The Grand Ole Opry celebrated Dolly Parton's 78th birthday on Jan. 19 with a night of performances at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium on Friday. While the country legend herself wasn't present at the Opry Goes Dolly event, other musicians took the stage to perform her hits in tribute — or at least they were supposed to. Singer-songwriter Elle King derailed the performance by appearing onstage in an apparently inebriated state: At one point she admitted to getting “hammered” and forgetting the words to Parton's songs during her set.
The next day, the Opry issued an informal apology to a concertgoer on X (formerly Twitter).
“We deeply regret and apologize for the language used during last night's second Opry performance,” the official Grand Ole Opry account responded to a disappointed fan who tweeted: “Elle King ruined the night with her horrible, drunken and profane her interpretation. .”
Representatives for the Grand Ole Opry and Elle King did not immediately respond Rolling rockhis request for comment.
Lauren Alaina, Terri Clark, Tigirlily Gold, Ashley Monroe, Dailey and Vincent and more were tagged for Friday night's event, a pair of shows broadcast live on 650 AM WSM from the Ryman Auditorium instead of the usual home of the Opry at the Opry House. . Alaina pulled out of the show before it started.
“I'll tell you one more thing,” King told the audience after briefly going back and forth with those seated near the stage. “Hi, my name is Elle King and I'm being whistled.”
In videos posted on TikTok, King's bandmates try to get the show back on track by suggesting she play one of her own songs. “As soon as I can play someone else's song, let me see if I can play one of my own,” he said in response. Moments before, he had belted out Parton's 'Marry Me', singing: 'I don't know the lyrics to these things in this fucking town. Don't tell Dolly 'cause it's her birthday.
King also told fans that their quest for a refund would be unsuccessful, and when someone suggested they wouldn't want their money back anyway, he hit back with: “Good, because you're not getting it.”
The singer also expressed disbelief that anyone would pay to be there in the first place, asking: “Holy shit. I won't even lie. Did you buy tickets for this mess?' Five dollars from each ticket was deposited into the Opry Trust Fund in Parton's honor. The fund has helped members of the music community in need for more than 50 years.
King has previously come under scrutiny for her appearance and performance last month during a televised New Year's Eve bash in Nashville. New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bashwith some online commenters wondering if she was drunk.
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