03 July 2014, The Tablet

Dolly Parton


 
The audience  was packed with pneumatic blondes in loud clothes, and some of them were women. They were there to pay tribute to the world’s most durable, and in unexpected ways complex, music star. It takes a certain genius to do what Dolly Parton did on headline day at Glastonbury. She found the only place on the planet muddier than Sevier County, Tennessee, and conquered it in a white weskit-and-pants combo that would stain from a passing farmer’s glance. She even improvised a crowd song in celebration of the sticky surroundings. It also takes genius for a supposed country singer to win over what is still essentially, albeit in these eclectic and genre-busting times, a rock crowd.Even allowing for the wild oversell of Glastonbury as both a destination event and televisi
Get Instant Access

Continue Reading


Register for free to read this article in full


Subscribe for unlimited access

From just £30 quarterly

  Complete access to all Tablet website content including all premium content.
  The full weekly edition in print and digital including our 179 years archive.
  PDF version to view on iPad, iPhone or computer.

Already a subscriber? Login