Country legend Dolly Parton received a special tribute at Madison Square Garden during the first night of the Kacey Musgraves “Middle of Nowhere” tour.
“I’m not over it, and I’m never gonna be over it. The world definitely lost a light, and it’s hard for me to talk about,” Musgraves said Monday night. “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.”
“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.”
The Grammy-winner, best known for her “Golden Hour” album, added her song “Rainbow” to her setlist over the weekend in honor of Parton. At her Boston stop, Musgraves said Parton was the inspiration for the song.
While she sang the tribute to Parton, images of the country legend flashed over the giant screen above the stage.
“𝐼𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝒶𝒾𝓃𝒷𝑜𝓌, 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝑔𝑜𝓉𝓉𝒶 𝓅𝓊𝓉 𝓊𝓅 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝒶𝒾𝓃.” pic.twitter.com/z7DbvjLllN
— K A C E Y (@KaceyMusgraves) August 29, 2026
The tribute didn’t stop at “Rainbow.” Musgraves also launched into a cover of one Parton’s most famous songs, “9 to 5.”
Parton was laid to rest on Friday in a private funeral service for immediate family. She died on Aug. 25 following a brief battle with cancer.