Eric Church Wraps Two Nights As Country Music Hall Of Fame’s Artist-In-Residence

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Eric Church performs as Artist-in-Residence at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Eric Church wrapped a two-night stand as the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s 2023 artist-in-residence Aug. 30.

Accompanied by his nine-piece band with a trio of backing vocalists, Church performed sold-out shows on Aug. 29 and 30 in the museum’s CMA Theater offering a chronological, retrospective journey through his life and career.

The shows featured many of Church’s biggest hits as well as unreleased new music in a setlist representing his career milestones and life events, from the earliest days of carving his own path and chart-topping success, to personal trials including his brother’s death and his own medical emergency in 2017. Song performances chronicling the two-decade journey were interspersed with video and audio commentary, including news headlines, album and concert reviews, personal voicemails and even Church’s own words.

Pictured (L-R): Brandon Schneeberger, Museum CEO Kyle Young, Vince Gill, Robert Oermann, Eric Church, VP of Museum Services Michael Gray, John Peets, Museum Board Chair Mary Ann McCready and Marshall Alexander. Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Journalist and country music historian Robert K. Oermann welcomed Church to the stage each night to complete a “full circle” moment, harkening back to 2006 when Oermann introduced Church at his debut album showcase at the museum. Church was also joined by a special guest for both performances, with Country Music Hall of Fame member and past museum artist-in-residence Vince Gill taking the stage to perform a stirring, solo rendition of his song “Go Rest High on that Mountain” in honor of Church’s late brother, Brandon.

The show will air in its entirety during a special on Church’s Outsiders Radio channel on the SXM App. The special, “Eric Church LIVE! From the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum,” will premiere on Monday, Sept. 4, at 8 p.m. ET. Replays will air Wednesday, Sept. 13, at 5 p.m. ET; Friday, Sept. 22, at 8 p.m. ET; and Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. ET.

The artist-in-residence shows were produced by Church’s longtime manager, John Peets, with proceeds benefiting the nonprofit museum’s educational mission.

Lorie Hollabaugh
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