NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: The days of Dolly Parton boarding a tour bus are gone. In a recent interview, Dolly confirmed that she is definitely done with touring. However, her announcement shouldn't leave fans feeling too dejected. The 77-year-old singer might not ever hit the road again for a full fledged tour, but she will occasionally put on shows as and when opportunities arise. Dolly has a valid explanation related to her personal life for why she won't be on tour in the future. According to the 'Jolene' singer, she has always considered touring to be "taxing."
During a press event, the 'Jolene' hitmaker addressed her touring experience while promoting her new album 'Rockstar' and her upcoming memoir 'Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones'. Dolly's 2016 'Pure and Simple Tour' was the last time she used her tour bus, going city to city. In addition to getting older, Dolly listed her husband's health as another significant deterrent to leaving the comfort of her home and community. Dolly and her 80-year-old husband Carter Dean have been married since 1966.
'I don't want to be that far away from home'
As per AceShowbiz, in an interview at a press event to promote her upcoming memoir 'Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones' and her new album 'Rockstar,' Dolly addressed why she dislikes going on tour now. The veteran singer said, "It's always been taxing, the reason I don't tour now is because I don't want to be that far away from home. We're getting older and I've got a lot of business that I do and the movies that I do."
In reference to her husband's health, Dolly added: "So we're close to home and I just really do prepare, just like coming over for this, we had a band and before I had to cancel once - my husband was sick at the time but he's fine now but you do plan and I do not plan to tour at this time." Dolly said that as she approaches her 80th birthday, "good doctors, good lighting and good makeup" help her maintain her youthful appearance.
'No intention of going on a full-blown tour anymore'
In her previous interview with Pollstar magazine, Dolly said at the time, "I do not think I will ever tour again, but I do know I'll do special shows here and there, now and then. Maybe do a long weekend of shows, or just a few shows at a festival. But I have no intention of going on a full-blown tour anymore."
The 'Rockstar' singer further added: "I've done that my whole life, and it takes so much time and energy. I like to stay a little closer to home with my husband. We're getting older now, and I don't want to be gone for four or five weeks at a time. Something could happen. I would not feel right about that, if I were gone and somebody needed me. Or I would feel bad if I had to leave a tour if somebody got sick at home and needed me and then I had to walk out on the fans."
Dolly also cited the time and effort required to prepare a tour as her reason for putting that part of her career behind her. The legendary singer explained to Pollstar: "It takes months to actually plan a tour, as far as booking dates and all that. Then you've got to be gone for all that time, too. It's more involved than people have any idea. You really need a year, and certainly six months, to plan a great tour, just preparing to get ready to go hit the road. So you can't just go out and do a few shows, you really have to commit to doing enough shows to make all that time and effort pay off."
Dolly Parton's last tour was 2016's 'Pure and Simple'
It has been six years since Dolly's last tour. She promoted her album with the same name on the 'Pure & Simple' Tour. In the months of June to December 2016, the musician performed in 60 cities in the United States and Canada. According to her website, that was her biggest North American tour in more than 25 years. Dolly had another world tour in 2014 before embarking on the Pure & Simple Tour.
Dolly reiterated in her Pollstar interview that she will continue to work even though she is no longer touring. She has been putting effort into her rock and roll record and a new TV Christmas special along with searching for special shows to perform at. She is also the lead in the film 'Run, Rose, Run,' which is based on the book she co-wrote with James Patterson and released in 2022.
