Parton is tops at Colosseum

Leah Robinson

Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2004 | 8:25 a.m.

Don't let the blonde wig and famously large bra size fool you -- Dolly Parton is the real thing.

The country superdiva camped it up and threw it down Tuesday at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Parton, who stopped in Las Vegas as part of her "Hello, I'm Dolly" tour, told the sold-out crowd she was honored to share the same stage with a woman as talented as Celine Dion.

"I don't have that big voice like she does, but that's alright. I've got bigger boobs than her," Parton said, unveiling the first of many breast jokes.

Yes, Partons' cups runneth over, but there's a lot more to her than that. Even at 58, Parton still has the inimitable, angelic voice of her youth. And she's an entertainer who can tell stories as beautifully as she sings.

Mostly though, she does both at the same time. Parton has penned nearly 3,000 songs, and many of her best were on display, including "Coat of Many Colors" and "9 to 5."

"What does this sound like to ya'll?" she asked, rubbing her red, 2-inch fingernails together in double four-time. "It kinda sounds like a typewriter, doesn't it? This is how I wrote the song for '9 to 5' on the set of the movie. Just like this."

Parton's fake fingernails, or "falsies" as she called them, did make a convincing typewriter staccato noise, proving Parton's musical talents are diverse and often surprising. She's known for playing the guitar, but throughout the show she also took up the banjo, fiddle, harmonica, dulcimer and piano.

Dressed in a dusty-pink body suit, cropped at the knee and glittering with sequins, Parton was awash in her signature ultrafeminine glam style, right down to her 5-inch heels. Her look changed throughout the night with what she referred to as "add-ons" -- scarves, skirts, even a feather boa during a set with band pianist Richard Dennison on "Baby, It's Cold Outside,' a tune she recently recorded with Rod Stewart.

Parton was at her best while singing soulful ballads and mountain music. One highlight on the night came when Parton took to the piano bench to play "The Grass Is Blue."

Her lilting, melodious tone released the emotion within the words, "The sky is green/and the grass is blue/and I don't love you."

A stark rendition of a bluegrass love song she wrote, titled "Little Sparrow," had Parton singing with only a lonesome-sounding fiddle, beautifully played by a member of her backup band, the Grascals.

Parton also deftly performed a medley of her hits from the 1970s, including "Jolene," "Why'd You Come In Here (Looking Like That)" and "Here You Come Again," her first million-selling record.

The breadth and depth of Parton's considerable songwriting talents can sometimes be overshadowed by the campy facade she exhibits, but clearly she's still all about the music. The title cut from her forthcoming album "Blue Smoke" got the crowd interested, and it could be another hit.

Parton capped her regular set by performing her most recognizable song, "I Will Always Love You." She told the story of how Elvis Presley was ready to record the song until his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, demanded half the publishing rights.

"I told him I just couldn't do that. My songs are like my children. They have to take care of me in my old age," she said. "It's a good thing I didn't do it, too, because look at all the money Whitney Houston made for me."

Parton's encore song, "Hello God," was a downer to end on, but again showed the prowess embodied in country music's most enduring female figure. Songwriter, performer, entertainer, storyteller -- she's the real thing.