Dolly Parton Reveals Plans For New Tour – But She Won’t Be There

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Dolly Parton Is Planning A New Tour, Although She Won’t Be There In Person

On Thursday (May 23), Dolly Parton unveiled her plans for a potential new tour. There’s just one catch…she won’t be performing.

The country music legend announced her new program, Threads: My Songs in Symphony, will be coming to Nashville on March 20, 2025. An on-sale date for tickets has not been announced yet.

The performance will feature the Nashville Symphony Orchestra playing newly arranged versions of Parton’s iconic songs such as “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” and “I Will Always Love You.”

The Nashville Symphony Orchestra describes the event as:

“…an innovative multimedia experience featuring Dolly on screen, leading audiences in a visual-musical journey of her songs, her life, and her stories. Accompanied by guest vocalists and musicians hand-picked by Dolly herself, audiences will hear new and innovative orchestrations of her hit songs… in addition to her personal favorites and an as-yet unreleased selection from her upcoming Broadway musical.”

Parton does not plan to participate in the program in person. She will be seen through videos of her signing and sharing stories behind the songs the orchestra plays. She also served as the co-producer of the program.

“I’m just so excited to share my songs and the stories behind them in this beautiful new way,” Parton said in a statement.“Threads: My Songs in Symphony is like a journey through the heartstrings of my life.“

Dolly Parton poses for a photo at her Dollywood theme park in 1988. Photo Credit: Ron Davis / Getty Images
 

Parton hopes Threads can eventually transform into a new tour. She said, “I hope we can take it far and wide to symphony orchestras everywhere.”

Did Dolly Retire?

Parton has said that she “would never” fully retire. “I would hopefully drop dead in the middle of a song on stage someday—and hopefully one I’ve written,” she once joked.

However, in 2022, Parton announced she was retiring from full-scale touring. She said:

“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.”

Parton cited her own age (she’s now 78) and her husband Carl Dean’s age as the main reasons why she decided to slow things down:

“I like to stay a little closer to home with my husband,” she said. “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 Parton with her husband, Carl Dean. Photo Credit: Dolly Parton / Instagram
 

Like Parton promised, she’s delivered a few one-off performances since retiring from touring. She sang at her Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, performed at the 2023 ACM Awards, and delivered a show-stopping halftime performance during the Dallas Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Day game in 2023. She also hosted and sang during a “Pet Gala” special on CBS earlier this year (2024).