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Miley Cyrus Headlines Biggest Concert in Today Show History

July 25, 2008 1:25 PM ET

"I heard some of you have been here since Tuesday!" Miley Cyrus announced candidly to the Today crowd this morning. "I didn't even start practicing yet then!"

The 15-year old was referring to the hundreds — if not thousands — who spent the last three days camping out in New York City's Rockefeller Center to ensure a good spot for themselves during Cyrus' four-song set.

Over 13,000 people filled the pavilion by 8:30 this morning, making it not only the biggest concert in the morning show's history, but the first time 48th street had to be closed to accommodate a concert.

Cyrus performed her biggest singles ("See You Again," "7 Things"), then moved on to two tracks from her brand new record Breakout. "This is my favorite so you have to be really loud," Cyrus said before busting into a twangy, heartached future single "Bottom of the Ocean."

Tweens in homemade Hannah Montana t-shirts and matching gold headbands screamed along with every word of the three-day old song, while others waved "7 Things I love about Miley" posters in front of the cameras. ("She cares about the planet!" one bullet point read.)

"Miley 4 Prez," said another.

"Yeah, that would last for like two seconds," Cyrus responded.

Some of Cyrus' biggest supporters stuck around after the show for a few after to talk business with Rock Daily. See what they had to say below.

Lindsay Davies, 13 and Gabrielle Deckelman, 13
Came From: Houston, TX (for the weekend, but this performance was a big factor)
Time Arrived: 2:30 a.m.
Favorite song: Tie between "Fly on the Wall" and "Rock Star"
Why: "I like how it sounds. I just love her style."

Kendry Mendez, 9 and Marianny Paulino, 9
Came From: Washington Heights
Time arrived: 4 a.m.
Favorite song: "Nobody's Perfect"
Why: "Because it teaches people that everyone makes mistakes, no one is perfect."

Allison Valentine and her daughter Mackenna Valentine, 6
Came From: Pennsylvania ("We took a three hour bus to get here!")
Time arrived: 9 p.m. ("We showed up at nine last night and spent the night. There were eight rows of people already there and the line wrapped around the block. (Mackenna) was such a trooper. Her 6th birthday was two weeks ago so this is her present.")
Favorite song: "True Friend"
Why: "It says nice words!"

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Song Stories

“Piano Man”

Billy Joel | 1973

Billy Joel’s first hit, “Piano Man,” was – ironically – an autobiographical lament about how his first album wasn’t a hit. When Cold Spring Harbor didn’t take off, Joel briefly became a lounge pianist in Los Angeles, and this song, about that experience, expressed his frustrations and fears at the time: “And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar/And say, ‘Man, what are you doing here?’” “It was all right,” Joel said later, about the gig. “I got free drinks and union scale, which was the first steady money I’d made in a long time.”

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