When Miley Cyrus drops by Toyota Center Sunday night for the latest stop of her Bangerz tour, she'll be armed with a truckload of buzz and controversy. Since the tour started in Vancouver on Valentine's Day, Cyrus' wild antics have thrilled — or shocked, depending on your age — audiences across two nations.
So what can Houston expect from the artist formerly known as Hannah Montana?
1. Revealing outfits — and lots of them
It shouldn't come as any surprise to anybody who's been watching Cyrus the last six months or so, but her public outfits tend to be on the minimalist side. She takes it to another level on the tour, working her way through multiple costume changes, each one seemingly skimpier than the next. She even "forgot" to make a costume change at a recent concert, forcing her to perform in her underwear.
2. Unusual backup dancers
Oh, sure, Cyrus has the usual array of model-esque backup dancers. But other supporters have included a little person, a huge — as in tall — woman, a rapper with a gigantic and eerily realistic fake head, and a guy wearing a Bill Clinton mask. Speaking of that guy . . .
3. Unrestrained sexuality
The man — or woman? — in the Bill Clinton mask was the recipient of a simulated act of fellatio during Cyrus' first concert, and other pictures have shown her performing all manner of provocative acts, including touching herself repeatedly, humping a gold car and straddling a giant hot dog.
She kissed Katy Perry when she visited LA, which is both meta and appropriate given everything else she does.
4. Ear-piercing levels of screaming girls
Fans of Cyrus' milder days on the Disney Channel haven't shunned her new image.They've embraced it with gusto. The vast majority of audience members have been girls in the 16 to 24 age range, and given their sustained shrieking and singing throughout, it's obvious that they share an ineffable kinship with Cyrus that adults can't hope to understand.
5. Great music
You could be forgiven, given all the extraneous distractions going on during the show, for thinking that Cyrus was trying to cover up a singing deficiency. But Bangerz was actually well-reviewed.
And when Cyrus hits the glory notes in "Wrecking Ball" or throws down on the ubiquitous "We Can't Stop," even she can't hide the fact that her ability to entertain is beyond skin deep.
Car humping is just one of many outrageous things Miley Cyrus will probably do at her Sunday concert at the Toyota Center.
Emilia's Havana offers a retro spin on the holiday bar, with the 1950s-inspired speakeasy decked out in tinsel and trees. Photo by Hasan Yousef 