello?).

In the shameless tween tradition of market, market, market, Miley plugged her movie "The Last Song" (even though it's not due till 2010) by showing a trailer and then launching into the film's power ballad, "When I Look at You," with the star starting at a white grand piano and eventually running around ungainly like a Steven Tyler wanna-be.

There were a couple of songs when Miley actually seemed believable in her new persona. The island strut "Party in the U.S.A.," her current hit and her first non-bubble-gum triumph, connected with the right attitude. The ensuing rocker "Hovering" worked because there was chemistry and sparks between Miley and her duet partner, older brother Trace Cyrus from opening act Metro Station. And, for one number, she finally became her old self -- on the encore ballad "The Climb" (from "Hannah Montana: The Movie"), making eye contact with fans, waving at individuals and flashing that famous Miley smile.

At that moment, the show didn't feel empty anymore. But, it was too little, too late. Miley's 85-minute effort made Demi Lovato look like the Rolling Stones, the Jonas Brothers look like the Beatles and Taylor Swift like Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen and U2 rolled into one.

To be sure, the crowd of 16,500 seemed excited to see Miley, but not particularly excited about what she was doing. There wasn't the usual buzz in the building when the show ended. The speakers were pleading with Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" but broadcasting 'N Sync's "Bye Bye Bye" would have been more fitting.

For a set list, go to www.startribune.com/artcetera. Jon Bream • 612-673-1719