Charisma Madarang
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“I’m not over it, and I’m never gonna be over it,” Kacey Musgraves told the MSG crowd when paying tribute to Dolly Parton after her death at 80. Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Coachella Kacey Musgraves once again paid tribute to Dolly Parton during her Middle of Nowhere Tour.
During her show at Madison Square Garden in New York on Monday night, Musgraves paused the concert to remember the beloved country superstar a week after her death at 80.
“I’m not over it, and I’m never gonna be over it,” Musgraves told the packed venue as images of Parton were shared on a large screen above the stage. “The world definitely lost a light, and it’s hard for me to talk about. And I know how much Dolly meant to everybody also in this room. I think why it feels so dark is it’s already hard to navigate these times right now, and then we lose a matriarch like that. It’s the closest thing we’ve ever had to royalty.”
Musgraves continued, calling Parton a “supernova of a person.” The singer-songwriter said she took comfort knowing Parton’s “soul and her bones are literally part of this galaxy, this universe, the fabric of space and time.” She added, “I definitely, for sure, I would not be able to stand up here and do what I do if I hadn’t been for Dolly Parton.”
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The artist launched into her Golden Hour ballad “Rainbow,” which she first played on her tour last Friday in Boston to honor Parton. During the TD Garden performance, Musgraves revealed that the country icon was the inspiration behind the track.
On Monday at MSG, Musgraves also covered Parton’s classic song “9 to 5,” which Parton penned for the 1980 film of the same name. The track is one of Parton’s most popular hits and has resonated throughout the decades as a worker’s anthem of pride, struggle, and solidarity.
