Eric Church is paying tribute to one of his biggest influences, Bob Seger. During a recent show at the Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkson, Michigan, which is roughly an hour north of Detroit, Church paid tribute to Seger by performing a nearly 15-minute medley of the singer’s songs.
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Seger was born in Detroit in 1945 and the Pine Knob is located on a street named in his honor. In a pair of videos posted by a fan, the crowd goes wild as Church plays the harmonica, singing along as he opens the medley with Seger’s 1973 hit, “Turn the Page.”
According to Ultimate Classic Rock, the country superstar also weaved other Seger classics including “Like a Rock,” “Roll Me Away,” “Get Out of Denver” and “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” into the medley. Church and Seger go way back. After Church was fired from Rascal Flatts’ tour in 2006 as an opening act for repeatedly playing over his time limit, he was soon picked up to join Seger’s tour.
“The next phone call we got was Bob Seger, and it went something to the effect of, ‘You can’t open for them, but you can open for me,’ so that’s what we did,” Church allegedly told the crowd at Pine Knob. “I would not be here at all if it weren’t for Bob Seger.”
Seger retired in 2019 after the completion of his final tour, Travelin’ Man Tour, which began in his native state of Michigan in Grand Rapids. Church attended the show at Pine Knob in June 2019.
“[Sitting] right there, right by the soundboard, I watched Bob Seger burn this son of a bitch down,” the “Drink in My Hand” singer recalled. “So tonight…it just feels like the right thing to do.”
Church is currently on The Outsiders Revival Tour, which features a rotating cast of 18 special guests including Lainey Wilson, Ashley McBryde, Jelly Roll, Whiskey Myers and Elle King. The tour wraps up on September 30 in Tampa, Florida.
Photo Credit: Anthony D’Angi/Courtesy EB Media
