In just 16 years, the rapid rise of child star Miley Cyrus has given the adolescent idol recognition in film, television, music, fashion and even rap songs -- opportunities most musicians don't come by over the course of their entire lives.

Though Cyrus' music is associated primarily with a teenage audience, an older crowd is noticing the young artist's flair.

Her concert tonight at the Bryce Jordan Center will prove just that when she brings her "party" to Penn State.

Bernie Punt, director of sales and marketing for the Bryce Jordan Center, said the gig has definite crossover appeal with college students. Some students are right around the same age as Cyrus, Punt said, and those older could relate to her teenage accessibility as well.

Christine Hardos (sophomore-geography) is excited to attend and thinks music as straightforward as Cyrus' works to the pop star's advantage.

"She's a teenager, and like anyone else, makes music people can relate too," Hardos said. "Some people think it's weird, but I don't see a problem with it. Her music is really good -- it's upbeat and makes you want to dance."

As Cyrus has grown over the years, so has her music and image. In stripping away her Hannah Montana persona in favor of Miley Cyrus, Hardos said, she has become even more relatable to an even wider audience.

Stephanie Viggiano (junior-German) is another student attending the concert. Though she's more into indie rock and electronic, she still likes the broad appeal of pop music like Miley Cyrus'.

"I haven't been to a pop concert since I was 13 and saw Britney Spears, so I want to kind of relive my childhood," Viggiano said. "To me, that kind of music reflects a background of having a good time. It helps us remember the good old days when we were younger and watched 'Hey Arnold.' "

Viggiano said she knows many other students who play Miley Cyrus songs at parties, especially "Party in the U.S.A." She is interested in what kind of a show the singer puts on and how she is currently trying to brand herself.

Cyrus is still young but is starting to make the change from teen idol to serious performer, Viggiano said. Though the performer has run into a degree of controversy with some of her more provocative actions, Viggiano said it's a natural outgrowth of a performer trying to reach out to as wide an audience as possible.

"She's 16 and in the spotlight and had to mature faster, so I can empathize for her as a musician trying to come into her own," Viggiano said. "There's always a business aspect no matter what kind of music you make, and musicians try to engage as many people as possible to sell records."

Cyrus' dual personalities probably contribute somewhat to these reactions, Viggiano said. Having two audiences and saying different things to both makes it difficult to separate, she said.

"I think she's starting to mirror these other artists that came through Disney and matured into sex symbols, like Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake," Viggiano said. "She's trying to explore her older age range, but she still has a lot of the younger Hannah Montana fans, so maybe she should hold onto that a little longer."

Much like other Disney artists before her, Cyrus' tour is selling extremely well.

Cyrus is part of a new wave of teen superstars that was around when students were about 10 years old, Punt said.

'N Sync, O-Town, Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys all performed at the BJC, and they all sold out the venue, he said, including two consecutive nights by the Backstreet Boys.

"When 'N Sync came, we had to, for the first time, turn down a long line of people who couldn't get in, which wasn't an easy thing to do," Punt said. "We could have easily had a second night."

Though students are definitely a part of the ticket-buying masses, Punt said fans are coming from many far-away places. People bought tickets in multiple neighboring states and even as far away as Quebec, he said.

Metro Station, which features Cyrus' older brother Trace Cyrus, will be opening the concert, traveling from California to tour with Cyrus.

Though Metro Station typically tours with bands like Fall Out Boy, synth player Blake Healy said he thinks Miley Cyrus puts on a great show, even if it is a bit different from what the band is used to.

"At first, I didn't know what to expect," Healy said. "It's a whole production. When I watch her, I can't believe she's only 16 -- she definitely put a lot of work into it."

Healy said the current tour is the biggest Metro Station has done, and though the demographic is unusual for the group, he thinks it has been well received.

Seeing young children with their parents at shows is out of the ordinary for Metro Station, Healy said, but being able to perform in front of so many people is a great opportunity.

"It's not weird because I think Miley records really great pop music," Healy said. "I have a lot of respect for the music she makes and the performance she puts on."

Metro Station, like Miley Cyrus, started performing when its members were still young, so Healy can certainly empathize. While Healy is older than the other members of the band, he said this never affected the group's creative process.

"At first, I was hesitant to join the band, because I was sort of like the creepy old man," Healy said. "When I was 17, my songs were terrible, but Trace and Mason were writing great stuff at that age."

The band is currently in the demo process of making new songs. Because of the electronic nature of the band's music, the songs are mostly complete when the band goes to record in the studio, Healy said.

Though Healy described performing in front of a sea of people as "unreal," it makes it harder for the band to make a connection with the audience. People tend to remain in their seats more, he said.

But the tour has its perks.

"It's the first time we get to shower every day," Healy said. "You don't really get to shower every day on most tours."

The concert will also mark a first for the Bryce Jordan Center, which has incorporated an electronic ticket system for tonight's performance.

Punt said the tour opted to use the new system to keep out potential scalpers, who had purchased the majority of tickets for Cyrus' last tour and sold them back to concertgoers at exorbitant prices.

"Not a lot of artists do this, but for some, this is the only way they'll do it," Punt said. "They want to make sure the fans get the tickets."

Tickets for the concert are only being sold online, and photo ID is required for entry to the event.

The new system led to a lot of misunderstandings with older buyers who have never encountered such a system and aren't accustomed to the new technology, Punt said.

To accommodate any potential seating disasters, the venue will open two hours before the concert, Punt said.

Viggiano had no trouble using the new system to buy her ticket, having dealt with a similar approach with this year's Penn State football tickets.

"It's really easy," she said. "I don't have to worry about losing my ticket or anything. Reselling tickets, though, could become a problem."

Though this is exactly the problem the promoters wanted to create for scalpers, Viggiano said that the system could also raise a dilemma for fans who are meeting up with fellow concertgoers. Attendees who purchased tickets together cannot show up separately but must all enter the arena together, she said.

Regardless, the system seems to be working: The show is nearly sold out, and the whole tour has been selling extremely well, Punt said.

"This is one of the successful tours of 2009," Punt said. "The other was Taylor Swift, and we had them both."