A countless number of hits, great guitar playing and wonderful comedic banter. It’s all of those things that make country legend Dolly Parton such a great performer, and it’s also what’s causing her to be a big hit in Australia as she tours.

According to reports, Parton wowed the Melbourne crowd on Tuesday, as she began her Australian Blue Smoke Tour, and the fact that the audience was multi-generational, shows just how many people admire the 68-year old singer-songwriter, and want to see her perform. And based on the many reviews she didn’t disappoint.

Whipping through cuts like “I Will Always Love You” and “9 to 5,” Parton showed the crowd that she hasn’t lost one single step in all her years of performing, and proved that by picking up and playing a bevy of instruments like the banjo, the mandolin, the autoharp and of course the guitar.

But it was Parton’s playful banter with the crowd that seemed to really win them over and make Tuesday’s show such a big hit, as she spoke about everything from her childhood to her much talked about physical appearance.

“It costs a fortune to make me look this cheap.” I’ve had this wig so long “It’s my hair now,” she joked. “I appreciate you coming to see me again, because I need the money.” And my personal favorite: “We weren’t Catholics, we were just a bunch of horny hillbillies,” which left the crowd in stitches.

In an interview with Yahoo, Parton says she has no plans to retire and wants to sing and perform to the very end. “I hope to just fall over dead one of these days, right in the middle of a song or something lovely that I’m doing” she said.

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