Looking at the Nashville landscape, it’s hard to find a singer who embodies that philosophy more than Eric Church, a superstar who has obsessively talked about (and demonstrated) how much he cares about his fans – known as Church Choir – mean more than anything else. That’s why it was particularly surprising when Church announced Tuesday that he was canceling his upcoming sold-out arena show Saturday night at the AT&T Center in San Antonio — so he could attend North Carolina’s Final Four basketball game against Duke.
“This Saturday, my family and I will stand together to cheer for the Tar Heels as the team makes it to the Final Four. As a lifelong Carolina basketball fan, I’ve watched Carolina and Duke battle over the years, but to have them square off in the Final Four for the first time in NCAA tournament history is every sports enthusiast’s dream,” he wrote in an email to his fans via Ticketmaster.
The story continues below the ad
“It’s also the most selfish thing I’ve ever asked the choir to do: give up your plans for Saturday night with us so I can have that moment with my family and my sports community,” Church added. “However, it’s the same kind of passion felt by the people who fill the seats at our concerts that makes us want to be part of a crowd at a game of this importance.” He ended by quoting the famous UNC -Narrator Woody Durham: “Go where you go and do what you do,” adding, “Thank you for letting me go out here and be with the Tar Heels.”
Admittedly one of the highest-stakes games in college basketball’s recent history, Duke-North Carolina is not only the sport’s most famous rivalry, but if North Carolina wins, it will be the last game for Duke’s legendary coach, Mike Krzyzewski – and all after North Carolina defeated Duke at Coach K’s last home game a few weeks ago.
That probably doesn’t matter to the thousands of people who bought tickets for Church’s show on Saturday, though, many of whom took to Twitter and Instagram on Tuesday and Wednesday to slam the singer for his decision: “The hoops which we jumped through to secure child care to drive 4+ hours to see you. Having a fun night out, seeing an artist we literally bought every record from. That’s Bulle.” “An entire weekend’s travel plans went up in smoke. Keep treating your fans like this and you’ll run out.” “I appreciate you wanting to experience the game of basketball with your family, but how about those of us who came to the concert with OUR family?” And many more.
The story continues below the ad
Some were also appreciative of his outspokenness, which is rare – other celebrities could have simply lied or come up with some other excuse, perhaps cleverly disguising their participation in the game. (A publicist for Church said he knew he couldn’t reschedule the date immediately, so he wants to let fans know of the cancellation as soon as possible.) But Church’s blunt and detailed statement reflects, and is, his unusual relationship with his fans also probably the only reason he won’t tarnish his reputation much, if at all, by taking this step.
Church made waves early in his career when he was fired from the Rascal Flatts tour as an opener in 2006 for exceeding the time limit on his set. Ultimately, however, he blamed the fans for his efforts: “We played a bit too loud, a bit longer than we should have. I was a new act and I came out and people paid a lot of money for a ticket and I wanted to give them a show,” he explained in an interview in 2011.
And the fans loved it. Church was more focused on building a fiercely loyal following than sticking to standard Nashville traditions: Hey argued with his record label over everything from releasing the controversial “Smoke a Little Smoke” as a single (“It’s your Funeral,” his label boss told him) to wearing a hat and his famous sunglasses on the cover of his third album “Chief” ( “You can’t wear a hat because you have hair, and you can’t wear sunglasses because you have pretty eyes,” the marketing team said.
The story continues below the ad
But “Smoke a Little Smoke” became a big hit and “Chief” went triple platinum, and eventually his handlers relented: he knew his audience well enough to be able to tell exactly what they wanted from him. He launched a passionate fight against ticket scalpers so his fans could afford tickets to his shows; In 2015 he sent copies of his new album Mr. Misunderstood” to his fan club before it was officially released. Last year he released a three-part album, Heart & Soul, and sent the middle record – just titled “&” – to the club as well.
“When we put out an album, the people we try to get our hands on are the fans, but the fans are also the last people [who] have a chance,” Church said. “It goes to a label, then to the press, then to radio and critics — all these people weigh in and get a copy, and then it’s the fans.”
A few years later, he became famous for his three-and-a-half-hour concerts, and his die-hard listeners loved them.
The story continues below the ad
“They would probably stay five hours because they’re not like other fans — especially country fans,” wrote journalist Marissa R. Moss in Nashville Scene on the eve of two sold-out Nashville concerts at the time. “The camaraderie in the crowd, the passionate devotion, the way people in the audience react to each song… more akin to the rituals of the traveling rock cults associated with Phish or the Grateful Dead.”
So it’s been fans, fans, fans all along, including the last few years when he posed for a 2021 cover of Billboard and received a coronavirus vaccine to encourage his audience to get recording too, to keep the tour safe could be continued. If there’s anyone who could get away with pissing off a whole crowd of ’em, it’s Church — and while it’s got the makings of public relations chaos, he’s built up enough goodwill to probably get away with it.