Kacey Musgraves Covers Dolly Parton in Boston Tribute After Her Death
Kacey Musgraves paid tribute to Dolly Parton during a Boston tour stop on Friday, August 28, 2026, covering Parton's 1977 country-pop classic "Here You Come Again" days after the country icon died of cancer at age 80. According to NME, Musgraves also performed "Rainbow," from her album Golden Hour, for the first time on the current tour, pairing the two songs in a deliberate tribute.
What happened onstage
Photos of Parton played on the venue's screens as Musgraves told the crowd to "sing this one for her memory." She followed with "Rainbow," telling the audience the song was inspired by Parton. The pairing recalled the 2019 Grammy Awards, when Parton and Katy Perry joined Musgraves onstage to perform "Rainbow" together.
"Here You Come Again," written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, was the title track and breakout pop-crossover hit from Parton's 1977 album of the same name. It reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned Parton her first Grammy Award.
Other artists' tributes
- Maisie Peters covered the same song at Reading Festival
- Jack White performed "Jolene" at a London show
- Orville Peck covered "I Will Always Love You"
- The UK's Royal Guard played "9 To 5" outside Buckingham Palace
Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, Eminem, and Elton John also posted tributes citing Parton's musical influence and longtime charitable work. U.S. President Donald Trump ordered flags flown at half-staff nationwide for a week.
The Middle Of Nowhere tour continues
Musgraves is currently touring behind her seventh studio album, Middle Of Nowhere, released in May via Lost Highway Records, featuring collaborations with Willie Nelson, Miranda Lambert, Billy Strings, and Gregory Alan Isakov. NME gave the album three and a half stars, calling it one of her "most thematically cohesive" works, and named it to its list of the best albums of the first half of 2026.