Eric Church’s storied career was on full display during the 18th Artist-In-Residence at Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s CMA Theater on Tuesday night (August 29). The first of two exclusive evenings celebrating the singer/songwriter, Tuesday saw Church perform a 19-song set spanning his vast catalog.
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The setting wasn’t a typical show from the Chief though. Ahead of his performance, it was revealed that the evening would serve as a career overview designed as a theatrical presentation. A video screen made to appear as an old black and white television set projected some of Church’s career highs and lows, albeit with plenty of sarcasm.
[RELATED: Eric Church Says Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Exhibit Is an “Unbelievable Honor”]
Fake news headlines were broadcast while the packed theater laughed along at the descriptions given to Church. “The problems for Eric Church are that he’s an obviously limited singer,” a man’s voice declared. “Eric Church is a country music sell-out. His songs are unfortunately forgettable. … Church’s music has become increasingly mainstream and formulaic. His live shows are now more about spectacle than substance.”
Church then appeared centerstage alone on guitar. He kicked off the more than two-hour show with an introspective ballad titled “On the Road,” which was just the first taste of proving his naysayers wrong. Donning his signature Ray-Bans, jeans and a black button-down shirt, the singer remained on a stool throughout the performance. His six-piece band then joined in on the fan favorite and rowdy 2006 debut single, “How ’Bout You.”
(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
Throughout the night Church’s band, made up of Jeff Hyde (guitar, banjo, mandolin), Jeff Cease (guitars), Lee Hendricks (bass guitar), Craig Wright (drums), Billy Justineau (keyboards) and Driver Williams (guitars) would sit behind him. At times, he’d be joined by background vocalists Stephcynie Curry, April Rucker and Whitney Coleman, who transformed the CMA Theater into church on poignant numbers like “Carolina,” “Country Music Jesus” and “Springsteen.”
[RELATED: The Meaning Behind Eric Church’s Nostalgic Anthem “Springsteen”]
As promised, the theatrical production did not shy away from the renegade side of Church. The singer’s infamous beef with Rascal Flatts was documented in an audio clip that sounded remarkably similar to that of the Flatts’ Jay DeMarcus. The soundbite detailed how Church repeatedly played 20 minutes over his allotted time as an opener, forcing Rascal Flatts to pay thousands of dollars in overtime fees. Church was ultimately kicked off the tour and the production fittingly segued into “Sinners Like Me.”
Mid-song, Church changed the lyrics on “Sinners Like Me” from Well, now, maybe, who knows, one day I’ll settle down / Give my dad a grandson of his own to Give my dad a couple of grandsons of his own. The slight edit gave a nod to his two sons in the audience, both of whom came into the world more than five years after the song was released.
Church’s theatrical set featured as much grit as it did heart. The video montage highlighted more difficult times for the singer, like learning he had a blood clot in his chest and the mass shooting at Route 91 Harvest to the untimely death of his brother Brandon in 2018 due to “consequences of chronic alcoholism.” An impactful song followed each moment.
Church performed “Why Not Me” solo following the Rouge 91 Harvest mention. The song’s inspiration came from the aftermath of the festival, where he had performed two nights before a man opened fire. I’ll never know why the wicked / Gets to prey on the best of us, he sang. As Church closed the tune with a whistle, he rose from his stool and walked offstage. Moments later, Vince Gill appeared, also alone on acoustic guitar, to perform the powerful “Go Rest High on That Mountain” in honor of Church’s late brother Brandon.
(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
As the night came to a close, Church finally addressed the audience himself for the first time.
“So it’s my turn now to talk,” he said before he closed his set with “Holdin’ My Own,” a track he called his “favorite” song. “It was tough at times but you know what? That’s our life. That’s our career and everything you saw tonight is who we are and it’s unbelievably how we got in this room.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to do this and we’re gonna play one more song,” he continued. “This is my favorite song. I went a long time without declaring anything that. This is my favorite song.”
Always been a fighter, scrapper, and a clawer
Used up some luck in lawyers
Like Huck from Tom Sawyer jumped on my raft
And shoved off chasing my dreams
Reeling in big fishes
I had some hits, and a few big misses
I gave ’em hell and got a few stitches
And these days, I show off my scars
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s annual artist-in-residence series “spotlights an artist with an exemplary body of work and asks the featured artist to create one-of-a-kind performances over multiple evenings,” according to the museum’s website. Previous artists-in-residence include Cowboy Jack Clement, Earl Scruggs, Tom T. Hall, Guy Clark, Kris Kristofferson and John Prine.
Night two of Church’s artist-in-residence is tonight (August 30). A complete setlist from Tuesday follows.
Eric Church Artist-In-Residence Night 1 Setlist:
1. “On the Road”
2. “How ’Bout You”
3. “Sinners Like Me
4. “Carolina”
5. “Smoke a Little Smoke”
6. “Country Music Jesus”
7. “Springsteen”
8. “Talladega”
9. “Give Me Back My Hometown”
10. “Mr. Misunderstood”
11. “Record Year”
12. “A Man Who Was Gonna Die Young”
13. “Some of It”
14. “Monsters”
15. “Why Not Me”
16. “Go Rest High on That Mountain” – Vince Gill
17. “Never Break Heart”
18. “Through My Ray-Bans”
19. “Holdin’ My Own”
(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
