Dolly Parton may have a career in professional cheerleading if this music thing doesn’t work out.
The 77-year-old country superstar stunned during the NFL halftime show at the Dallas Cowboys-Washing Commanders game on Thanksgiving (Nov. 23) after stepping onto the stage in a sparkling Cowboys-inspired cheerleader uniform for her show-stealing set.
“Hello, Texas! Dolly does Dallas. How do you like my outfit?” Parton announced to the roaring crowd at Arlington’s AT&T Stadium. “Hey, Cowboys and Commanders, stop fightin’ long enough to sing along!”
For the high-energy performance, dubbed Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Kickoff Halftime Show, the iconic singer-songwriter delivered a medley that included her smash hits “Jolene” and “9 to 5,” along with a mashup of Queen‘s “We Are the Champions” and “We Will Rock You.” Halfway through the six-minute show, the Cowboys cheerleading team strutted onto the field to lend their support.
“Happy Thanksgiving everybody,” Parton said in closing the dazzling performance.
Parton is fresh off the release of her new album, Rockstar. The 30-track set features the beloved artist fully plugging into the genre, with a combination of covers and originals, and help from such legendary guests as Sting, Steven Tyler, Debbie Harry, Rob Halford, Elton John and of course goddaughter and frequent collaborator Miley Cyrus.
Upon the album’s Nov. 17 release, Parton wrote a thank you note to her fans for following her down her latest creative path.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am of the Rockstar album and I can’t tell you how happy I am that it’s finally here to be released!” she said on Instagram. “I really had a wonderful time working with all these iconic artists on the record and all these iconic musicians. Not to mention all these great iconic songs that I think everybody will love hearing again. I just hope you enjoy my version of them!”
Watch Parton’s Thanksgiving halftime show in the video below.