Dolly: The Review

When you're given a free ticket to go see Dolly Parton's first concert in Knoxville in 25 years, you really can't complain. However, when you're given that free ticket specifically in order to review the show, and your designated seat has a pole on the corner of stage directly in your sightline, one that directly blocks your view of Parton for a good 80 percent of the concert, and you designated seat has no view at all of any of the Jumbotron-esque screens next to the stage--well, it's hard to actually review the show fairly. 

This task becomes all the harder when the one thing your view does reveal is a TelePromTer, on which you can see that the banter Parton so casually tosses off in between songs is actually written and rehearsed, and you think to yourself this is probably a little bit what Dorothy felt like when the Wizard of Oz was revealed to be less than magical.

But, still, you are at a Dolly Parton concert for the first time in your life, even if you can only catch an occasional glimmer of the gold sequins on her sheer ivory-lace jacket atop a shimmery orange capri catsuit. You can still hear her, and that's what a concert is about anyway, right--the music? Even when it's in Thompson-Boling Arena? Even if there's not the spectacle there was three weeks ago at a different country music show, when Taylor Swift seemed to spend as much time changing clothes as singing?

And, so, the music: Parton sang her own classics--"Jolene," "Coat of Many Colors," "Islands in the Stream"--and Parton sang other people's classics--"Stairway to Heaven," "Son of a Preacher Man," the Hannah Montana theme song, a medley that featured Chris Brown's "Forever." (Yes, really. Chris Brown. From an upcoming movie in which Parton will costar with Queen Latifah. Yes, really.) 

Parton also sang several songs off her new album, Better Day, to which you had listened and not much liked. So you are surprised to find that the songs all sound pretty great live, with the band and backup singers, and you're willing to give the album another listen.

The crowd only gets up on its feet once, for "9 to 5," and while they don't share the gushing, screaming enthusiasm of the Swift crowd earlier in the month, they are appreciative and gracious. When Parton sings "Little Sparrow," you can hear a pin drop--well, a cell phone ring--despite the crowd of almost 9,000 people. You wonder how 9,000 people can be that quiet for that long when crowds of under 50 at much smaller venues can't shut up for any time at all. 

Because it is a long concert--Parton goes on at 8 p.m. and finishes at around 10:45 p.m., although she does take a 20-minute intermission, in which she changes into a different wig and tight red beaded fringed cargo shorts. (You can't see the pockets, but others tell you they are there.) And because it is long--almost too long--the TelePrompTer banter feels stale by the end. 

But there is still that voice, coming from behind the pole, occasionally with musical instruments you can't see (although you do see the piano, gold and glittering). And that voice belongs to Dolly Parton, who doesn't sing your favorite song ("Hard Candy Christmas"), but does sing your second favorite song ("Here You Come Again"), and you sing along loudly, as does everyone else, and it almost doesn't matter that you can't see a thing.

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