Taking to Electric Picnic’s Main Stage on Saturday, August 29, CMAT opened her performance with a surprise tribute to the late Dolly Parton, covering her iconic song ‘Jolene’. The singer, affectionately known as Dunboyne Diana, was one of the weekend’s headliners, describing the audience as “the most special” she has ever played to.
The ‘sexy CMAT show’ appeared to be going ahead as normal, with the band beginning to play ‘The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station’. However, the singer abruptly stopped the performance, proclaiming, “Stop, stop. I can’t do this, I can’t do the sexy CMAT show. Something has changed.”
After a short pause, CMAT added: “Can you tell what it is?” She proceeded to perform a rendition of ‘Jolene’ as a tribute to the country music legend who passed away earlier that week at the age of 80.
As tributes poured in for Parton following the news of her death, CMAT also took to Instagram to share her own sentiments. “We owe her everything. I will always love you,” she wrote.
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After having to cancel a performance at Rock en Seine in Paris due to illness just 24 hours prior to her Electric Picnic gig, it was unclear if the Dunboyne singer would play. Those fears were short-lived as she confirmed the set would go ahead on Saturday.
Arriving on stage in a dress designed by former GCN cover star Oran O’Reilly, CMAT delivered a highly energetic 60-minute performance featuring songs including ‘EURO-COUNTRY’, ‘When a Good Man Cries’, ‘I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby!’ and ‘Stay For Something’. Her performance of ‘EURO-COUNTRY’ was particularly poignant as Saturday marked the one-year anniversary of the album of the same name’s release.
“Today is the first one-year anniversary of the release of EURO-COUNTRY“, the singer proudly shouted to the crowd.
EURO-COUNTRY is CMAT’s third studio album, following 2023’s Crazymad, for Me and 2022’s If My Wife New I’d Be Dead.
The artist also reflected on the personal significance of Electric Picnic, revealing it was the first festival she ever attended.
She later declared her love for Ireland, speaking about what it meant to perform at home once again: “It’s magical to know that my home country understands me best.”
With CMAT announcing a break from touring in 2027, her Electric Picnic performance will undoubtedly be remembered as a standout show, with her emotional tribute to Dolly Parton being one of its most memorable moments.
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