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Raredolly Reviews
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Live and Well CD Review - 03/08/2009 |
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In this 90-minute concert CD/DVD release she struts her stuff
in skin-tight, sequined-covered, gold satin capri pants and
matching jacket. How she manages to play the guitar and banjo
without cracking her ruby red, out-to-there fingernails is
remarkable and even she admits the harmonica is tough on her
lip gloss.
And her voice is as sweet and warm as ever. She energetically
rolls through her hits and makes them sound fresh and fun. She
mixes it up with her Grammy-winning cover of Collective Soul's
Shine, a haunting version of Neil Young's After the Gold Rush
and what may be the most unusual cover ever - Led Zeppelin's
Stairway to Heaven.
She's self-deprecating and playful and downright funny. Not
long after Parton tells the crowd about her husband who she's
been married to nearly 40 years, a man yells "I love you,
Dolly," between songs and Parton doesn't miss a beat.
She yells back to him: "I told you to wait in the truck!"
The Blueniques, her eight-piece band - while looking corny in
their matching blue shirts and shiny gold vests - is
well-rehearsed and seems to be having as much fun as Dolly.
Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the crowd - at least
those in view in the front rows. Despite being warned by
Parton several times that they're being recorded for the DVD,
the largely middle-aged audience can't seem to muster up much
enthusiasm. They don't clap or sing along and they remain
solidly in their seats throughout the show, which leaves the
whole thing feeling rather flat. If you compare this audience
to that of her Dolly in London concert in 1983, this lot seem
positively comatose.
After 40 years in country music, Parton has gained a new
generation of fans with the resurgence of old-timey and
bluegrass music. It would have been nice to see some of them
in the audience at the Celebrity Theater in Tennessee's
Dollywood.
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Posted By: Andrew
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Date Posted: 3/8/2009 |
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