TO say I was excited about seeing Country legend Dolly Parton perform in her Blue Smoke Tour on Saturday would be putting it mildly.

Sometimes, when you have been building something up for a long time, it fails to live up to expectations, but Dolly Parton was everything I had hoped for and more.

After more than 50 years in the music industry, her voice remains as sweet and pure as it is in her early recordings, and she has the energy of someone half her age.

Dolly kicked off the show with an electrifying rendition of her 1978 hit Baby I’m Burning, and the crowd was on its feet within seconds.

She performed classic songs, including Jolene, Coat of Many Colours, 9 to 5, Little Sparrow and I Will Always Love You, and we were also treated to tracks from her new album, Blue Smoke.

However, it was Dolly’s personality and interaction with the crowd that made it a night to remember. She spoke of her happy childhood in the Tennessee mountains and her journey from rags to riches. She was funny, flirty and extremely humble.

“I really appreciate you coming,” she said, flicking back her big blonde hair, as she strode across the stage in a tight sparkly dress. “I appreciate you money too. As I always say, it costs a lot of money to look this cheap.”