i should probably begin by saying i don't own any dolly parton cds. i have a compilation of sorts that i've gathered over the years but at most it consists of about 20 songs. i've never seen her perform on tv or anywhere else so i had absolutely no idea what to expect. that said, this show was so much fun and so entertaining!!!

over the weekend one of my closest friends came for a chicago visit. he is a big dolly fan and since she was playing at the chicago theatre on the day of his arrival he, my boyfriend, and i decided to go to the show. we had our own little box on the side of the theatre and could see dolly and her big tit-tays with a clear view.

she clearly has fun performing and loves what she does. her songs, even the very old ones, were performed with enthusiasm...and i know old girl must be tired of singing 9 to 5! she told stories - genuinely funny stories, too - about the songs and how they came about. after singing her huge hit "joline" she pointed out some drag queens in the audience and changed the lyrics to "drag queen!" ol' girl is funny!

her new cd is a cover disc of anti-war songs ranging from cat stevens' "where do the children play" to dylan's "blowin' in the wind" to john lennon's "imagine." madonna has much to learn. the crowd gave dolly a roaring standing ovation for "imagine" and i have to admit, it was a really powerful performance. i never would have expected that caliber of performance from dolly parton.

in the end, the show was a blast. it has piqued my interest in her body of work, especially the bluegrass stuff that i already know about but have yet to dig into with any intensity yet. i also appreciated seeing a country legend sing anti war songs (i did not know she was one of the few who stood up for the dixie chicks a few years ago).

i can tell you from now on i will go to see dolly any time she comes through whatever town i'm living in.

didnt i post this a year ago?

Great big titties hangin' down like watermelons!

dolly deserves more attention!!!

she's a good song writer

sosgemini said:

did you see her last tour? was it mostly bluegrass stuff or was it a mix of the bluegrass stuff and hits? i really wanted to go to one of those bluegrass tours around 2001 or 2 (i forget when she broke her 10 year tour hiatus but it was sometime around then).

SassyBritches said:

it was her hits...including bluegrass...one of the best shows of my life..and i was never a fan..i took my two aunts who arent fans either...i just thought, hey...we all need to cheer up (after my grandmothers death) lets go to a drag show...since they are jehovah witnesses dolly was the closest thing to a drag show for them. ;

sosgemini said:

Dolly puts on a great show. I enjoyed the show when it came through here a year ago, but was kinda let down by its brevity. She was sick with the flu when she performed, but still sounded amazing during Little Sparrow, which she did a cappella.

Rhondab said:

She's a GREAT songwriter!!

I love to sing "Dagger through the heart."

it really was a great show and how wonderful to see a singer still so on point 40 years into the game

your friend doesnt live in mississippi does he? cause I know this one guy down here who can't miss a Dolly show.. and he is just in love with her...

I'm happy for you! Lemme know if you need the Dolly hook-up.

She's not coming to MPLS for this tour. She is playing down in Rochester, MN though. But it's such a long drive that I passed on going. Now I'm 2nd guessing that choice....

I don't have any Dolly Parton records but I've seen her once or twice on Conan O'Brien and she was just funtastic. Great stage presence, good songs, nice voice. She was a fun guest as well, telling jokes and anecdotes....but then again who isn't fun when on Conan.
[Edited 11/2/05 11:40am]

rushing07 said:

Conan

SassyBritches said:

You can't go wrong with either of those three recent bluegrass excursions - The Grass is Blue, Little Sparrow and Halos and Horns. I think one is as good as the next. If you're not partial to her more pop-oriented 80s material, her earlier, more rootsy stuff is great. Just Because I'm a Woman is a brilliant album, probably the best of her early albums.

She's got a new song out with George Jones. The video for it can be found here. http://www.cmt.com/artist...deos.jhtml It's called "The Blues Man." I guess really it's Jones' video with Dolly in it, which is kinda the opposite of the way I made it sound.

Good song. Their voices blend well together. The video is nothing fancy, but there is some great footage of George Jones getting arrested in it. And how many artists are actually willing to put stuff like that in their videos?

It cracks me the fuck up when he starts beating the camera man.



[Edited 11/2/05 15:16pm]

sosgemini said:

I like that song Joline, I also liked the cover version some girl on her label did not too long ago

ABeautifulOne said:

Jolene is a great one. You talking about the Mindy Smith cover?

The Dolly Parton songs I like are:

Baby I'm Burnin'
Here You Come Again
Two Doors Down
9 to 5

Didn't she do a house music song in the 1990s? I think it was called "Freedom Train" or something. I only heard it once.

vainandy said:

It was a remake of Peace Train by Cat Stevens. Junior Vasquez housed it up.

vainandy said:

I've said it before, but I'll say it again - this is from one of the greatest album covers of all-time. It's full on Miss Piggy glam, and I love it!

Is the house version on an album or is it strictly on a maxi single?

vainandy said:

It was on a maxi-single, but I don't know if it ever made it to any album compilation.

I was looking for "Baby I'm Burnin" so I picked that album up at the used record store for $6. I wanted the 12 Inch but didn't get it because the crazy lady at the used record store wanted $20 for it, strictly because it was on pink vinyl and is a collector's item. I'm thinking "hell I want to play it, not frame it".

RipHer2Shreds said:

Yeah that one...I forgot her name

i've always loved Dolly.

she's a cool lady.