During the fall of 1978, a series of unlikely concert pairings captured the attention of music fans across America. While Van Halen opened for Black Sabbath and Thin Lizzy supported AC/DC that season, one tour booking stood out as particularly unconventional: Dolly Parton was scheduled to open for Neil Young and Crazy Horse on select dates of his arena and amphitheater tour.
At the time, Parton was at the height of her commercial success, with crossover hits dominating the charts and her image appearing on magazine covers nationwide. Young’s tour, which would later become known as the legendary “Rust Never Sleeps” tour, featured aggressive new material that seemed worlds apart from Parton’s mainstream country-pop sound. Parton’s management confidently asserted that the pairing made sense, noting that Young would not have booked her if he didn’t believe she would resonate with his audience.
However, the collaboration never materialized. Shortly before rehearsals began, Young reimagined the tour’s entire concept, incorporating theatrical elements and focusing on material far removed from the country-influenced album “Comes a Time.” The new artistic direction proved incompatible with Parton’s planned participation, and she withdrew from the engagement. While some reports suggested creative differences over billing and stage time, the fundamental shift in Young’s vision for the tour ultimately prevented what would have been one of music’s most memorable cross-genre pairings.
Originally reported by Rollingstone →
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