At first, Nashville’s famed Broadway Street wasn’t quite Eric Church’s bag. He got his start a few blocks away, playing the far less-trafficked Printer’s Alley. Now that the “Drink In My Hand” crooner, 47, has gotten his music career off the ground, he is circling back to Broadway Street. Church officially opened his bar, Chief’s on Broadway, on April 5, 2024. As the bar’s patrons recently celebrated a year of live music, barbecue, and camaraderie, the seven-time ACM Award winner himself made a surprise appearance.
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Watch Eric Church Perform “Springsteen” For Chief’s Crowd
Swarms of country music fans were on hand for Friday’s (April 5) one-year anniversary festivities at Chief’s Bar. At one point, two of Eric Church’s frequent co-writers, his guitar player Jeff Hyde and Ryan Tyndell, put on a show featuring their personal spins on the “Two Pink Lines” singer’s hits.
As they prepared to close out with “Springsteen,” cheers rose up from the crowd. Then, Eric Church himself joined Hyde and Tyndell onstage for a rendition of his 2012 hit.
For Church, Chief’s is more than just a bar. It’s an experience, and a celebration of his fans. Before the venue officially opened, each premium member of his Church’s Choir fan club received a deed to Chief’s in the mail. And those deeds weren’t merely symbolic. Each corresponded with a specific brick in the building.
“This is ours,” Church told Rolling Stone last March. “It’s not something that I’m renting or leasing until the next artist comes along, then when that artist falls out of favor, all you do is change the sign out and it goes to the next one.”
He Isn’t Finished Helping His Home State
Last September, Eric Church watched Hurricane Helene batter his home state of North Carolina. Almost immediately springing into action, the Grammy nominee helped organize the Concert for Carolina, which raised more than $11 million for rebuilding efforts.
Then, in February, Church purchased a 30-acre plot of land in western North Carolina through his non-profit, Chief Cares. The nonprofit is planning to build 40 to 50 homes for displaced Helene survivors.
And although the first phase has yet to break ground, Chief Cares recently announced it is eying two additional plots of land nearby.
Featured image by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images
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