Eric Church is working on a North American tour…right now. The reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year didn’t reveal many details in a video message posted on his socials this morning (February 5th), but he did sincerely want to assure fans they will once again see him live as soon as this global pandemic is contained.
We will gather again pic.twitter.com/puFgIxD1yL
— Eric Church (@ericchurch) February 5, 2021
“We ARE working on a North American tour. We’re waiting for the right timing to officially announce all the details, but I want you to know that a tour is coming and we are very excited to play new music for our old friends. Coming to many cities that we’ve been to in the past and a few new ones. As usual, the Church Choir will get the first opportunity to buy tickets when we go on sale. I cannot wait to see you on the road.”
Today’s news of a tour on the horizon is accompanied by the release of an additional song off his forthcoming three-part project, Heart & Soul, with the bare-boned ballad “Lynyrd Skynyrd Jones” available everywhere today. The track is featured on the third album in the collection, Soul, set for release Friday, April 23 following Heart’s release on Friday, April 16 and the release of the Church Choir’s exclusive vinyl-only middle album, &, on Tuesday, April 20.
“‘Lynyrd Skynyrd Jones’ was such a tough one for us to get, but it ended up as one of my favorite performances of my career,” reflects Church. “Casey Beathard had written that song and I first played it laying back on my bed for a guitar vocal. I tried to play it the same way a thousand times after that, but there’s a way that song develops that we never could recapture – something about relaxing and laying back; there’s a lope to that song. I started to worry about the soul going away the more we tried, so Jay Joyce said, ‘let’s let Brian Sutton have a shot at it.’ We let him hear it one time and then he was feeling it as we went. There’s some extra pauses and spaces in the back of the recording as he figured it out – I think that’s what makes that song. It’s compelling and that’s a lot to do with Brian and Jay.”
In addition to releasing new music, Church will also take to the field at Tampa Bay’s Raymond James Stadium next Sunday, February 7 to perform the National Anthem with R&B star Jazmine Sullivan ahead of Super Bowl LV. The 10-time GRAMMY nominee recently spoke with the Los Angeles Times about the prestigious performance, noting “With what’s going on in America, it feels like an important time for a patriotic moment, an important time for unity. The fact that I’m a Caucasian Country singer and she’s an African American R&B singer — I think the country needs that.” Catch all the pre-game action beginning at 6pm ET on CBS.
Following the game, Church will also perform as part of Verizon’s “Big Concert for Small Business” benefit, streaming live at 10pm CT. Fans can visit VerizonBigConcertSmallBiz.com for more information about the event and how to tune in.
Eric is currently racing up the country charts with his latest single, “Hell of a View.”
