Throwback To Eric Church’s Sprawling, Nine-Minute Mashup Of “Springsteen” & “Born To Run”

Arguably the best nine minutes of all time.

In case you haven’t been paying attention, it’s safe to say that Eric Church is officially back. Between the release of the experimental Evangeline vs. The Machine back on May 2, his epic, three-night run at Red Rocks Amphitheater last month (which featured the debut of a brand new song inspired by an article written here at Whiskey Riff) and his upcoming Free the Machine Tour which kicks off next month in Pittsburgh, the Chief is back and arguably better than ever.

With so much buzz surrounding him over the past few months, I wanted to highlight one of my personal favorite performances from the North Carolina native, none other than his sprawling, nine-minute mashup of “Springsteen” and “Born to Run” which appeared on his first live album, Caught In the Act, back in 2013.

“Springsteen” itself hardly needs any introduction. Being the most popular song in Church’s incredibly deep discography, it’s been streamed over 600 million times on Spotify alone. It’s also one of the highest-selling country songs of all time, selling over 8 million total units and being certified 8x platinum by the RIAA. Additionally, the track earned the 48-year-old singer/songwriter a pair of Grammy nominations for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance in 2013.

Written by Church, Jeff Hyde and Ryan Tyndell, “Springsteen” has cemented itself as not only one of the most popular country songs of the 21st century but also an all-time summer classic, most recently getting a boost in popularity on TikTok with many users posting nostalgic videos using the song.

Obviously, the song, at its core, is an ode to the legendary Bruce Springsteen, referencing his classic hits, “I’m On Fire,” “Born to Run,” “Born In the U.S.A.” and “Glory Days,” throughout the track. What’s interesting is that Church actually wasn’t inspired to write the song at a Springsteen concert. He noted that it was actually inspired by a memory of going to a completely different, unnamed artist with a past love.

“I went to a concert when I was younger with a girl, and to this day, when I hear that artist, it’s the soundtrack to that girl. I never think about her any other time, except when that song is on. That’s where the ‘Springsteen’ came from, and he seemed to be the perfect guy to craft that story around because of my love for him … I have such a reverence for Bruce Springsteen’s career and how he’s built it.”

As for the live performance itself, I can’t help but adore every single second of it. From the extended intro which sees Church slow down the chorus with a simple piano backing before kicking off the rocking intro present in most recordings of the track to his unique rendition of “Born to Run,” it’s nothing short of perfection. As a huge fan of both Church and Springsteen, it truly doesn’t get better than this.

While transitioning into “Born to Run,” Church delivers a classic monologue which, once again, proves just how in tune he is with the shared connection many of us feel through music and concerts specifically.

“Every night when I sing this song, doesn’t matter I’ve sang it a thousand times but I still remember my first amphitheater concert. I was 16 years old [at] Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Charlotte, North Carolina. I remember the way the grass smelt. I remember the way the sky looked. I remember the taste of the beer from the older couple that we stole it from just down the lawn. I had a melody connect itself with a memory that night, and that’s what this song’s about. It’s about something that we’re gonna remember for a long long time. If you’ll indulge me, I’m gonna connect a melody in a memory right now.”

There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that Eric Church is a “once-in-a-generation” artist and performer, and a live recording like this, which contains so much passion, love for the music itself and an understanding of the importance of live shows, highlight this the best in my eyes.

Listen here:

Free The Machine Tour Dates

Sept. 12 || Pittsburgh, Penn. || PPG Paints Arena || Elle King
Sept. 13 || Columbus, Ohio || Nationwide Arena || Elle King
Sept. 18 || Philadelphia, Penn. || Wells Fargo Center || Elle King
Sept. 19 || Boston, Mass. || TD Garden || Elle King
Sept. 20 || Brooklyn, N.Y. || Barclays Center || Elle King
Sept. 25 || Green Bay, Wisc. || Resch Center || Marcus King Band
Sept. 26 || Milwaukee, Wisc. || Fiserv Forum || Marcus King Band
Sept. 27 || Des Moines, Iowa || Wells Fargo Arena || Marcus King Band
Oct. 2 || Detroit, Mich. || Little Caesars Arena || Marcus King Band
Oct. 3 || Lexington, Ky. || Rupp Arena || Marcus King Band
Oct. 9 || Indianapolis, Ind. || Gainbridge Fieldhouse || Marcus King Band
Oct. 10 || Grand Rapids, Mich. || Van Andel Arena || Marcus King Band
Oct. 11 || Cleveland, Ohio || Rocket Arena || Marcus King Band
Oct. 23 || Salt Lake City, Utah || Delta Center || Charles Wesley Godwin
Oct. 24 || Boise, Idaho || ExtraMile Arena || Charles Wesley Godwin
Oct. 25 || Spokane, Wash. || Spokane Arena || Charles Wesley Godwin
Nov. 6 || Vancouver, B.C. || Rogers Arena || Charles Wesley Godwin
Nov. 7 || Portland, Ore. || Moda Center || Charles Wesley Godwin
Nov. 8 || Seattle, Wash. || Climate Pledge Arena || Charles Wesley Godwin
Nov. 13 || Sacramento, Calif. || Golden 1 Center || Charles Wesley Godwin
Nov. 14 || Fresno, Calif. || SaveMart Center || Charles Wesley Godwin
Nov. 15 || Inglewood, Calif. || Intuit Dome || Charles Wesley GodwinThe post Throwback To Eric Church’s Sprawling, Nine-Minute Mashup Of “Springsteen” & “Born To Run” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.