Eric Church Bringing Three Unique Shows To Red Rocks
(EBM) With his new album Evangeline vs. The Machine arriving May 2, Stereogum's "greatest working rock star" Eric Church returns to the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre for a special three-night run of distinct performances July 14-16, curating a unique, immersive experience for each show:
July 14: Eric Church vs. The Machine - a full-scale production featuring his band joined by a dynamic ensemble of strings, horns and choir combining to deliver an epic, must-see set.
July 15: Eric Church vs. The ECB - a raw, high-energy set with his original band, including longtime collaborator Joanna Cotten.
July 16: Eric Church vs. The Guitar - a stripped-down, intimate evening with Church alone on stage, delivering an acoustic performance like only he can.
Church's history at Red Rocks is one of legend. He made his debut in August 2007 and his August 2016 performance at the venue was captured for a PBS special, highlighted by his hauntingly beautiful cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." A roughly once-a-decade experience, this return to Red Rocks marks his first performance at the venue since that show.
Tickets for this special three-night event will be available to Church Choir members on Monday, April 7, before opening to the general public on Friday, April 11. Become a Church Choir member here. Supporting Church across all three nights is Stephen Wilson Jr. and a limited number of three-day tickets are available for fans eager to see the full trio of shows.
With these one-off shows on the horizon to celebrate new album Evangeline vs. The Machine, lead single "Hands Of Time" is already impressing, having set a new personal record en route to becoming most added at Country radio last week with 135 first-week stations and earning immediate praise from fans and critics alike. Stereogum lauded the "juicy, fired-up Southern rocker about living in a world that increasingly makes no sense to you;" Rolling Stone celebrated the "nostalgic jukebox, full of allusions to songs and artists that were essential to Church's career: Bob Seger and 'Hollywood Nights,' Tom Petty and 'Even the Losers,' AC/DC's 'Back in Black,' and Willie and Waylon's 'Luckenbach, Texas,' among them;" and Billboard honored the way "the song builds into a punchy, rock-fueled anthem as Church sings of turning to simple pleasures - particularly music - to fend off the impact of the passing decades."
Among the other songs featured on the forthcoming Jay Joyce-produced album is "Darkest Hour," released ahead of the project to support relief efforts following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in September 2024, with all of Church's publishing royalties donated to provide ongoing funds in support of a more resilient future for his home state of North Carolina. "That song had the chance to change things-it already has," Church reflects. "The greatest concert I've ever played was the Concert for Carolina - that's the greatest thing I've been involved with. This song played a big part of that night and is a rallying cry for the people there that still need a lot of help. As a person who writes and performs a song, seeing it truly impact people's lives is the greatest thing you can hope to accomplish."
Also included is "Johnny," a soul-stirring reinterpretation inspired by "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" and the Covenant School tragedy, which Church has previewed in limited settings at both his Chief's To Beat The Devil residency and the recent Country Radio Seminar, leaving audiences in awe. "About a year ago, we had a shooting here in Nashville at the Covenant School," he explained when introducing the song during CRS. "Where my kids go to school, my two boys, is about a mile from that school. I will tell you something, the hardest thing I've ever done in my life - parent or otherwise - is dropping them off at that school the day after the shooting and watching them walk inside. I sat in the parking lot for a long time, and as fate would have it, as I was pulling out, Charlie Daniels was playing, 'The Devil Went Down to Georgia.' I remember thinking, man, we could use Johnny right now, because the Devil's not in Georgia, he's everywhere. I went home and wrote 'Johnny'."
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