By Adam Lucas

 

TORONTO—Eric Church has played Toronto often enough that he even understands the area’s mass transit details.

                  

With Union Station adjacent to Scotiabank Arena, train is a frequent method for fans to attend events at the venue. And Church helpfully made it very clear to them early in his show on Thursday night that they wouldn’t be leaving via that same method.

                  

“If you’re worried about those trains, there will be buses,” he told the crowd. “And we’re not going to make those trains.”

                  

Give him credit for being honest (and informed). Because of construction at area stations, train service stopped on Thursday night at 11 p.m. By that point, Church was still warming up. But he knew the city had arranged buses to get fans back to stations where train service was still running.

                  

Eric Church: Grammy nominated artist, Chief’s on Broadway proprietor…and  a municipal planner.

                  

He wanted to make sure the details were right for Toronto. “This is one of my favorite places in the world to play,” he said. 

                  

Perhaps because the people are so much fun. Fans on the top row of section 310 were singing and swaying to “Sinners Like Me” two decades after the song was released. Even in the Great White North, there was still a Talladega flag flying in the pit on Thursday night. They take it personally here.

                  

Sometimes, very—very—personally.

                  

“We were at meet and greet tonight, and a guy told me, ‘The first time my wife got pregnant was at your show,’” Church said. Understand that Church hears every possible story every night at meet and greet. Kids and grandmothers and fans with his name tattooed on their arm. All of these happens every single night.

                  

But someone whose wife got pregnant at the show?

                  

Church raised an eyebrow. “That piqued my attention,” he said.

                  

“He said, ‘It was when ‘Springsteen’ came on,’” Church relayed. “And I said, ‘What did you name him?’”

                  

There were so many options here. Eric would be an obvious pick. Maybe Bruce. Instead, the meet and greet fan hesitated just a little.

                  

“We named him Jim!” he said brightly.

                  

“Well,” Church said as he began Springsteen, “then this one is for Jim.” 

                  

Church has been here often enough that he is well versed in the city’s curfew rules, which are stringent. He knew when he took the stage he’d be paying a fine for going over the suggested end time of 11:00, which increased every 15 minutes. The more concerning factor was right there on the evening’s run sheet: “11:45, power cut.”

                  

Concerts most definitely need power. However, as longtime Church fans going back to the Rascal Flatts days know, time is a flexible concept. Which is how the clock read 11:35 and Church was still adding to the set list. He’d just performed “Round Here Buzz” with Joanna Cotten, a song that was not on the original plan for the evening. He looked a little sheepishly at Cotten after the song. “We’ve gotta hurry here,” he said.

                  

Which they absolutely did not do. They turned in a gorgeous version of “Like Jesus Does,” and then Church motioned for the other two dozen musicians to join him back on stage.

                  

“I’m only going to do one more song or they are going to kill me,” he said. Power cords were poised to be yanked. But Church still squeezed in the traditional tour closer, “Through My Ray-Bans,” with the band taking final bows at 11:47.

                  

On the way to his dressing room, Church paused to sign a young fan’s hat. Nicholas had driven over an hour with his family from Waterloo to attend his first concert. It had already been a positive experience—a friendly crew member had spotted him and handed him a set list. Now he had a signed hat to go with it.

                  

“Not all concerts are like this,” Nicholas was told.

                  

“No,” he said, “they definitely are not.”