43
Being an outsider suits Eric Church just fine
By John Benson
Eric Church is not supposed to be a multiplatinum artist.
Yet that’s exactly what this country-superstar-in-the-making has become, eschewing the Music City machine that over the past couple of years has spit out one bro-country singer after another.
No, Church is a self-made man that sings not about beaches and beers but real-life issues — teen pregnancy (“Two Pink Lines”) and drugs (“Smoke a Little Smoke”) — without neat and tidy happily-ever-after endings. In fact, he famously got booted off Rascal Flatts’ 2006 tour only to become a Music City industry pariah.
Church, who recently appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, is now touring his latest album, “The Outsiders,” which is currently the No. 3 best-selling album of 2014. The album also finds Church nominated for four CMA Awards — Male Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year, as well as both Single and Song of the Year for “Give Me Back My Hometown.”
The outlaw artist brings his “Outsiders World Tour” to our area for shows Friday at Quicken Loans Arena and Saturday at Consol Energy Center.
The Vindicator talked to Church about his unique in-the-round stage and set, as well as what the future may or may not hold.
Q. Let’s start with the new tour. How does it differ from your previously successful outing “Blood, Sweat, and Beers Tour?”
A. I think with the last tour, the big thing was we literally went from bars and clubs to theater and then arenas. There was a little bit of that adjustment period. I don’t think it really captured what I wanted. I was looking for that bar and club experience where people can yell out a song, and that’s now how you do it. I feel with that tour, our hits were still elevated from the rest of our catalog.
Q. So how are you countering that on the “Outsiders World Tour?”
A. We wanted to make sure we did the best to create that environment this time. So the first thing we did was go 360 and surround ourselves. Our stage has pits with people. So a lot of it was to go back to the environment that we started, just the stage design and setup. And for the set list, I said we won’t play the same set for this entire tour. There’s even one part of this show where I go to a fan, and they get to pick any song not on the set list. Whatever it is, we’ll play it as long as it’s in our catalog. We’ve done it five times so far, and we fell on our face four of the times, but it provides that fun moment for fans. It’s stuff like that. There’s one time late in the set where I have no plans, and you’ll see us looking around going, “What’s next?” That’s hard with a big show and always a challenge, but we’re trying as much as we can to keep it exciting and keep the crowd happy.
Q. Your love of Bruce Springsteen is well noted, obviously with the song “Springsteen,” but the set list and fan interaction sounds very much like how the Boss — and even Pearl Jam — approaches the concert experience.
A. Yeah, I’m stealing from both, but that’s where we came from.
Q. Compared to other country artists, what you’re doing is a complete shift in mindset. Normally, arena artists dumb down their set to kowtow to the mainstream, but it doesn’t sound like you’re doing that.
A. I think, honestly, people will be surprised. We only have three hits. And when you come to the show, you’ll see we often get the bigger response from the more obscure song. Some audience members are probably going, “This is great, but I’m not sure what this is.” That’s what’s cool about it. People who have been there, they know how long it’s been and, hopefully, that energy spreads to people who realize they’re seeing something unique.
Q. Do you feel your success is in reaction to the bro-country movement dominating country radio these days?
A. I don’t know, I really don’t. We’ve always kind of done our own deal. I never paid much attention to what the hell everybody else is doing. I’ve just never really cared. It’s just something I really wanted to focus on. In doing that, you get a lot of freedom of not having to worry. That other stuff, it comes and goes. It always does. So it’s a matter of, for me, I don’t care if one album sells more than the other. It’s not something I care about. I just want to know there’s a progression of where we’re trying to go. The albums, they’re not based on this song or that song. It’s the entire package.
Q. Finally, what’s the next mountain Eric Church plans on climbing?
A. It’s whatever that thing is that makes me feel alive. That’s not lip service. I’m just not the guy who has to play arenas. I’m all about the creativity, and if I continue to find those things, then I’m doing alright.