Parton at Glastonbury

[Ken Byng]

I watched Dolly at Glastonbury this morning on BBC iPlayer, as I was playing on a gig yesterday when she was live. Absolutely brilliant, and she blew all of the other acts away that I saw this weekend. No pedal steel unfortunately, but the whole show was 100% professionalism and sheer entertainment. Any youngsters watching that performance will think, Country & Western music isn't that bad after all. One thing for sure, you cannot beat experience and talent and she has it in abundance. Long may she continue.

[Uncle Roy]

Ken, you are right she was magic, but disappointed she never used pedal steel.
Our own Henry Senior played On Friday with Danny and the Champions so we know there was at least one pedal steel at Glasco.

[B.J.Weston]

thanks for posting Ken,I'd forgotten about the I player so went on to have a look.Very slick set, but the Americans always put these shows out at that level with the best of musicians and backing singers. The harmony always pulls me in.You get Dolly and often four or five harmonies (including her sister too) so it's terrific stuff.Dolly knows how to work a crowd too. I did watch "Storyville" on Saturday BBC4 12.55am docu. on Muscle Shoales recording studio.Well worth a look. ==== Baz.

[Malcolm]

Ken, have been told by several people that she was miming.I know when she did Glasgow a friend of mine paid £75 for second row seats and was sick as parrot with a rubber beak when he realised she was miming.Easy to get good sound if you do that.If true, shame on her, folk paid big money to see her perform "live".

[Ken Byng]

Ken, have been told by several people that she was miming.I know when she did Glasgow a friend of mine paid £75 for second row seats and was sick as parrot with a rubber beak when he realised she was miming.Easy to get good sound if you do that.If true, shame on her, folk paid big money to see her perform "live".

No way Jose. She was singing for sure and the band was live too. Why do some people have to put down stars at the top. Malcolm, I suggest the folks who told you that have another look on iPlayer.

[Malcolm]

Ken one of the people who told me she was miming was at the show.I know that she WAS miming at the the Glasgow show, the person who was in second row is a well respected Glasgow Musician (not steel), and I have the fullest confidence in his judgement.Personally have not see the Iplayer, never been a fan of Ms Parton, and even more so if not carrying a steel in band.

[Ken Byng]

Here she is - miming her vocals? Horlicks!!! Was she miming her guitar & banjo. Probably.

[SteelieAJK]

BBC iPlayer Dolly at Glastonbury around 1:18:45 does Dolly miss a word?

[Basil Henriques]

Live for sure, the phrasing and arrangements are so different from her records so she couldn't be miming to the records. AND if she pre recorded the performance she must have an incredible memory to remember all the nuances and phrasing. Miming ? As the redoubtable Mr. Bing would say " No Way José "..

[jonshack]

Basil, it's really not that difficult to remember "all" the nuances and phrasing. Or "most of" as Alan's link clearly points out - see again from the audience perspective:


I suspect you know all the nuances and phrasing of certain instrumentals for example. As has been pointed out elsewhere she apparently remembers 9 to 5 EXACTLY the same way at every performance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsRNtJ72GyA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLkM-OkXBIU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOL9_vB379Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPlPebGXyhg

I'd love to believe she wasn't miming but the evidence is clear. She has admitted using prerecorded tracks for many years, it's possible that even Dolly doesn't realise how much of her live vocal is fed to the audience and how much is Memorex (as they used to say). I don't personally begrudge her, she's paid her dues, although I wouldn't pay to see the current show. I'd rather watch the old stuff with all the imperfections and humanity intact (if not fingernails) :



Anyway kudos to Henry Senior and also Fats Kaplin who played pedal steel with Jack White on the pyramid stage (if you don't like the loud stuff skip to about 18:50 for some tasty honky tonk picking): http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0 ... amid-stage )