Glastonbury 2014

Dolly Parton brings the party to Glastonbury

It’s Dolly-bury at the Pyramid Stage on Sunday afternoon.

29th June 2014

Dancing security guards, regular intervals for lengthy stories about the blue Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, and a diamanté-embellished suit with gemstones presumably nabbed from Arcade Fire’s Reflektor set-up on Friday; it can only be a Sunday Afternoon hoedown with Dolly Parton.

"Oh my goodness, you're rowdy!" drawls a mock-aghast Dolly Parton as Michael Eavis looks on from side of stage, and a sign bearing the words "Dolly - take me to your bosom" flutters above the crowd. Cackling to herself with the air of a woman with a trick or two up her bedazzled white sleeves, she kicks off the show with a medley of all her songs that incorporate themes of fire. It's a fitting declaration, because as her early evening set progresses from batshit to mega batshit crazy, Dolly Parton is on fire, alright.

Over the course of the show, the security guards perform a synchronised routine to 'Jolene', Dolly tells numerous short tales about her beef with her rival, the one and only Jolene, and her upbringing on a farm - "this mud ain't nothing new to me". In a particularly genius transition, the country-romp 'Rocky Top' breaks for an interval in which Dolly declares that she loves "good sax," followed by a saxophone cover of the Benny Hill theme, and an equally confusing foray into hip-hop. "Mud, mud, mud" she chants, along with a heavily improvised verse section that could loosely be referred to as rapping.

A slew of hits lead the set, of course - '9 to 5', 'Islands in the Stream' and 'Here You Come Again' all getting rowdier by the minute. Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi comes on in a Dolly Parton t-shirt to play 'Lay Your Hands On Me', to wrap up in some style. "That was a thrill, huh?" says Dolly before smoothly hinting towards the final song in her stage patter. Dolly Parton's set today has been one filled with joking, fun, and crowd members wearing home-made Dolly outfits. 'I Will Always Love You' is a reminder of how she ended up here today. Metallica bringing heavy metal to Glastonbury? Pah, big deal when Dolly Parton just made country music everyone's new favourite genre.

Dolly Parton played:

Fire Medley
Why'd You Come In HereLookin' Like That
Jolene
Blue Smoke
Coat Of Many Colours
Rocky Top
Interlude [Benny Hill ThemeTune Saxophone Cover]
Mud Song
Banks of the Ohio
Old Flames (Can't Hold aCandle to You)
But You Know I Love You
Real Life
Think About Love
Here You Come Again
Two Doors Down
Islands In The Stream
9 to 5
Lay Your Hands On Me [BonJovi Cover]
I Will Always Love You