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Eric Church headlined CMA Fest, but many fans left disappointed in his performance. Church only played seven songs and didn’t play his biggest hits. However, in a recent interview, Church said he was surprised fans were mad and explained why he didn’t play his greatest hits and why fans shouldn’t expect it.
Here is what Church said about his CMA Fest performance and his thoughts on performing greatest-hits concerts.
Eric Church fans complain about CMA Fest performance
Eric Church served as the headliner for CMA Fest, and when he finished his set, fans booed at the event. Others went online to complain about the songs he sang. Many fans expected Church would perform his greatest hits at CMA Fest, and he didn’t do that. However, any fans who have seen Church concerts in the past shouldn’t have been surprised. He has never been a greatest-hits concert performer.
At the concert, Church didn’t sing his hit “Springsteen,” instead mixing up his set with other songs. He performed “Drink in My Hand” and “Bad Mother Trucker” with new arrangements. Church also sang the deep cut track, “Sailin’ Shoes,” his cover of Big Feat’s song. He also ended the night without an encore, which caused some fans to start booing.
Ending early was not his choice. The songs he sang were 100% his choice, and he explained why he didn’t sing his hits. He also explained he doesn’t sing just his hit songs at his concerts. For the lack of an encore, the lights came up at the end, and Church had nothing to do with that. Church said he planned to play longer, but he ended up getting shut down at the end.
Fans complained, with one tweeting that Church “performed for himself tonight and not the fans.” However, the singer was happy with what he did. “For what I went to do, it was fast and hard,” Church explained. “And the shows are that way” (via Rolling Stone).
Eric Church never planned to play his hits at CMA Fest
Eric Church explained why he didn’t play his hits at CMA Fest. He also explained that fans who attend his concerts shouldn’t expect a set full of only the hits either. “I was shocked because I played the show that I went out there to play,” Church said about the complaints about his set.
Church said he had a time slot and a specific amount of time to perform. Most headliners have time for about seven songs at events like CMA Fest. Church said he wanted to “try to show a little bit, a peek, as to what I was working on for this tour… All the songs are different. All the songs were changed. It was punchy.”
As for fans complaining about not hearing “Springsteen,” Church said he has a new version of the song that he plans to debut on his own concert tour. If fans want to hear it, they need to attend one of his shows. However, he also said he won’t just play his hits at those concerts, either.
“If you’re coming to hear ‘Talladega’ and ‘Record Year,’ you ain’t gonna hear them,” Church said. Instead, he is going to lean into the albums Desperate Man album and Heart & Soul, and there are a ton of old hits he won’t play at all.
What are your thoughts about the Eric Church CMA Fest performance? Would you rather see performers sing the same greatest hits at every concert, or do you like them to switch things up? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.