What’s he got up his sleeve this time?
Eric Church hit the road this past week to kick off the second leg of his Free the Machine tour with two nights at The Anthem in Washington D.C. And during both shows, he dropped a teaser for the crowd for something coming this week.
Of course Church is also gearing up for the release of Evangeline vs. the Machine Comes Alive in IMAX, a full-length concert film recorded during his shows at The Pinnacle in Nashville last May. The movie will be in select theaters on February 11 and 14, and he’s also releasing a live album of the show to go with it on February 13.
But it seems like Church has something else in the works too.
According to the recaps posted to his website, during the show at The Anthem last Thursday, Church teased something coming this week:
“On January 30, we’ve got a surprise coming. It’s the s–t.”
And the following night, he once again told the crowd about the as-of-yet-unannounced surprised:
“On January 30, something is going to happen and you’re going to f–king love it.”
So what’s it going to be?
Many fans online speculated that Church would be announcing a residency at the Las Vegas Sphere. Over the past year we’ve seen Kenny Chesney and Zac Brown Band both head to the Sphere for extended stays, and Church seems like one of the few artists who would be a fit for the high-tech venue.
Others speculated that Church would be announcing another run of shows at Red Rocks in Colorado. Last summer, Church performed three nights at Red Rocks, bringing a different show to the iconic venue each night. The shows quickly sold out, and Church mentioned multiple times that Red Rocks was his favorite venue in the world, so maybe he’s running it back again this summer?
Of course most fans are also hoping that it could be new music in the works. Church dropped his most recent album, Evangeline vs. the Machine, last May. The album was only 8 tracks, leaving fans wondering whether a “second half” would be coming in the future.
Given Church’s history though, it seems a little soon for a new album. There’s only been one time in his career that he’s released albums in consecutive years, and that was when he followed up his 2014 album The Outsiders with the surprise release of Mr. Misunderstood the following year. It’s usually at least two or three years between albums, and it took four years after he dropped his Heart & Soul triple album before we got the next project, Evangeline vs. the Machine.
So what else could it be? Honestly, with Church, it could be anything. He’s one of the most creative minds in music, always trying new things and thinking outside the box, and I’ve learned over the years that it’s hard to even try and guess what he’s got up his sleeve because I’m usually wrong.
Luckily we won’t have to wait too long to find out what it is. So if you’re an Eric Church fan, mark your calendars for this Friday, January 30. Because as Church said, we’re going to f–king love it.
