Most of the crowd were probably young enough to be her grandchildren.
But that wasn’t going to stop Dolly Parton getting the biggest cheer of the weekend at Glastonbury on Sunday.
Some 80,000 revellers crowded around the stage to watch the 68-year-old country singer bring the festival to a close.
Despite heavy rain having turned the site into a quagmire, Parton wore an immaculate white sequined trouser suit with hundreds of crystals as she sang her classic hits, including Jolene.
Down in the mud, hundreds had donned wigs to copy her style, others waved banners bearing her name, and the line of security guards at the front of the stage had even rehearsed a special dance routine for her songs.
And she wasn’t the only veteran rocker to prove very popular at Glastonbury this weekend — with Bryan Ferry, Yoko Ono, Robert Plant and Blondie all playing during the three-day event.
Parton took what has become known as the “golden oldie” slot on the main Pyramid stage at Sunday tea-time,
She played hits including I Will Always Love You and Working Nine to Five — but admitted she had to tailor her set list for the young audience at Worthy Farm, Somerset. She said: “I’m just a country girl and now I feel like a rock star. I can’t do a bunch of sad songs because everyone is drunk and high.
“We’ve tried to do a set where we keep it moving pretty good and not keep them down too much.”
At one point, Parton was joined on stage by Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora as they played a version of his band’s song Lay Your Hands on Me.
Before her performance, she said: “This is going to be a big deal and because this is the biggest festival in the world. I even wrote a song about the mud, so I’ll be doing that in the show.”
Speculation mounted on social media on Sunday night that Parton had mimed her performance — but she insisted she had been singing live and blamed the rumours on poor sound and picture link-up on television.
This year’s veteran performers included Debbie Harry, 68, who sang with her Blondie bandmates on Friday lunchtime. Former Led Zepplin frontman Robert Plant, 65, entertained the crowds with a folk set on Saturday night, and Roxy Music singer Bryan Ferry, 68, was well received on the more mellow West Holt stage.
John Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono was the oldest performer at the age of 81. She played at the smaller Park Stage in front of thousands with the Plastic Ono band on Sunday night.
