Queen Dolly Takes Over Cedar Rapids (And Courtlin’s Heart) [VIDEO]

Dolly Patron graced us with her presence last night, and now I love her more than ever.

WOW.

That's the first word that comes to mind after seeing Dolly Parton live in Cedar Rapids last night. How good was the concert? It was so good that I bought a $40 concert t-shirt. It was so good that I put down my nachos. It  was so good that I didn't even get up to go get a second margarita and I only went to the bathroom once, even though I really had to go. That's the power of Dolly.

Honestly, I didn't even know if I was going to get to go to the show until yesterday afternoon, but I'm so glad it ended up working out. I loved Dolly Parton before, but words cannot express how much stronger that love grew last night. Not only is her voice still absolutely incredible, but her body is still rockin' (she's 70, by the way), and she's just as sweet as ever. The combination of music and storytelling was so fantastic. I've been to a lot of concerts, but never one that did anything like that, and that's probably because not many artists have Dolly's storytelling abilities. I loved hearing the stories behind all of her songs before she played them. I would pay money just to hear her those, no music required. She's just so in touch with her roots and so honest and true to herself, it's so refreshing. Plus she was hilarious.

And don't even get me started on the music. She played EIGHT instruments, some of which I can't even name. EIGHT. My favorite performances of the night were of COURSE "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You," but I also really enjoyed "Little Sparrow" and the song that she did a capella with the three members of her band (sorry, I can't remember the name). Here are a few videos I took:

What did you think of Dolly Parton's performance last night? What was your favorite part? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!