Elle King Performs For The First Time Since Dolly Parton Tribute, Backlash

Elle King returned to the stage following a few rescheduled performance dates, announced after the Grand Ole Opry apologized for the profanity King used in a January tribute to the legendary Dolly Parton.

The “Ex’s & Oh’s” artist posted several photos on Instagram from a show over the weekend, simply writing in her caption, “ope there she is.” She took the stage at the Extra Innings Festival on Friday (March 1) in Tempe, Arizona. Other artists in the lineup throughout the weekend include Charley Crockett, Turnpike Troubadours, Sheryl Crow, Morgan Wade, Chris Stapleton, Noah Kahan, Dave Matthews Band and many others.

King, 34, postponed several shows following her Grand Ole Opry performance. She was part of the Opry Goes Dolly lineup — which also included Terri Clark, Ashley Monroe, Dailey & Vincent and Tigirlily Gold — celebrating Parton’s 78th birthday on January 19. The show took place at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Videos circulated on social media showing King using foul language (including stating that she was “f***ing hammered”), appearing drunk, and seemingly forgetting the words to Parton’s “Marry Me” on stage. The Opry posted in a response on X, formerly Twitter: “...we deeply regret and apologize for the language that was used during last night’s second Opry performance.”

King’s rescheduled shows are set to begin this month: Blue Gate Performing Arts Center in Shipshewana, Indiana, now set for March 21; The Genesee Theatre in Waukegan, Illinois, now set for March 22; Island Resort & Casino in Harris, Michigan, now set for March 29 and March 30; and Billy Bob’s in Dallas, Texas, now set for September 21, per a January announcement on King’s Instagram story.

Though King has not publicly commented on her Opry Goes Dolly performance as of publication time on Monday (March 4), Parton shared her response last month. The beloved “9 To 5” legend said in an interview with Extra’s Alecia Davis: “Elle is really a great artist. She’s a great girl, and she’s been going through a lot of hard things lately. And she just had a little too much to drink. So, let’s just forgive that and forget it and move on because she felt worse than anybody ever could.”