| Concert Tour Name: | Backwoods Barbie Tour |
| Landscape: | no |
| Artist: | Dolly Parton |
| Album: | Backwoods Barbie |
| Number Of Legs: | 4 |
| Number Of Shows: | 47 in North America 17 in Europe 64 Total |
| Last Tour: | An Evening with Dolly Parton (2006–2007) |
| This Tour: | Backwoods Barbie Tour (2008) |
| Next Tour: | Better Day World Tour (2011) |
The Backwoods Barbie Tour[1] was the ninth headlining concert tour by American recording artist, Dolly Parton. Visiting the United States, Northern Europe and Canada, the tour supported her 42nd studio album, Backwoods Barbie. The tour was well received by critics and spectators alike, earning more than nine million dollars in 2008. The European leg of the tour was the most successful outing of Parton's touring history, performing for 170,000 spectators in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands.[2] The tour was expected to reach Australia as well but this did not come to fruition.
After completing her previous trek, Parton focused on the upcoming musical 9 to 5: The Musical and recording her next album. The singer also started her own independent record label[3] after being told she was "too old" for mainstream music.[4] While promoting the song, "Better Get to Livin'", Parton announced her upcoming tour. The first dates revealed in Los Angeles, New York City and Chicago served as rehearsal shows before Parton played in arenas, theatres, amphitheatres and stadiums in North America and Northern Europe.[5] The tour was set to run from February to June, however, it was expanded several times to meet public demand.
To introduce the tour, Parton remarked:[6]
"I had this product that I wanted to sell. It was my performing. I try to think of it as the music business, and you can't just throw it out to anyone and then move on to a new product. So I got involved. God created me, but he gave me the go-ahead to do what I could with it."
Before the tour began, Parton positioned the first round of dates in the United States due to back issues.[7] The singer poked fun at her condition saying, "I know I have been breaking my neck and bending over backwards trying to get my new 'Backwoods Barbie' CD and world tour together, but I didn't mean to hurt myself doing it, But hey, you try wagging these puppies around a while and see if you don't have back problems. Seriously though, the doctors said I will be good as new in a few weeks, and I can't wait to get back out there."[8] The tour began in March instead of early February. After her rehearsal dates, the tour officially commenced on April 22, 2008, at the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
After Parton finished her European leg, rumors circulated the Internet of her death. It was believed this rumor began at a high school football game (in Tennessee) as the crowd gave a moment of silence for her death. FOX News later reported the singer died in early August of congestive heart failure at the Fort Sanders Sevier Medical Center. Parton and her manager dispelled this rumor, stating the singer was "alive and well", although Parton joked she nearly had a heart attack upon hearing the news of her death, but laughed it off.[9] [10]
Overall, the majority of feedback from music critics was favorable for the tour. Ben Ratliff (The New York Times) describes Parton's performance at the Radio City Music Hall as “nothing short of uplifting”. He further comments that, “Between the songs and her nonstop patter — she is an assassin of dead air — the show was a seminar on the peril of accepting received wisdom, whether the subject was drag queens, the rural poor, working stiffs, politicians, Pentecostalists, young media stars or bosomy women. She granted pretty much everybody a complex interior life, and the power of independent thought.”[11] For the same concert, Mandi Bierly (Entertainment Weekly) felt the highlight of the show was Parton's “banter”. She elaborated, “"I never leave a rhinestone unturned", she said, heading to her studded white piano. And, as the headline states, she's got the best stage banter in the business. She's sufficiently quippy, but also shares her life story. After the jump, some of her greatest hits.”[12]
During the European leg, the reviews commended Parton's stage personality and interaction with the audience. Edwin McFee (The Belfast Telegraph) thought Parton's concert at the Odyssey Arena proved her star power. He penned, “She sings, she dances, she plays no less than six musical instruments and she also tells us stories of her childhood as if we were the first ones to hear them, though Dolly fanatics have probably heard them a million times before. At times it was actually quite surreal listening to evergreen anthems such as ‘Jolene’ performed with as much passion as if they were recorded only yesterday, and in many ways her show was a masterclass in traditional old school musical theatre.”[13] David Sinclair (The Times) found the concert at the Glasgow SECC to be "all about the music". He wrote, “…But, in the end, it all came back to the songs. Here she insisted was where the essence of her personality could always be found. I might look artificial/ But where it counts I'm real, she sang in the title track of Backwoods Barbie. And in a funny way, she is.”[14]
Madeleine Brindley (Western Mail) believed Parton's concert at the Cardiff International Arena, Wales proved her to be the First Lady of Country and Western the world over. Brindley explained, “As last night amply demonstrated, Dolly has lost none of her songwriting, or story-telling, talents, as almost every number was prefaced by a short story, which gave us the tiniest of glimpses into the thought process which drives this diminutive star.”[15] David Smyth (Evening Standard) gave the concert at The O2 Arena four out of five stars. Smyth stated, “Tracks representing the jolly country pop of her latest album, the knowingly-titled Backwoods Barbie, fitted in well, especially the man-baiting 'Shinola'. It was only when she stopped the gabbing and rolled out hits in quick succession that the crowd rose to its feet and remained there. 'Here You Come Again', 'Islands In The Stream', '9 to 5' and the biggest of the big ballads, 'I Will Always Love You', confirmed that while she weaves a good yarn, it's when Dolly Parton sings that she's really on-song.”[16]
Returning to the United States, the praise for the tour continued. Annie Zaleski (Riverfront Times) wrote that the performance at the Fabulous Fox Theatre was “charming, meeting all expectations.” She continued, “Also fantastic was the ease with which she transitioned from such seemingly different instruments—all of which were white and covered in rhinestones. For "Thank God I’m a Country Girl", she flew through fiddle, banjo, and harmonica, all feverishly supplied by her "useful and ornamental" hick Chippendale (Steve Summers) who dosey-doed in shirtless abandon in overalls nearby.”[17] Evan Rytlewski (Shepherd Express) wrote of Parton's stage persona, during her concert at Milwaukee’s Riverside Theater, "Parton's hokey facade is a remnant of the old Las Vegas/Grand Ole Opry era of entertainment, and it still dominates her concerts. She spent nearly as much of her performance Monday night sharing stories and cracking jokes as she did singing, proving herself quite the comedian. At 62, she's part-grandmother (she riffed on her poor eyesight and mortality), part-cougar (she ogled a dancing beefcake), and her sharp quips had the audience roaring with laughter."[18]
This set list is representative of the August 14 show in West Hollywood, California. It is not representative of all concerts for the duration of the tour
The concerts at The O2 Arena in London were filmed for a concert special and DVD release. The concert special, "Dolly: Live in London O2 Arena", aired on PBS in conduction with their summer pledge drive.[19] The concert was later released as a CD/DVD package titled, "Dolly: Live from London". Parton released the live version of "Here You Come Again" to promote the package.[20]
In 2011, the concert was reissued exclusively to Cracker Barrel stores as An Evening With Dolly Parton. The DVD remains unchanged and contains all of the material from the original release. The CD removes most of the songs from the Backwoods Barbie album with the exception of "Only Dreamin'", but adds two bonus unreleased live tracks, "Shattered Image" and "My Tennessee Mountain Home." In stark contrast to the original release, which charted as an album on the Billboard 200 at #195 and sold poorly, An Evening With Dolly Parton reached #2 on the Billboard Music Video Charts and eventually sold well enough to receive a Gold Music Video certification from the RIAA for shipments of over 50,000 copies.
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America[21] [22] [23] | |||
| March 28, 2008 | West Hollywood | United States | Roxy Theatre |
| March 30, 2008 | Chicago | Park West | |
| April 2, 2008 | New York City | Highline Ballroom | |
| April 22, 2008 | Pittsburgh | Benedum Center for the Performing Arts | |
| April 23, 2008 | Hershey | Hershey Theatre | |
| April 25, 2008 | Uncasville | Mohegan Sun Arena | |
| April 26, 2008 | Binghamton | Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena | |
| April 28, 2008 | Fairfax | Patriot Center | |
| April 29, 2008 | Atlanta | Fox Theatre | |
| May 1, 2008 | New York City | Radio City Music Hall | |
| May 3, 2008 | Atlantic City | Borgata Event Center | |
| May 5, 2008 | Boston | Boston Opera House | |
| May 7, 2008 | Minneapolis | Northrop Memorial Auditorium | |
| May 8, 2008 | Chicago | Chicago Theatre | |
| May 9, 2008 | |||
| May 11, 2008 | Grand Prairie | Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie | |
| Europe | |||
| June 13, 2008 | Stockholm | Sweden | |
| June 14, 2008 | Malmö | ||
| June 15, 2008 | Viborg | Denmark | |
| June 17, 2008 | Kristiansand | Norway | |
| June 19, 2008 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | |
| June 21, 2008 | Cork | Ireland | The Docklands |
| June 22, 2008 | Kilkenny | ||
| June 24, 2008 | Belfast | Northern Ireland | |
| June 25, 2008 | |||
| June 27, 2008 | Glasgow | Scotland | |
| June 28, 2008 | Manchester | England | |
| June 29, 2008 | Glasgow | Scotland | Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre |
| July 1, 2008 | Nottingham | England | Trent FM Arena Nottingham |
| July 2, 2008 | Birmingham | ||
| July 4, 2008 | Cardiff | Wales | |
| July 5, 2008 | London | England | The O2 Arena |
| July 6, 2008 | |||
| North America[24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] | |||
| August 1, 2008 | San Diego | United States | Humphrey's Concert by the Bay |
| August 3, 2008 | Los Angeles | Greek Theatre | |
| August 4, 2008 | Sacramento | ARCO Arena | |
| August 5, 2008 | Berkeley | Hearst Greek Theatre | |
| August 7, 2008 | Portland | Theater of the Clouds | |
| August 8, 2008 | Seattle | WaMu Theater | |
| August 10, 2008 | Denver | Ellie Caulkins Opera House | |
| August 11, 2008 | Omaha | Qwest Center Arena | |
| August 13, 2008 | Clarkston | DTE Energy Music Theatre | |
| August 14, 2008 | Fox Theatre | ||
| August 16, 2008 | Pigeon Forge | Dolly Parton Celebrity Theatre | |
| August 17, 2008 | |||
| October 17, 2008 | Boca Raton | Count de Hoernle Amphitheater | |
| October 18, 2008 | Orlando | UCF Arena | |
| October 20, 2008 | Ruth Eckerd Hall | ||
| October 21, 2008 | Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena | ||
| October 24, 2008 | Atlanta | Chastain Park Amphitheater | |
| October 25, 2008 | Richmond | Brock Auditorium | |
| October 26, 2008 | Louisville | Palace Theatre | |
| November 1, 2008 | Providence | Providence Performing Arts Center | |
| November 2, 2008 | Ledyard | MGM Grand Theatre | |
| November 5, 2008 | Raleigh | RBC Center | |
| November 6, 2008 | Norfolk | Constant Convocation Center | |
| November 7, 2008 | Reading | Reading Eagle Theater | |
| November 9, 2008 | Orillia | Canada | Casino Rama Entertainment Centre |
| November 10, 2008 | |||
| November 13, 2008 | Winnipeg | MTS Centre | |
| November 14, 2008 | Saskatoon | Credit Union Centre | |
| November 17, 2008 | Milwaukee | United States | Riverside Theater |
| November 18, 2008 | Green Bay | Resch Center | |
| November 19, 2008 | Des Moines | Civic Center of Greater Des Moines | |
| Date | City | Country | Venue | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 14, 2008 | Austin | United States | Austin Music Hall | Unknown[30] [31] [32] |
| October 31, 2008 | Newark | Prudential Hall | ||
| Venue | City | Tickets sold / available | Gross revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hershey Theatre | Hershey | 1,907 / 1,928 (99%) | $150,762[33] |
| Patriot Center | Fairfax | 2,958 / 5,027 (59%) | $260,647 |
| Fox Theatre | Atlanta | 4,216 / 4,670 (90%) | $309,791[34] |
| Radio City Music Hall | New York City | 5,824 / 5,824 (100%) | $466,728 |
| Borgata Event Center | Atlantic City | 2,050 / 2,259 (91%) | $159,720[35] |
| Northrop Memorial Auditorium | Minneapolis | 2,928 / 4,474 (65%) | $199,400 |
| Chicago Theatre | Chicago | 5,821 / 6,843 (85%) | $524,378 |
| Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie | Grand Prairie | 4,069 / 4,173 (97%) | $270,505[36] |
| The Docklands | Cork | 5,000 / 5,000 (100%) | $584,786[37] |
| Nowlan Park | Kilkenny | 18,103 / 20,000 (90%) | $2,256,876[38] |
| Odyssey Arena | Belfast | 13,025 / 14,000 (93%) | $1,508,715 |
| Greek Theatre | Los Angeles | 4,695 / 5,295 (89%) | $394,960[39] |
| ARCO Arena | Sacramento | 4,533 / 11,752 (39%) | $174,378[40] |
| Hearst Greek Theatre | Berkeley | 3,501 / 4,200 (83%) | $280,225[41] |
| Theatre of the Clouds | Portland | 2,884 / 3,074 (94%) | $143,535 |
| Qwest Center Arena | Omaha | 1,706 / 3,885 (44%) | $123,069[42] |
| DTE Energy Music Theatre | Clarkston | 10,586 / 15,274 (69%) | $145,329 |
| Count de Hoernle Amphitheater | Boca Raton | 2,056 / 3,408 (60%) | $102,117[43] |
| Ruth Eckerd Hall | Clearwater | 1,776 / 2,025 (88%) | $223,845 |
| Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena | Jacksonville | 2,481 / 5,841 (42%) | $149,325 |
| Chastain Park Amphitheater | Atlanta | 4,241 / 6,700 (63%) | $267,545[44] |
| Palace Theatre | Louisville | 1,873 / 2,587 (72%) | $162,020[45] |
| RBC Center | Raleigh | 2,663 / 4,989 (53%) | $154,270 |
| Constant Convocation Center | Norfolk | 2,100 / 5,973 (35%) | $103,738 |
| Reading Eagle Theater | Reading | 2,144 / 4,915 (44%) | $116,179 |
| TOTAL | 113,143 / 154,116 (73%) | $9,232,843 | |