Dolly Parton performs in front of a sell out audience at the Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle in 2014(Image: Sunday Sun)

25 pictures of Dolly Parton's sold-out Newcastle show in 2014 as star dies at 80

by · ChronicleLive

Dolly Parton sadly passed away on the 25th of August at age 80. In a statement released to her social media pages, her nephew announced her passing, adding, "She wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable."

Her representatives later announced that she passed after a "brief battle with cancer." The type of cancer was not disclosed.

Parton wrote over 3,000 songs, sold more than 100 million records in her 60 year career. A music legend, the country star was behind some of the biggest hits to ever come out of the US.

Jolene, Coat of Many Colors, 9 to 5, Islands in the Stream and I Will Always Love You are some of her biggest hits, and will no doubt see some extra radio play today. However, there was a time when she performed all these songs right in the heart of Newcastle.

In 2014, the Queen of Country made her way to the North East for a sold-out arena show at the then-named Metro Radio Arena. Fans showed up in droves, with Dolly-themed dress everywhere you could see.

She was greeted by deafening cheers when she took to the stage, then 68 but still spry, as she donned a white rhinestone outfit to open the show. She played a selection of her favourites as well as some songs from her album Blue Smoke that she was touring with at the time.

Gordon Barr, our former What's On editor, reviewed her arena show in Newcastle that night over 12 years ago. He said "the Queen of Country lived up to all expectations in a concert nearly two and a half hours long", the crowd receiving her with "deafening applause – adulation she maintained throughout the night."

He added that "Dolly didn’t just stand up there and sing, she told us stories, she cracked gags throughout, most of the songs she sung she had written herself and she seemed to play a multitude of instruments, from guitar to banjo to dulcimer to rhinestone encrusted mini sax."

We've gathered a selection of pictures from the night as we look back on the legacy of one of the most beloved singer-songwriters to ever grace a North East stage.

Dolly Parton performs in front of a sell out audience at the Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle in 2014(Image: Sunday Sun)
Dolly Parton performs in front of a sell out audience at the Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle in 2014(Image: Sunday Sun)
Dolly Parton performs in front of a sell out audience at the Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle in 2014(Image: Sunday Sun)
Dolly Parton performs in front of a sell out audience at the Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle in 2014(Image: Sunday Sun)
Dolly Parton fans outside the Metro Radio Arena before her sell out gig in 2014(Image: Sunday Sun)