The Grand Ole Opry has been maintaining its illustrious schedules of celebrated country performances, and it certainly started the New Year off on a remarkable note. Elle King performed a tribute to country music legend Dolly Parton, but she admitted to being under the influence while doing so.
The tribute was in celebration of Dolly Parton’s 78th birthday, which was on January 19. Several other artists performed that day, including Tigirlily Gold, Ashley Monroe, and Terri Clark. But it was King, tasked with singing “Marry Me” by Parton, who had a hard time with the task – but who is receiving support from none other than Parton herself.
Elle King fumbled a tribute song dedicated to Dolly Parton on her birthday
Footage has been circulating showing King during the now-infamous Parton tribute concert. In various videos, she is seen getting teasingly confrontational with audience members, cursing while on stage, and finally, slurring and making up lyrics to “Marry Me.” It culminated in King admitted she was “f—ing hammered.”
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Some of her lines on stage included “I don’t know the lyrics to these things in this f—ing town,” adding, “Don’t tell Dolly ’cause it’s her birthday.” She also said, “Everyone’s like, holy s—, we bought tickets to this s—. I’m not even going to lie. Holy s—. I’m not even going to f—ing lie. Y’all bought tickets for this s—?”
King is known for her rough-and-tumble persona and for a life with many bumps in the road, including attempting a tour in the midst of a pandemic after both she and her child contracted COVID-19, as well as a sobriety battle. These struggles are chronicled in King’s second album, Shake the Spirit, culminating in the country ballad “Sober.” She calls music her “outlet,” a way to express the “angst” she’s harbored since her teen years.
“That’s why it’s important for anyone with a platform to share and talk about things that are sometime sticky,” said King in a 2022 phone interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune, “or that people may not want to hear about, or prefer to keep behind closed doors. I find it a strength to be open and talk about feelings.”
But having had a taste for sobriety and inebriation, she’s also noted, “You know, now that I have done performances in both ways, they are different. They don’t call it ‘liquid courage’ for nothing. I mean, how many jobs do you show up for and there are bottles of liquor on the table for you (in your dressing room)? There are not a lot.” However, “it was beautiful to realize that I don’t need any outside things to get me to that space.”
Dolly Parton addresses the pushback Elle King has received
On social media, some dismayed viewers called the event “disrespectful” both to the venue and to Parton herself. After the mishap, the Grand Ole Opry officially apologized for King’s language and conduct. Some fans are not fully satisfied with the gesture, but one person seems content with no apology at all: Patron.
“Elle is really a great artist,” said Parton in an interview with Extra. “She’s a great girl, and she’s been going through of hard things lately.”
Parton continued to call for acceptance, adding, “She just had a little too much to drink, so let’s just forgive that and forget it and move on, ’cause she felt worse than anyone ever could.”
