Eric Church Celebrates The Release Of ‘Evangeline vs. The Machine’ With Two Unique, Sold-Out Nashville Shows

Nobody does it like Eric Church.

Earlier this month, Chief dropped his groundbreaking new album, Evangeline vs. The Machine. And like most of Church’s work, it showed off his creativity and willingness to push the norms as he included a full orchestra, gospel choir and horn section on the eight track project, one that showed off not only his country music street cred but also wove in the rock, blues and soul sounds that have influenced the man behind the sunglasses.

It was that same creativity that was on full display before Eric Church even took the stage at The Pinnacle in Nashville for two sold-out shows celebrating the album’s release.

Half an hour before Church himself walked out to kick off the show, the lights went down and the visuals started on the screen…and the cameramen surrounding the stage took their places, wearing hazmat suits with an M showing they were part of the mythical “machine.” But they weren’t the only members of the machine who were there to serve as a visual representation of the foil to Church’s quest: Positioned around the balcony venue, and even on the side of the stage, were several others wearing hazmat suits and gas masks, standing there motionless for the entire first half of the show.

After 27 minutes of music, visuals, and the machine getting into place, the rest of the band began to take the stage – although it was a process that took much longer than usual. Along with his regular band, Church was accompanied for these two shows by a choir, and string and horn sections.

Along with longtime backup singer and superstar in her own right, Joanna Cotten, there were 23 people on stage with Church by the time he walked out to an ear-splitting roar from the crowd who knew they were in for something special.

And they were right.

Church kicked off the show with “Hands of Time,” the leadoff single from his new album. And from there, he played the entire project straight through, all 8-songs in order with no breaks in between, just as they are on the album.

You wouldn’t have known from the crowd that the album is less than a month old. The people who were there to witness the show knew every word, and sang along as Church and his large ensemble moved effortlessly between emotional songs like “Johnny” straight into the defiant “Storm In Their Blood.” Church was the maestro, and all 4,500 people there were his orchestra, following his every command as he sang “Raise your hands, all hail rock and roll” during “Evangeline” or “clap hands” during his Tom Waits cover.

After the first night, Church seemed relieved that he had made it through the entire album. But the second night he seemed much more relaxed and loose – and that’s when the party started.

The second half of the show was a marathon of Chief’s hits in a way that you’ve never heard them before. Still flanked by the choir and his extended backing band, Church dug deep into his catalog and played songs from every era and album of his career, starting with “Desperate Man” and weaving through songs like “Homeboy,” “Sinners Like Me,” “Knives of New Orleans” (which he joked was apparently a true story in New Orleans right now with the recent high-profile jailbreak), and “Creepin’.”

He also took full advantage of the choir behind him on songs like “Smoke A Little Smoke,” where the deep bass singer “dug down deep” on the breakdown, much to Church’s amusement.

While Church was clearly the star of the show, some of the biggest cheers from the crowd came when he was joined at the front of the stage by powerhouse Joanna Cotten, who brought the house down during her time in the spotlight as Church fans have come to expect.

On night two, Church spoke about how his favorite part of going to a live show is knowing that you experienced something unique, something that nobody else is ever going to get to experience. And for the fans who were lucky enough to make it to The Pinnacle, they were treated to a one-of-a-kind show that Church says will never be seen again.

It was a celebration of his new album, an opportunity for fans to connect the new melodies from Evangeline vs. The Machine to a once-in-a-lifetime memory.

But in a way, it was also a shot across the bow to “The Machine” that sits just a few blocks away from where he was performing. It was a challenge to the machine to continue to push the creative boundaries. It was a rallying cry for fans, and a reminder that there’s nobody better in country music right now.

It was Church. Beer-soaked, hard-rocking, thought-provoking, spiritual, revolutionary Church. And nobody else in country music can do it like Eric Church.

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