Eric Church Fans Are Thrilled That Joanna Cotten Is Back On Tour With Him – But I Don’t Think Anybody Is Happier About It Than Eric Church

Just feels right.

If you’ve seen Eric Church in concert over the past decade or so, chances are you’ve seen Joanna Cotten too. Calling her a background vocalist feels wrong, because the powerhouse singer is so much more than that. She’s a superstar in her own right, often taking center stage herself and joining Church for duets like their incredible live performances of songs like “Over When It’s Over” or “Like Jesus Does.”

(If you haven’t seen it, take a minute to watch – I’ll wait).

Aside from being a fixture of his live shows, Cotten has also been featured on every Eric Church album since Chief, including his most recent album, Evangeline vs. The Machine.

So it’s no surprise that fans were heartbroken a couple of years ago when Cotten announced that she would be stepping away from Church’s band following the Gather Again Tour that wrapped up in 2022 to pursue a solo career.

Cotten made the announcement at the time in an Instagram post:

“Hello, friends and fans… I want to let you all know that I made the decision to take some time off after the ‘Gather Again Tour’ to focus on writing some new songs and have a time of rest and recovery. It was my intention to return, but God has other plans.

I want you all to know that your energy carried me through so many shows with Eric. What a run we had. I am so grateful for the stages I sang on with him and the people I met along the way.

I am very much looking forward to new solo music and ventures on the horizon. I love you guys and I’ll see you out there on the road before you know it!” 

The following year, Church hit the road once again for his Outsiders Revival Tour, and instead of one background vocalist he brought a talented trio of singers with him (it takes three people to replace Joanna, apparently). And while they did an amazing job on the tour, it just wasn’t the same.

Well luckily, Joanna is back.

Cotten made her return with Church during his headlining performance at Stagecoach in 2024 (you know the one I’m talking about), and has been with him on stage and in the studio since then, including at his Red Rocks shows over the summer and now on his Free The Machine tour.

And fans couldn’t be happier that the band is back together, with videos and comment sections flooding in with fans who missed her powerhouse vocals during the time she was away:

@jennifermcinneslu

#ericchurch #joannacotten #ppgpaintsarena #pittsburgh #concert

♬ original sound – Jennifer Luzik

I was at the Red Rocks shows over the summer, and you wouldn’t believe how many people I heard talk about how excited they were that Joanna was back. And even Church seemed relieved when she finally joined him onstage during the third night’s acoustic show:

“I gotta be honest, I was looking at the setlist and my whole job on the setlist is try to get to where Joanna walks out. So I’ve been f—ing motoring my a– to get to this moment right here.”

The pair have an undeniable chemistry on stage, the natural result of working together for so long and Church being able to lean on his trusted partner and give her the spotlight she so rightly deserves.

In a recent interview with Garden & Gun, Church had high praise for Joanna and expressed his excitement to have her back:

“D—, I’m happy about that. I’ve sung with everyone, and nobody’s like Joanna. Having those moments with her that we’ve done over a decade now is incredible. We talked last night, and I said, “First of all, I need you.” There’s something about that moment when we connect musically, and you can’t be arrogant and say, “This just happens all the time,” because it doesn’t.”

I’ll be at the Free the Machine tour show next Friday in Grand Rapids, and I know personally just how much she brings to an Eric Church show. It’s like having a band without a drummer or a bass guitar: Sure, it’s still great, but something’s missing. So I can’t tell you how excited I am to see another show not only from the Chief, but with his full band and Joanna Cotten – as it should be.

But I think it’s safe to say that while fans are no doubt thrilled to have Joanna Cotten back with the Eric Church Band, there’s nobody happier about it than Eric Church himself.