By admin 
Dolly Parton has postponed a six-night run of December concerts in Las Vegas to September 2026 on her doctors’ advice, citing “health challenges” and the need to undergo “a few procedures,” the 79-year-old singer said in a statement posted to Instagram on Sunday.
“I want the fans and public to hear directly from me that, unfortunately, I will need to postpone my upcoming Las Vegas concerts,” she wrote, adding, “As many of you know, I have been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures.”
She continued that, “in all seriousness,” the recovery time means she will not be able “to rehearse and put together the show that I want you to see, and the show that you deserve to see,” and told ticketholders, “You pay good money to see me perform, and I want to be at my best for you.”
Parton framed the decision as a pause rather than a retirement, saying she expects to keep working from home in Nashville while preparing to return to the stage. “And don’t worry about me quittin’ the business because God hasn’t said anything about stopping yet,” her statement said.
“But, I believe He is telling me to slow down right now so I can be ready for more big adventures with all of you. I love you and thank you for understanding.” In a light-hearted aside, she likened the upcoming care to a routine service visit: “It must be time for my 100,000-mile check-up,” she said, while making clear the procedures are not cosmetic.
The engagement, billed as “Dolly: Live in Las Vegas,” had been scheduled at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace from 4–13 December and would have been Parton’s first extended Las Vegas run in more than three decades. All six dates have been moved to September 2026.
Entertainment Weekly listed the new schedule as 17, 19, 20, 23, 25 and 26 September 2026, replacing the original 4, 6, 7, 10, 12 and 13 December 2025 concerts. Broadcasters and entertainment outlets reporting on the postponement said the venue and producers would communicate with ticketholders about the changes.
Announcing the residency in June, promoters described a “hit-driven concert event” spanning seven decades of favorites, including “9 to 5,” “Jolene,” “I Will Always Love You” and “Coat of Many Colors.” The shows were planned to coincide with the National Finals Rodeo, a period when major Las Vegas venues typically add star headliners.
Parton’s statement on Sunday did not alter the creative plans for the production; it said only that additional time was needed for her to prepare, rehearse and deliver the performance standard she expects. “While I’ll still be able to work on all of my projects from here in Nashville, I just need a little time to get show ready, as they say,” she told fans.
The postponement comes less than two weeks after Parton missed an appearance at her Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, while recovering from a kidney stone and a related infection.
In a video message played for guests then, she said, “I had a kidney stone that was causing me a lot of problems, turned out it’d given me an infection, and the doctor said, ‘You don’t need to be traveling right this minute, so you need a few days to get better.’” That update, along with Sunday’s announcement, offered the most detailed recent glimpse into the health considerations affecting her schedule.
News of the Las Vegas delay prompted a wave of statements from U.S. media and music outlets on Monday confirming that the concerts were moving, with reports emphasizing both the scope of the original plans and the shift into next autumn.
Coverage noted that the six-night stand at The Colosseum would have been Parton’s first extended engagement in the city since the early 1990s and that the run will now take place in September 2026.
The Guardian summarized the message and its tone, quoting Parton’s line about the “100,000-mile checkup” and her insistence that she will not retire. ABC News, which reproduced large portions of the Instagram text, highlighted her pledge to be “at my best” when she finally brings the production to the Strip.
Parton did not disclose the nature of the procedures or provide a medical timetable beyond saying the work would prevent the level of rehearsal and production preparation she requires. Outlets that carried her remarks said she intends to continue non-touring commitments from Nashville during recovery, including recording and development work tied to stage and screen projects.
Her statement underscored that point, saying she can work “on all of my projects from here in Nashville” while she regains the bandwidth for a six-show, arena-scale residency.
The delay is the latest significant adjustment in a year of personal and professional milestones for Parton. In March, her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, died at 82, an event that Parton acknowledged publicly and in music released in tribute.
Recent reporting also catalogued a run of fresh creative activity, including a collaborative single with Mötley Crüe and the 2024 family project Smoky Mountain DNA: Family, Faith and Fables, even as she has remained involved with her long-running philanthropic efforts and Dollywood operations. On Sunday, she pointed forward to additional “big adventures” once she is fully ready to return to the stage.
Her Las Vegas plan adds to a slate of live and theatrical projects now lining up for 2026. ABC News and other outlets noted that “Hello, I’m Dolly,” a musical built around Parton’s life story, is slated to arrive on Broadway that year, with the singer contributing music and lyrics.
Her Instagram message did not reference that schedule specifically, but the decision to move the residency into September 2026 keeps the concerts aligned with a broader period in which she has said she expects to be publicly active. “God hasn’t said anything about stopping yet,” she wrote, framing the current pause as a matter of prudence rather than any change in long-term plans.
Parton’s comments on Sunday also spoke directly to expectations in Las Vegas, where residencies depend on the sort of precision and rehearsal time that major touring acts can sometimes avoid by relying on established road shows.
She told fans she could not “put together the show that I want you to see,” a line that, taken literally, points to the scale of the planned production and the level of personal oversight she intends to exercise over it.
Media summaries of the original press materials described a set built around seven decades of songs and a hit-heavy track list tailored to the venue, which has hosted extended engagements by singers across pop and country genres.
While the December postponement affects only six concerts, the disruption is notable because of the rarity of Parton’s large-scale public performances in recent years and because of the symbolic value of a headline return to Las Vegas.
Reports stressed that the six nights at The Colosseum would have marked her first extended run in the city in 32 years. The change removes one of the city’s marquee December attractions but retains the promise of a 2026 window, with specific dates now on the calendar. Entertainment Weekly listed each new date and said ticketholders would be guided to the rescheduled shows.
Parton’s post is consistent in tone with earlier public remarks about pacing and priorities, blending gratitude with a straightforward explanation of what the next months require. “You pay good money to see me perform,” she wrote, “and I want to be at my best for you.”
That framing addresses the core concern of a residency audience—quality and readiness—while leaving room for her to maintain work on recordings and development from home. ABC’s account emphasized both the gratitude and the directness of the message, citing her line about taking “a little time to get show ready.”
The singer’s short update did not include operational details on refunds or exchanges beyond the new calendar, and outlets referred fans to the venue and ticketing services for instructions. Coverage on Monday morning focused instead on the reasons she gave for the delay and her repeated assurance that she remains committed to performing once doctors clear her to return.
In the same statement, she reiterated her intention to continue working through recovery: “While I’ll still be able to work on all of my projects from here in Nashville, I just need a little time to get show ready, as they say.”
The decision to reschedule rather than cancel preserves the structure of the engagement, and Parton’s note indicated that the extra lead time will be used to meet the standard she set when the concerts were announced earlier this year.
For fans who had planned to travel in December, the move pushes the trip out by nine months; for the singer, it creates the space her doctors advised without closing the door on a long-anticipated return to a Las Vegas stage. The message, delivered in her own words, set out both the reason and the remedy: procedures first, patience and preparation next, and, if all goes as she expects, a run of six nights at The Colosseum next September.
