Dolly Parton has officially announced her retirement from full-scale touring.
In a special edition of Pollstar, the country music icon revealed that she will no longer be doing full tours and doesn’t anticipate performing more than a handful of special concerts per year moving forward. While chatting with the outlet, Parton was asked about her future tour plans, to which she responded, “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 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. I’ve done that my whole life,” she added before admitting, “and it takes so much time and energy.”
During the interview, the “9 to 5” singer also admitted that she prefers to stay close to home and with her husband Carl Dean rather than being gone for weeks at a time on a traditional tour as they’re both advancing in age.
“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,” Parton explained. “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.”
The last major tour Parton embarked on was in 2016 in support of her album, Pure & Simple. The trek found the country music legend performing a 60-date tour throughout Canada and the United States.
In 2018, Parton told PEOPLE that she has no plans to ever retire fully and that if it were up to her, she would die on stage.
“There’s a whole lot to be said for loving your work and having confidence in yourself. I never once thought of retiring,” Parton previously told the outlet. “I just hope I fall dead in the middle of a song, hopefully one I wrote, right on stage. That’s the way I go! [But] if my husband needed me, or someone in my family, I would put him first. I’ve always put myself first and my career first, but if something were to happen to him, I would pull back on that. I’d still find a way to work, still find a way to be productive.”
Dolly Parton’s Tour Bus Is Available To Rent At Dollywood DreamMore Resort And Spa
Parton has previously hinted that she will not be returning to the road for extensive tours during interviews over the course of the last few years, however, this time she confirmed the inevitable.
Earlier this year, Parton permanently parked her tour bus at The Dollywood DreamMore Resort and Spa for guests to book as their hotel (per Dollywood‘s official website), which seems to further confirm her retirement from the road as she would be in need of her bus for extensive tours.
Parton’s luxurious tour bus remains at the Dollywood DreamMore Resort and Spa in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and is still available to rent.
The tour bus, which is called Suite 1986 at the DreamMore Resort and Spa, currently requires a two-night minimum stay and starts at $10,000, with the profit of the costs being donated to The Dollywood Foundation and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
For more information on Suite 1986, click here.
Dolly Parton Announced A Greatest Hits Album
Parton recently announced a greatest hits album, dubbed Dolly Parton – Diamonds & Rhinestones: The Greatest Hits Collection, which is set to arrive on November 18.
The project will feature 23 tracks, including some of Parton’s most recognizable hits such as her collaborations with Kenny Rogers (“Islands in the Stream” and “Real Love”) and Loretta Lynn/Tammy Wynette (“Silver Threads and Golden Needles”), as well as iconic songs like “9 to 5,” “Jolene” and more.
“Every one of these songs has a special memory behind it for me,” Parton said in a statement. “I hope that you make some special memories of your own while listening to them.”
