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Dolly gives a sparkling show

10:14am Wednesday 21st March 2007

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SHE left the nine-to-five life behind long ago - but that doesn't mean that Dolly Parton has ever stopped working.

The living legend proved last night just what a professional entertainer she is with a truly fabulous show at the MEN Arena.

It's hard to believe that the tiny blonde woman on stage turned 60 last year.

From the moment she rose out of the stage through a trap door wearing a sparkly white outfit, the audience was mesmerised by the larger-than-life character.

She packed her set with hit after hit, including Jolene, Here You Come Again and Coat of Many Colours, with the sell-out audience singing along enthusiastically.

Dolly, whose next album is fittingly named Backwoods Barbie, once said that it cost a lot of money to look "this cheap" changed outfits mid-set and reappeared wearing a sparkly mini-dress.

Throughout, she chatted to the audience, telling stories of her childhood and cracking jokes about her two most famous assets.

She certainly knows her audience, which included Sean Tunney and Jenny McAlpine from Coronation Street, who clapped and cheered enthusiastically after every song.

But aside from the sheer showmanship of it all, it was clear that here was a real Tennessee talent to be reckoned with.

Her voice was as strong last night as it was in 1974 when she released I Will Always Love You.

And that song, which famously appeared on the soundtrack to the film The Bodyguard, sung by Whitney Houston, received a rapturous reception.

As for Dolly herself, from last night's performance it seems that we will always love her, too.

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eleanor, S-O-T says...
11:56am Wed 21 Mar 07

Cheated...is how I feel after last night's concert.
Normally when you go to a concert, you expect to actually see the person you are there for, but at this concert, there was no chance of that! Granted, if you are on the upper tier at the MEN, you do not really imagine to properly see the people on stage (I UNDERSTAND THIS), but surely you can rely on the big screens!? Er, no! NO close-ups of Dolly! None whatsoever! Why not??? Nobody knows!
In fact, the screens may as well have not been there! There were some close-ups of other musicians, so why not her? After paying a small fortune for the tickets, you at least expect a glance at her face! A glance at the person you have admired for years!
Dolly, Dolly where are you? It could have been anyone on that stage!
As an audience, we are meant to listen and relate to her songs and watch the feeling she puts into her performance. Well, without seeing her face, how can we do that?
I may as well have sat at home and put a CD on!
Can someone tell me why this is? Anyone? I imagine its either for legal reasons or vanity. Either way- rubbish!What makes Dolly different to any other person that has performed on the stage.
I this was her choice not to have close-ups, she has really gone down in my estimations!
It is just saying to the fans
" I don't care if you can see me or not, I've got your ticket money"

I'm not saying the performance wasn't good. The musicianship was excellent (although the people on sound desk could have done a better job at getting the tone and the balance of the instruments right), but it just didn't seem real.
Could have been a CD and some mannequins!

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Mark, Netherlands says...
12:48pm Wed 21 Mar 07

Last sunday she performed in Holland, and a lot of fans were unhappy, because she didn't sing live, it was lip-sync. So maybe that's why "her voice was as strong last night as it was in 1974", maybe the recording they used was from 1974. Because if she didn't sing live in Holland, she probably didn't either in the UK.

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Mark, Netherlands says...
12:53pm Wed 21 Mar 07

Eleanor posted that she didn't understand why there were no close-ups on big screens. Well in that case people would clearly notice that she didn't sing live. That's the reason I think.

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browneyedqtie, USA says...
12:47am Thu 22 Mar 07

Give the poor woman a break...she's doing an extensive tour at a heavy pace and although she looks a lot younger, she's 61! Touring is grueling...and she's committed to providing a good time by showing her upbeat best side to everyone. When you're 61, are you going to be "at the top of your game and able to keep up with the pace you had 30 years before?" Not all of it is lip synched. She still has it. "Little Sparrow" is completely live and AMAZING. Dolly, come back to the USA where there aren't so many haters and unforgiving people! They must still think you are the same age as the last time you toured their country! We love you here...and I, for one, don't mind if your show is "enhanced" in places because you entertain me, make me happy to be there, tell me stories, and yes, YOU DO SING LIVE TOO!!!!! You are the best!!!

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Theresa ~ Dolly lover for LIFE!, U.S.A. says...
1:23am Thu 22 Mar 07

A TRUE Dolly Parton fan would not care if she slept on stage while her music was playing! This woman is an amazing icon and I totally agree with Val: give Dolly a break; she is 61 years old! I cannot WAIT for her to return. She needs to come back to the states, where the people who REALLY love, respect and admire her are. She is a sacred soul and you should cherish the fact that she even considered touring Europe! Who cares if she lip-syncs some songs? As for as her chatter in between songs ~ ****, that is like sitting in her living room! Who wouldn't want to do that?? Dolly, you ROCK my socks! Keep up the good work, beautiful!!

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Val aka browneyedqtie, USA says...
1:34am Thu 22 Mar 07

You took the rest of the words right out of my mouth, Theresa! Hey, Dolly, can't wait to see you up-close, far-a-way, or otherwise, back home in the US of A!

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leighaun, manchester, england says...
12:31pm Thu 22 Mar 07

i saw dolly on tuesday in manchester and what a fabulous performance she gave, so what if she didnt sing live on some of the songs she is still a living legend and yes i paid a high price for the ticket but being a true dolly fan if the tickets were dearer than what they were i still would of paid it because it would of been worth every penny dont think all english fans are the same the majority of us truly do love you dolly please come back soon ****

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Gerard McGuickin, London, UK says...
9:02pm Thu 22 Mar 07

I met and saw Dolly in concert on 19 March at Wembley and she was incredible! I loved every minute and having seen her in London back in 2002 and also at several shows in Dollywood, this concert was my best to date. Y'all who are complaining about the show need to remember that we're talking about Dolly Parton - a living legend, icon and musical genius. If she's worried about close-ups cause of vanity, she has no need to worry. Dolly you are absolutely stunning! As for those of you from the USA, you're being unfair. Believe me, we are majorly excited to have Dolly in the UK. We've always embraced her here and love her to absolute pieces. I'm sure Dolly wouldn't appreciate the idea of rivalry between fans. Dolly we love you and can't wait to see the rest of the tour!!!

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Brad, says...
11:47pm Thu 22 Mar 07

I LOVE Dolly Parton, as a person first, then a songwriter and a performer. And let me tell you this, Dolly Parton does NOT have to lipsync. I wish she would stop doing it and do stuff that is easy for her..you know...relax a bit. Come out on a plain stage, sit on a stool and sing simple numbers that her voice can handle. For some reason she thinks she has to put on big shows...I for one would be happy if she came out in blue jeans, sat on a stump, played her guitar and sang the simple songs that made her my most loved and admired singer of all time. She thinks she has to put on such a huge stage presentation, and she doesn't. I love Dolly for Dolly. So what if her voice cracks here and there, that's what makes her unique! Love you, Dolly!

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browneyedqtie, USA says...
2:58am Fri 23 Mar 07

Gerald, point taken. :) I didn't mean to disrespect any of the UK fans who cherish Dolly...I just couldn't believe the ones posting on this page were so hard on her. I know there are lots of fans over there who appreciate her...but, as with anything, of course all the posts here started off admonishing her. So, definitely my apologies for lumping UK fans together when really I was just dumbfounded over the specific posts you see on this page. I was trying to direct my frustration to them and, instead, I possibly offended others who weren't posting negatively. The previous posters are definitely entitled to their opinions, as well, but seemed so hard on her! Thank you for understanding. I'm glad you enjoyed Dolly and appreciate her for the legend that she is. You rock!

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Bert, Minnesota, USA says...
4:58am Fri 23 Mar 07

Brad...I would love for her to just sit on a stool and sing, but come one this Dolly Parton...Would she have it any other way than a big production! She has always loved glitz and glam, and it will always be that way!

And I saw her on her Hello...I'm Dolly Tour a few years back, and the talk of lip-syncing was there too. But I agree, she is 61, who cares she does a good job at anything she does.

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fiona, glasgow says...
4:19pm Sat 24 Mar 07

I saw her at Newcastle Arena on Wednesday evening and left feeling disappointed and cheated. I soon realised that there were no close ups on the big screen (at £145.00 for 2 tickets I wanted to see her face and her emotion as she sang) I thought some of her song choices were a little strange and the Elvis number was poor. She has so many good songs why do something so cheesy as this. My partner suggested that she was not singing live and I dismissed this saying she would never do that but to find it may be true I am disgusted. I saw her in Glasgow in 2002 on the Halos & Horns tour and she was fabulous and I expected the same here. I'm not saying the concert wasn't good, the 3 songs to start were great (Baby I'm Burning-2 Doors Down & Jolene) as was Islands in the Stream but didn't enjoy Elvis of Me & Bobby MCGee.

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PAUL INGMAN, says...
8:01pm Mon 26 Mar 07

I saw dolly in 2002 at Manchester Bridgewater and just watched both shows in Glasgow! I was lucky enough to go backstage for a meet and great.

She was incredible and I am amazed how many people are calling her for lip-syncing. AS far as I could see very little was lip-syced and the voice was perfect on the live tracks.

I have heard, or read most of Dolly's annecdotes a thousand times, but if she changed them now she would be a liar - so let her tell the old stories to a new audience and lets enjoy a fabulous show from a genuine ICON!

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Joel Phipps, says...
10:48am Tue 27 Mar 07

I went to see Dolly on Sunday 25 March at Wembley, and have to say that I was very disappointed in her to see her lip-sync. I went to see a live performance. I am not in adoration of her so much that I paid that amount of money just to look at her. As a Dolly fan, and I continue to be one, even after my disappointment, if she is too old, as you all seem to be implying, then I would rather that she just stopped touring and concentrated on producing good albums.I went to see a great singer and songwriter perform her songs live. As Elton John said "Since when is Lip-Syncing Live!" To hear live music is so much better than a manufactured perfect recording, and I truly missed this from what I thought would be the best concert I would ever see. After seeing that she was lip-syncing, I'm not even sure if any of it was live. My confidence in the whole performance was greatly shaken. I certainly won't be paying to see her "live" again. I am looking forward to her new CD, though.

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Paul Derrick, Hull says...
12:08pm Tue 27 Mar 07

I saw her at Sheffield and was dismayed to see that she was lip-synching. I've never seen her live before, and although the show was excellent, had I known lip-synching was par for the course, I wouldn't have wasted 65 quid on her. Live entertainment should be just that - she's getting paid enough for it.

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Sue Stanberry, Bournemouth says...
11:03pm Wed 28 Mar 07

I went to see Dolly at Wembley on Sunday 25 March and all I can say is Dolly was just perfect - what a great voice she has. I have been a fan for 35 years and this was the first time I saw her and it was well worth the wait. I don't care what any of the moaners say about her - it was a great show!

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Mark Booby, Sydney.Australia. says...
1:49am Thu 29 Mar 07

I am a huge Dolly fan, she is the greatest country entertainer of all times,without doubt one of the greatest of any forms of music.She is atrue legend who has been at the top for more than forty years,quite an achievement.I saw Dolly in the eighties in Sydney,please Dolly we love you in oz,come tour over here again I will be front row centre,I would'nt even mind how the songs were performed as long as you were there.Love Mark

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Julie, Yorkshire, UK says...
7:10pm Fri 30 Mar 07

I saw Dolly in Sheffield and there were plenty of close up shots; the show was filled with them. The show was amazing, and Little Sparrow was definately live and brilliant. I would say that most of the songs were live as I tried to record them on my phone, but the feedback was aweful (aka liveness kicking in). The show was ace. She should come back sooooooon!

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Dina, Edinburgh says...
6:06pm Thu 26 Apr 07

I was at the Sheffield concert too and didn't see any close up shots of Dolly at all. At one point when we had a close up of a 'cowboy' dancing with her and she was almost coming into the shot we were suddenly cut back to only seeing a distant shot of her. I didn't see one close up of her all night and as I wasn't near the stage it was hugely disappointing - the person up there could have been a man in drag for all I knew. As a student £55.00 is a lot to pay and I felt cheated.

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Dolly Parton and her band belted out the hits at the MEN Arena on Tuesday night Dolly Parton and her band belted out the hits at the MEN Arena on Tuesday night

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