By Adam Lucas

 

CHARLOTTE—You can see Eric Church at Red Rocks. You can see him at Royal Albert Hall. You can see him at Madison Square Garden or Nissan Stadium or at the Neon Steeple at Chief’s on Broadway.

 

All of those are elite places to see him and you’ll get an incredible performance with a great crowd. But at some point, you really have to see him at home.

                  

That’s what happened at a sold out Spectrum Center on Saturday night. With the arena just over an hour driving down Highway 321 to 85 from his hometown of Granite Falls, it was officially the 44^th stop on the Free the Machine tour. And it still had the qualities of any show on this tour—the first eight songs were the Evangeline vs. The Machine album in order, “Springsteen” made a surprise appearance in the middle of the set, and the most frequent show closer, “Through My Ray-Bans,” was in the anchor position. But you could have seen any of those components in Pittsburgh or Boise or Albany. 

 

Like any Church show, this one had some unexpected twists. That included a very rare performance of “The Snake,” as Church was joined by opener Ashley McBryde for the first live version of that song since 2019 (Church and McBryde also performed the song on the CMA Awards that year). True to form for both of them, it was an off-script selection that refused to take the easy path of a better-known hit. And if you actually listened to the song, there was very little doubt it very much belongs in 2026.

                  

So the night had musical value. But being back in Charlotte was also about a feeling. It was about Church’s parents being in the building along with numerous close friends and his sister and brother-in-law and his nephew, Tate. Walking the back halls of the Spectrum Center before the show, Tate mentioned to multiple people—including Chief himself—he was hoping to hear “The Outsiders.” 

                  

“OK, Tate,” Church said on stage. “Here we go.” 

                  

It’s a very specific kind of four-year-old who would pick “The Outsiders” as his favorite song—the kind, it seems, who has Church blood. It’s either in you or it isn’t—and for all of them, including the multiple family members who were on hand Saturday, it definitely is.

                  

It’s been almost exactly 19 years since Church played Coyote Joe’s in Charlotte on April 14, 2007.  Sometimes in those very early days family members might have made up not just part of the crowd, but the majority. There was a time he would have been thrilled to simply play this building. Now, two decades later, he owns part of the historic NBA team that plays here, the hottest team in pro basketball, the Charlotte Hornets. 

                  

That comes with certain privileges. The team went all out decorating the owner’s suite for Church’s family and guests, including a neon Chief’s on Broadway logo, snacks and drinks themed after his career, and an Evangeline-themed cake. 

                  

All of the pageantry was greatly appreciated. But even today, Church understands that one of the coolest parts of being involved with a pro basketball team is access to the facilities. That’s how he was able to host a crew vs. band basketball game on Saturday afternoon in the Hornets practice gym.

                  

You don’t do anything halfway if you’re on tour with Eric Church. Which is why the crew team showed up with custom Hornets jerseys and brand-new Jordans. Their player/coach was production manager Meesha Kosciolek.

                  

It was Meesha who was asked, “What’s this game being played to?”

                  

And then, reflecting on the varying level of basketball ability and overall health represented by the couple dozen players, he replied, “Death.”

                  

It was also Meesha who grabbed a courtside white board to draw up a play before the opening tip. When he was finished scribbling, the board was covered not with x’s and o’s, but with the words, “BAND SUCKS.”

                  

Although it included tough work on the glass from the Cheatham boys, showing the tenacity you’d expect from a couple of Wildcats, the crew team was carried by Boone and Hawk Church, Eric’s sons. But even the Church boys plus a brief cameo from Brandon Schneeberger weren’t enough to overcome the depth from the band squad, as Armand Hutton and Moiba Mustapha were joined by John Henry Trinko and Jimmy Fisco, with Evan Cobb eventually scoring the game-winner. 

                  

The game—which included a few floor burns—left a couple players hobbled on Saturday night. That prompted a chuckle from Church, who paused “Record Year” to point out a couple of game participants whose gaits were slightly compromised.

                  

Which is exactly the ribbing you’d expect someone to give their buddies when they’re on home turf. You tease, you laugh, but you brag a little, too.

                  

“The state of North Carolina has shaped everything I am in my life,” Church told the crowd. “It’s been the rock of everything I’ve done. To think about the little kid back in high school to where I am now, this state and this area and these people are part of all of it.”

                  

So there were numerous highlights as Church played well into Easter Sunday. But there was one song that had to be on the set list and that (sorry, Tate) perfectly summed up the evening.

                  

“I told my boys they will have never heard ‘Carolina’ like they will hear it tonight,” Church told the crowd. The chorus bounced off the far reaches of the arena, and seemingly every person in attendance was belting it. It’s a song to which almost anyone who grew up in this state has a deep connection. They know Elk River. They can see the cabin in the valley. And they feel exactly the same way that Eric Church does about the Tar Heel state.

                  

“Tonight,” he sang at the end of “Carolina,” changing it just a little to fit the moment, “I know I’m right at home.”