Glamorous, glittering, gobsmacking – this pint size mega-star “moseyed” onto the stage at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena, clad in a white rhinestone encrusted dress, beneath a background video of flames to deliver a plethora of hits, starting with the Fire Medley and getting the crowd’s vocal chords warmed up with a faultless rendition of Jolene, donning her guitar, the first of many outfit matching instruments including piano, violin, penny whistle, banjo and mini saxophone , all showcasing Dolly Parton’s huge talent as a musician and songwriter of the past five decades. Her familiar and candid relationship with her audience was in evidence as she shared memories from her poor, but loving “growing up years” with her “momma and daddy” in the Smoky Mountains with songs like My Mountain My Home, Coat of Many Colours and the current single, Home, from her new album, Blue Smoke. A Bob Dylan fan, Dolly put her own spin on Don’t Think Twice and belted out a gospel version of Bon Jovi’s Lay Your Hands on Me. Dolly’s unfailing vocal range shone through in her acapella version of Little Sparrow. The set was infused with messages from Ms Parton to be caring, sharing and kind to eachother, expressed in songs like Real Love and Think About Love and was balanced out with her amusing confessions about her beauty secrets. I particularly enjoyed her lapse of memory regarding which hair she was wearing – Costa Rican or Italian! Here You Come Again and one of my favourites, Islands in the Stream, got the crowd singing along and they were up on their feet for Two Doors Down and 9 to 5. This 26 song set closed with Dolly’s biggest hit, I Will Always Love You, leaving the crowd in no doubt that they will always love her right back.