Remembering Dolly Parton at Glastonbury 2014

In 2014, Dolly Parton walked onto Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage and somehow made a field full of exhausted festivalgoers feel like everything was going to be just fine.

I saw Dolly Parton at Glastonbury back in 2014. It was the famed Legends slot, around 4pm, if my festival-addled memory serves me correctly. It was Sunday, and everyone was feeling delicate and starting to fantasise about hot showers and quilted toilet paper. A collective comedown permeated the air; we all needed a cup of tea and a cuddle.

Thankfully, Dolly was about to take to the stage.

A huge crowd had amassed, stretching all the way back to the food stands. I’d later find out that around 100,000 turned up to watch her performance, a number believed to be one of the largest ever for a Glasto Legends slot. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I knew I liked a few of her songs, but like many, I was there more out of curiosity than anything else. Dolly Parton was one of those artists who transcended mere albums and record sales. She was iconic. You might never have listened to one of her songs, but you knew exactly who she was.

And, suddenly, there she was, a rhinestone-clad seraph, sent from the heavens to cleanse our sins.

The songs were, of course, brilliant. She played her incredible repertoire of hits, including ‘Coat of Many Colors’, ‘Islands in the Stream’, ‘Jolene’ and, of course, ‘I Will Always Love You’, which Dolly famously wrote on the same day as ‘Jolene’. Not bad for a day’s work.

But what I hadn’t expected was the way her warmth and approachability seemed to breeze through the crowd. It felt as though she was talking to each one of us individually. In an instant, Glastonbury melted away. We were no longer muddy dickheads suffering a comedown; instead, we were one big family, standing in a field on a glorious summer’s day. It was like a favourite aunt had just popped round and was telling me everything was going to be just fine.

She ended the set with ‘I Will Always Love You’. It was an incredible moment. People cried and strangers hugged. Curiosity and comedowns gave way to pure, unadulterated joy and unfiltered happiness. It’s a moment I’ll treasure forever.

Dolly Parton was more than just a singer. She came to represent the good side of humanity. She was universally loved, regardless of musical taste. It didn’t matter who you were, where you were from, what you did or what you looked like, everyone was welcome.

For a few hours on a Sunday afternoon, in the middle of one of the largest festivals on earth, Dolly Parton made us all feel seen and loved. And, most miraculously of all, she made me feel like I might just survive the rest of the weekend.

Cheers, Dolly.