By Geri McShane&lt!—-&t;.

Sunday, August 05, 2001

By Geri McShane

Billy Ray Cyrus saved for last what two packed-full grandstands of people came to hear Friday night.

After nearly an hour of singing, the performer finished off this concert with the song that earned him the 1992 Country Music Association Single of the Year and the 1993 American Music Awards’ Favorite Single, &uot;Achy Breaky Heart.&uot;

And the crowd went wild.

Of course, the crowd was appreciative from the moment Cyrus and his band, Sly Dog, were introduced. &uot;I like it here in Minnesota,&uot; the singer said of his reception.

In the grandstand, some fans held up signs bearing &uot;We Love You, Billy Ray.&uot; He gave away guitar picks, his empty water bottle, and people in the crowd even begged him for his towel.

But mostly, he entertained, singing a number of songs from his latest album, &uot;Southern Rain,&uot; on Sony’s Monument Label. In addition to the title track, Cyrus sang songs like &uot;Burn Down the Trailer Park&uot; and &uot;You Won’t Be Lonely Now,&uot; as well as &uot;She’s Not Cryin’ Anymore,&uot; &uot;Where’m I Gonna Live When I Get Home (a sing-along for the audience),&uot; Nancy Sinatra’s &uot;These Boots are Made from Walkin’,&uot; and &uot;I Never Ever Thought I Would Fall in Love With You,&uot; among others. Cyrus made a few references to the new direction his career has taken. There was the PAX-TV movie and series, &uot;Doc,&uot; where he plays a Montana doctor who moves to New York City.

&uot;I’m a doctor now … I know people,&uot; he said. Later, as his concert drew to a close: &uot;I wouldn’t be a very good doctor if I didn’t give you one last thrill before I go.&uot;

He’s also starred such films as &uot;Wish You Were Dead&uot; with Christopher Lloyd, &uot;Mulholland Drive,&uot; and &uot;Radical Jack.&uot; Cyrus, who turns 40 this month, won TNN/ Music City News Awards, including Male Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Video of the Year, Song of the Year and Single of the Year, in 1997 and 1998. He also holds the record for 17 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Albums Chart, was recognized by The Kennedy Center Honors for his work with children and received the first-ever Bob Hope Congressional Medal of Honor Society Entertainer’s Award for his dedication to philanthropy in 1995, among others.

Out of the limelight, Cyrus retreats to his 500-acre farm outside Nashville where he enjoys time with his wife, Tish, and six children.