Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus concert report

Dennis has touched down in Nashville for tonight’s CMA Awards, and he was up bright and early for the Good Morning America concert with Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus. Here’s his report from the show, and you can click here to see Miley’s performance:

How cool is this? CMA Awards day begins bright and early, with the traditional, downtown open-air concert for GMA. And today’s concert had mega-wattage star power, with teen queen Miley Cyrus (a.k.a. Hannah Montana) and her dad, Billy Ray, performing. The crowd started gathering at 3 a.m. to get the best spot. Not that I was actually THERE at 3 a.m.! That’s just what my new FOWs (Friends of WEEKEND) told me when I arrived after 6.

Billy Ray was very warm and gregarious with the crowd. Miley was, well, chilly. Not in a non-personable way, of course. She was downright cold, visibly shivering in between songs. "Are you guys staying warm?" she asked her fans, who roared in the affirmative. Within the crowd of about 500, there were lots of flashing camera phones, pre-teen girls in pink outfits (even one in a fancy ‘princess’ dress) and the requisite little-girl-holding-her "I Skipped School to See Hannah’ handwritten sign. With another young ‘un flashing her "CMAs Totally Wicked" sign, it clearly was a younger vibe here than at last year’s more Budweiser-and-peanut shells flavored crowd for Big and Rich. Miley sang I Thought I Lost You (which she’s singing with John Travolta, as the two are lending their voices to an upcoming animated flick from Disney called Bolt) and Simple Song. Billy Ray sang something about how much he likes coming home. (OK, it was Back to Tennessee. Thanks, Google!)

The official ‘cute’ moment happened when GMA’s Sam Champion (at the left in photo above, with Miley center and Billy Ray right) interviewed the two of them, asking Miley about her big 16th birthday, which is coming up soon, on Nov. 23. (And mine is the VERY next day!) Anyway, Sam was being a bit naughty and pushed Miley on what she was hoping to get as a present from dear ol’ dad. Y’know, something that she can slip into pretty comfortably … And start up with a set of keys … Hmmm … Nice to put Billy Ray on the spot there, Sam. But Billy Ray was more than cool with it. "As long as she wears her seatbelt, it’s OK with me," he said. Awww.

Anyway, the best up-close-and-personal view of the young star may very well have been, well, mine. After the concert, I headed to the local Renaissance Hotel to pick up some newspapers, and, as I’m walking outside the lobby door, who should come out of her black SUV but Miley herself. She good-naturedly posed for pictures. Not any with me — it was outside, after all. Let the girl come inside and get warm, people!

(photo by Adam Larkey/ABC)