One more night in Dollywood

I was lucky enough to see Dolly Parton at Newport Folk Festival in 2019. She just happened to be the very secret headliner on the day I performed that year.

If memory serves there were rumblings that whole day that the secret headline guest was “someone huge” but no one knew who.

Shortly before she took the stage I remember what can only be described as some sort of floating tent backstage making its way towards the main stage - the tent being a way to obscure whatever celebrity entourage was within it. Then Dolly Parton emerged and took the stage.

I remember many things from her set that I think of often. One was that they pulled up every female musician who had performed that day to sing with her. This was amazing to witness - artists like Jade Bird and Courtney Marie Andrews getting to sing with such an icon. You could see their excitement and disbelief beaming out of them.

I also remember her incredible banter. What a pro! Everything she said was hilarious and delivered with such warmth. I remember her making the crowd give it up for her backing band which was made up of all men - saying something to the effect of “I know it’s supposed to be all about the girls tonight but these boys are working hard too!”.

I remember her playing I Will Always Love you and being so genuinely in the moment and grateful that I got to witness such a thing. I also remember singing 9-5 with my band as we ate ice cream cones. What a gift.

And lastly, I remember how she ended the set. As the band struck the last chord Dolly did a twirl like motion with her hand and over the last note she said: “I got a plane to catch!”.

Dolly donated her paycheck that year to charity. This kind of thing was common for her of course. I am enjoying all of the articles emerging not only about her philanthropy but just plain kindness. It’s all so inspiring.

About how she could have been a billionaire but chose not to be. About how she invested royalties from Whitney Houston’s cover of I will Always Love You into Black neighborhoods in Nashville. About how she congratulated 3 Six Mafia when they beat her at the Oscars. About how she once sent fan mail to Eminem. There was simply nobody like her.

Anyways, I keep thinking about how she ended her set that year at Newport - about saying she had a plane to catch. I picture her saying the same thing over the final chords of her life and then hopping in a rhinestone jet, bound for heaven.

Dolly Parton lived to be 80 years old and we are all so lucky - to have shared space with one of the greatest humans that time will ever know.

Safe journey, Dolly!

Heaven just got a new lead singer xoxo