John Mayer, others pay tribute to Dolly Parton in LI shows

Howard Stern showed up at the Stephen Talkhouse bar in Amagansett Wednesday night for a concert by John Mayer that included a tribute to the late music icon Dolly Parton.

Among the other celebrities in attendance were Paul McCartney, Christie Brinkley, Brooke Shields, Michael J. Fox, Katie Couric and Neil Patrick Harris, according to a representative for SiriusXM, which sponsored the concert and is also the broadcaster of Roosevelt-raised Stern’s popular radio show. Stern’s wife, Beth, posted a photo of herself and the 72-year-old shock jock at the concert on Instagram with the words, "I’m in love," followed by a red heart emoji.

According to clips of the show posted online, Mayer’s show included his songs "Queen of California," "Who Says" and "Love on the Weekend." Before performing his 2006 single "Gravity," Mayer played a solo guitar version of "I Will Always Love You," Parton’s 1974 single that became a career-defining anthem for Whitney Houston in 1992. Parton died Tuesday at 80 years old after a "brief battle with cancer," according to her estate.

In an interview with Andy Cohen that will air on the SiriusXM channel Radio Andy on Friday at 10 a.m., Mayer spoke of Parton as the rare artist who could "galvanize a very fractured world" and bring people together. "This is what a life well lived looks like, feels like, sounds like," Mayer said according to an advance transcript of the show, "and you take apart every layer of herself and career, and it's a brilliant, classy, talented, fully artistic rendering."

Mayer wasn’t the only artist to honor Parton on Long Island this week. According to videos posted online, Chris Stapleton covered "I Will Always Love You" Wednesday night at Wantagh's Northwell at Jones Beach Theater. While screens on either side of the stage displayed a black-and-white picture of Parton, the crowd sang along and capped off the performance with cheers and enthusiastic applause.

And on Tuesday during his show at Jones Beach, Pitbull paid tribute to the late country singer. In a video posted on social media, Pitbull highlighted her "amazing life" and called her "a good human being with a good heart." Pitbull worked with Parton on the song "Powerful Women" in 2024. The audience video also showed Pitbull taking a swig from a bottle and then cutting to a clip of him and his dancers moving to Parton’s "9 to 5” in front of a photo of the two artists on-screen. "Rest in peace and rest in paradise to Dolly Parton," he said.

By Rafer Guzmán

rafer.guzman@newsday.com