Eric Church Holds His Own On Tour

Eric Church 'Holdin' My Own Tour'

Following YESTERDAY's (2/16) ACM AWARDS nominations being unveiled (NET NEWS 2/16), social media was abuzz with talk of names that did not make the cut in the Entertainer Of The Year category, including GARTH BROOKS, KENNY CHESNEY, and ERIC CHURCH. While the nominations are official, and the five current nominees are very deserving, ALL ACCESS was on-location in DULUTH, GA last NIGHT (2/16) to see CHURCH's "HOLDIN' MY OWN TOUR" first-hand and witness the case he is building for future Entertainer Of The Year nominations and wins.

CHURCH, whose "Mr. Misunderstood" album has seen critical and sales successes, did receive a Song Of The Year nomination YESTERDAY for "Kill A Word." That song is just one in the nearly 40 song clinic CHURCH is putting on nightly in cities across the country. Serving as his own opening act, "THE CHIEF" kicked off his opening set with an actual CHURCH Choir, complete with robes, singing an album cut -- "Mistress Named Music" -- from the "Mr. Misunderstood" album. Throughout the course of both sets, CHURCH checked off each cut from the current album, with the sold-out INFINITE ENERGY ARENA crowd singing and matching his energy word for word.

There were no pyrotechnics, no special celebrity guests, no props, and no costume changes. Instead, the stripped-down set consisted of staging allowing CHURCH to play to his audience from every side of the ARENA, and an overhead video cube to give fans in the top of the house an excellent view. From hits like "Drink In My Hand," "Smoke A Little Smoke," "Guys Like Me," "Like JESUS Does," and "Record Year" to deep cuts and fan-favorites like "Two Pink Lines," "These Boots," "CAROLINA," and "Pledge Allegiance To The HAG," CHURCH had his audience right where he wanted them -- and firmly planted in place for over three and half hours’ worth of music, in total. "THE CHIEF" reached in to his bag of covers for the hometown pleasing "Oh, ATLANTA" by BAD COMPANY, as well as an acoustic cover of BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN's "Thunder Road" before launching in to his own hit named for the Rock great.

CHURCH will be out on the "HOLDIN' MY OWN TOUR" through MAY (NET NEWS 8/10), and each night, he will do just that, as he continues to "hold his own" with two back-to-back sets. CHURCH's fan base is built on a solid foundation of well-received albums, but his fandom and his legacy is being built night-in and night-out during the live experience. From what ALL ACCESS saw last NIGHT, it is a safe bet that CHURCH will not be overlooked in any awards categories for the foreseeable future.

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