Eric Church - 7/22/06

This summer one of the radio stations here in town has been having live concerts in the Opry Plaza. I hadn’t gotten out to one before last night, but I have a feeling that I will make it to several more of them.

The e-mail I received must not have been clear because I thought the event was just a party before the Opry began with featured guest Eric Church. I figured that Eric would sing a few songs, and that would’ve been fine. I enjoyed his performance at the CMA Music Fest, so I was looking forward to seeing him again.

When I arrived at the Opry, there was a sign by the entrance to the Plaza that said Gail Davies would be appearing at 5:30 and 7:00 p.m., followed by Eric Church at 8:15.

Gail Davies, for those of you who do not know, is probably one of Nashville’s top female songwriters. Gail has been around for 30-plus years, and many of her hits are still as relevant today as they were when they were first written. Some songs by Gail you may easily recognize include “Grandma’s Song,” “Someone is Looking for Someone Like You,” “Bucket to the South” and “Safe in the Arms of Love.”

Gail sang many of her original hits along with some classic country standards, although she added her own personal flair. As with many of the songwriters in this town, I sit down to check them out and realize that I’ve always liked them. A couple of months ago I had a discussion with a gal I met, only to realize that she’d written three of my favorite songs.

Gail’s set was lively, and her voice is amazing. Her band was great, and they were all having a fantastic time. While we stumbled onto her performance, I can safely say that I will be seeing her again.

I didn’t know what to expect for Eric Church’s set when the radio personality who was introducing him said, “I like Eric Church; How ‘bout you? (referencing his current #1 hit)” and I was the only person who laughed. The poor girl looked confused as she said, “At least she got it.”

However, the crowd livened up, no doubt with help from the folks who were either leaving the Opry from the early show or stopping by on their way in for the late show.

Eric started with “Before She Does,” which is off his new CD (released last Tuesday), but I had never heard it before. I was immediately impressed with his band, who were all very talented and not bad to look at. Someone recently described Eric as what’s good about the modern country movement, and I’d have to agree. His music rocks, but it definitely belongs here in Nashville and on the Opry stage. It was fun being so close to the stage, because his band truly likes to encourage the crowd.

I needed no encouragement for the second song, which was my personal favorite “Two Pink Lines.” He also announced this will be the next single, so that made my day. I sang along. I was a little worried when I was the only one, but you don’t have to be a fan to take in a free concert, I guess.

He sang most of the songs off his new CD, with his own personal commentary on how the song ended up on the album. Of course, his current single “How ’Bout You” is a great song, but some other highlights from the CD for me included “Sinners Like Me,” “These Boots” and “What I Almost Was.”

Eric is a very talented artist. His voice is fantastic, with just the right amount of twang. He is an excellent guitar player, and he told us that he co-wrote every song on his new CD. That makes him a phenomenal songwriter too. I had been impressed with his too-short set at CMA Fest in June, and I was so excited that instead of the few songs that I’d expected from a “special appearance” by him, we got an all-out concert.

Eric and his band have been touring with Brad Paisley this summer. They’ve been spending a lot of time on a tour bus, but out of that came a very special treat at last night’s show. They did an all-acoustic, “back-of-the-bus” set of some country favorites. They just played whatever came to them, and I was amazed at how modest Eric was. He kept apologizing for ruining these songs, but the reality is that they did an excellent job. I got goosebumps during their cover of one of my favorite Skynyrd tunes, “The Ballad of Curtis Lowe.”

They didn’t sing a song I didn’t like. There wasn’t a minute that I looked at my watch. In fact, the one-hour set went way too fast for me, and I could’ve listened the rest of the night. And even though I’d seen it before, the very rock-and-roll, high-energy live version of “How ’Bout You” complete with a little of Ram Jam’s “Black Betty” in the middle.

The evening ended way too early, but we did have the opportunity to meet Eric and several of the band members. Perhaps it’s because they are still relatively new to “the big time,” but they are very gracious and appreciative of their fans. Eric was by far the most accommodating artist I have met in this town regarding autographs and photo ops. He had to be back over to the Opry for the second show, and he still made sure everyone who wanted one got an autograph and a photo.

I was a fan before (as evidenced by my solo-screaming during “Two Pink Lines”) but after seeing his entire live set, hearing the stuff from his new CD and meeting him and the band, I am now a die-hard Eric Church fan. My concert buddy commented that he should open for Kenny so we could see him more often, because we’d love to follow him around.

His next gig is with Rascal Flatts, so my best hope is to see him on his own sometime soon.