Eric Church and Joanna Cotten on night one of Free The Machine Tour in Pittsburgh, Penn. | Photo Credit: Anthony D’Angio
PITTSBURGH, Penn. – Eric Church kicked off his 2025 Free The Machine Tour with stops in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Friday (Sept. 12) and Columbus, Ohio on Saturday (Sept. 13), bringing critically acclaimed eight-song Evangeline vs. The Machine, rounded out with performances of his biggest hits, to the northeast in his first of 22 arena shows this year.
With a chorus of backup singers in tow, Church belted out his 27-song setlist on opening night to an enthusiastic crowd, noting, “You don’t just pick any city to start your tour… We’ve done some damage together over the years.”
After rolling through all eight songs of Evangeline vs. The Machine consecutively, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette remarked, “Tom Waits would have been stunned watching it climax with an arena country crowd clapping to his ‘Clap Hands’ while the band made a stomping clatter.”
Church then delved deeper into his catalog, singing Platinum and multi-Platinum-certified hits including “Desperate Man,” “Smoke A Little Smoke,” “Drink in My Hand” and more, while also hitting deep cuts and Church Choir favorites, “Knives of New Orleans” and “Through My Ray-Bans.”
Prior to playing his 8x-Platinum No. 1 hit “Springsteen” midway through his set – instead of saving it for the end of show like usual – Church jokingly recalled his early touring days, when he was opening for Kenny Chesney following the release of his 2011 album Chief. “I walk out there, and I’m full of myself… we just had this big Chief album, and I said, ‘You know what I’m going to start with? I’m going to start with ‘Springsteen,’’ he shared. “It was the biggest hit we had, and I remember, I was talking to Chesney pre-show, and he goes, ‘What are you opening with tonight?’ And I said, ‘Springsteen.’ And he goes, ‘Hahaha, seriously? Are you nuts?’ Yes. Certifiable.”
Free The Machine Tour continues this week with stops in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Boston, Massachusetts and Brooklyn, New York with Elle King. Tickets to remaining shows are available at EricChurch.com.
About Eric Church A seven-time ACM Award winner, four-time CMA Award winner (including 2020’s Entertainer of the Year) and 10-time GRAMMY nominee – including three nods for Best Country Album, Eric Church has built a passionate fan base through his critically acclaimed catalog of music. Church’s October 2024 release, “Darkest Hour,” saw the superstar signing over all of his publishing royalties to the people of North Carolina to provide immediate relief following the devastation of Hurricane Helene while also providing ongoing funds to support a more resilient future for his home state. The song is featured alongside current single “Hands Of Time” on his recently released album, Evangeline vs. The Machine, marking his first new music since 2021’s Heart & Soul triple album (“Stick That In Your Country Song,” “Hell Of A View”). That project followed prior releases including RIAA Gold-certified Desperate Man (“Some Of It,” “Desperate Man”), Platinum-certified Sinners Like Me (“How ’Bout You,” “Guys Like Me”), Carolina (“Smoke a Little Smoke,” “Love Your Love the Most”) and Mr. Misunderstood (“Record Year,” “Round Here Buzz”), Double-Platinum certified The Outsiders (“Like a Wrecking Ball,” “Talladega”) and 4x Platinum-certified Chief (“Springsteen,” “Drink In My Hand”), as well as 32 Gold, Platinum and multi-Platinum certified songs. Church is also a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets, a co-owner of the iconic Field & Stream brand, has his own SiriusXM music channel, “Eric Church Outsiders Radio,” his own liquor offering, Whiskey JYPSI, and recently celebrated the first anniversary Chief’s, his six-story venue on Nashville’s famed lower Broadway.
