On Aug. 29, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile paid tribute to her late friend and collaborator Dolly Parton.
"The Story" singer performed a packed two-hour show at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena as a part of her The Human Tour, returning to the stage for an encore wearing a pink jacket. The audience knew what was coming.
Dolly Parton died in Nashville on Aug. 25, 2026 after a brief battle with cancer. Across the town, simultaneously, the Grand Ole Opry dedicated their evening program to honoring Parton and her legacy.
"So, listen Nashville," Carlile said, opening up to the crowd.
"We're in a heartache, aren't we? I've been in this town through so many heartbreaks," she continued, recalling tornadoes and the day John Prine died. "And
here we are in our first week in the world without Dolly Parton. It's a heavy time, but somehow, there are still butterflies."
Carlile and Parton shared both a close friendship and professional relationship.
The two performed together over the years, with memorable appearances at Newport Folk Festival and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2022.
Parton and Carlile also recorded a cover of The Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction" for Parton's album "Rockstar."
Carlile, too, has frequently expressed deep admiration for Parton, praising her for openly accepting the queer community during times when it was risky to do so.
"I don't think I've ever seen the world this well behaved as I have for these last few days, now that we know Dolly can see us all at the same time," Carlile said, drawing laughs from the audience.
"I thought about what to do when I came to Tennessee. I've done a lot of crying, and I hope I'm not gonna do any tonight. You guys just wanna hear Dolly songs, and I wanna sing 'em.
"So we're just gonna play some Dolly songs."
Sending prayers to Dolly's family, some of which Carlile said were in the crowd watching the show, she welcomed artists Gregory Alan Isakov and Sarah Jarosz for the stage to perform Parton's "Coat of Many Colors."
Then, Carlile and her band — which includes twins Phil and Tim Hanseroth as well as Nashville duo Sista Strings — performed a rockin' rendition of "Jolene."
Of course, Carlile brought a lot of twang. It's a track she used to perform early in her career, she said.
Carlile introduced her final song of the tribute, saying she'd only sung this last song once live, and it had been with Parton herself.
As a slideshow of Parton over the years played on the screen behind the stage, Carlile began a rendition of "I Will Always Love You" a cappella.
The crowd watched silently as Carlile's gritty, raw voice echoed around the arena. Many audience members became misty-eyed. The last picture in the slideshow was Carlile kissing Parton on the cheek.
"Dolly was just a magical creature that touched the whole world," Carlile said. "She taught us that we can be so much better than we are."
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Audrey Gibbs is a music journalist at The Tennessean. You can reach her at agibbs@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Brandi Carlile's Dolly Parton tribute shows Nashville's grief, gratitude
