Eric Church will take to the road on his first headlining arena tour, aptly named Blood, Sweat & Beers. The trek, which will feature Brantley Gilbert (“Country Must Be Country Wide”) as a special guest, kicks off in Fort Smith, Arkansas January 19th. Also being featured on various dates are Jon Pardi, Sonia Leigh, Blackberry Smoke, Cadillac Black and Drake White.
“We have been building our entire career for this tour,” says Eric. “It is truly the culmination of a lot of blood, sweat and beer that has brought us to this point in our career. I have always trusted our fans to deliver with their dedication and passion; they have always exceeded my expectations. I have never been more excited to begin a tour than this one. The band and I are committed to emptying the tank every night and delivering the best show we can.”
In addition to the dates already announced (see below), the North Carolina native will reveal 30 more dates in the coming weeks.
Ticket prices will range from $34.75 for reserved seats to $199 for the “Put a Drink in YOUR Hand” VIP Package, which includes premiere seating, a pre-show party, a two-song acoustic performance from Eric and autographed memorabilia. The VIP experience will be made available through all ticketing outlets.
When Eric hits the stage, a metamorphosis seems to take place. “When I put on the hat and sunglasses, it’s a different personality; it’s a different show. I’m like a spring that comes uncoiled and for 90 minutes, or however long it is, it’s a war out there,” the singer-songwriter explains. “It’s a battle between the crowd and myself, and we’re gonna sweat and bleed and scream and everything else…and probably gonna be covered in beer when we leave. It’s that kind of show and I think that’s why they come and relate to us. I’m doing the same thing. I’m there for a release and so are they. That energy exchange, it’s over the music, it’s over passion, but it’s also just getting away from our lives for a while.”
Eric Church’s Blood, Sweat & Beers tour dates:
Jan. 19 Fort Smith, Ark., Fort Smith Convention Center
Jan. 20 Cape Girardeau, Mo., Show Me Center
Jan. 21 Southaven, Miss., Desoto Civic Center
Jan. 26 Madison, Wis., Alliant Energy Center
Jan. 27 Saginaw, Mich., Dow Event Center
Jan. 28 Terre Haute, Ind., ISU Hulman Center
Feb. 2 Savannah, Ga., Savannah Civic Center
Feb. 3 Knoxville, Tenn., Thompson Boling Arena
Feb. 4 Norfolk, Va., Ted Constant Center
Feb. 16 Greenville, S.C., Bi-Lo Center
Feb. 17 Salisbury, Md., Wicomico Civic Center
Feb. 18 Greensboro, N.C., Greensboro Coliseum
Feb. 23 Battle Creek, Mich., Kellogg Arena
Feb. 24 Cleveland, Ohio, Wolstein Center @ CSU
Feb. 25 Ft. Wayne, Ind., Allen County War Memorial Col.
Mar. 1 Portland, Maine, Cumberland County Civic Center
Mar. 2 Lowell, Mass., Tsongas Center at UMASS Lowell
Mar. 3 Indiana, Pa., Kovalchick Center
Mar. 8 Oklahoma City, Okla., Chesapeake Energy Center
Mar. 10 Orange Beach, Ala., Amphitheater at the Wharf
AUDIO: Eric Church explains the metamorphosis that takes place when he jumps on stage to perform.
Eric Church (performing live persona) OC: …for a while. :41
“Well, I think a lot of it is who I am on stage isn’t who I am the rest of the day. And I think, people that come to that show, they’re not that way all day either. When they come they come to that show it’s our time to get away from what we normally do. When I put on the hat and sunglasses, it’s a different personality; it’s a different show. I’m like a spring that comes uncoiled and for 90 minutes, or however long it is, it’s a war out there. It’s a battle between the crowd and myself, and we’re gonna sweat and bleed and scream and everything else…and probably gonna be covered in beer when we leave. It’s that kind of show and I think that’s why they come and relate to us. I’m doing the same thing. I’m there for a release and so are they. That energy exchange, it’s over the music, it’s over passion, but it’s also just getting away from our lives for a while.”
