Eric Church
Photo Credit: Ann-Marie Hensley
Brantley Gilbert
Photo Credit: Justin Nolan Key
COUNTRY MUSIC’S ‘CHIEF’ ANNOUNCES 2012 HEADLINING TOUR
ERIC CHURCH-THE BLOOD, SWEAT & BEERS TOUR w/ special guest Brantley Gilbert
*and The Cadillac Black, Blackberry Smoke, Sonia Leigh, Jon Pardi and Drake White
(*artists on various dates)
EMI Records Nashville Artist Will Perform Over 50 Dates Through May 2012 With Special Guest, Big Machine Label Group’s Brantley Gilbert
Nashville, Tenn. (Monday, November 21, 2011) – Don’t be surprised if “Parental Discretion Advised” appears on the ticket when Eric Church brings his newly announced The Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour to over 50 cities in 2012. The St. Petersburg Times recalls his last performance in their town noting Church “made the rowdiest yawp, and drew the most toked-up fans.” With word of mouth long fueling Church’s sweat-soaked, sold-out crowds, Church surprised Music Row naysayers earlier this year when his third release, CHIEF, topped the Billboard charts with over 145,000 albums sold in its first week—a true testament to the years of hard work by Church and his band on the road. CHIEF has since been certified Gold and produced the Top 15 “Homeboy” as well as current Top 15 and climbing single, “Drink In My Hand,” on which Church’s live show serves as the backdrop for the music video counterpart.
No other up-and-coming artist is quite as suitable for the raucous Church crowd as Big Machine Label Group’s Brantley Gilbert. Gilbert, who has experienced recent radio success with his current No. 1 hit, “Country Must Be Country Wide,” has been building his fan base on the outskirts of “polished” country for years in the southeast. Similar to Church, Gilbert brings grit and attitude to the stage – and he should fit in just fine with the theme of The Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour.
Church announced the tour earlier today on EricChurch.com to his Church Choir members exclusively, and beginning on January 19, 2012 in Fort Smith, AR, Church will kick off the 50+ dates nationwide with stops stretching from New York, NY to Minneapolis, MN, Chicago, IL and Nashville, TN.
“We have been building our entire career for this tour. It is truly the culmination of a lot of blood, sweat and beer that has brought us to this point in our career,” says Church. “I have always trusted our fans to deliver with their dedication and passion, they have always exceeded my expectations. I have never been more excited to begin a tour than this one. The band and I are committed to emptying the tank every night and delivering the best show we can.”
Eric Church-The Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour
January 19 Fort Smith, AR Fort Smith Convention Center
January 20 Cape Girardeau, MO Show Me Center
January 21 Southaven, MS Desoto Civic Center
January 26 Madison, WI The Alliant Energy Center
January 27 Saginaw, MI The Dow Event Center
January 28 Terre Haute, IN The ISU Hulman Center
February 2 Savannah, GA Savannah Civic Center
February 3 Knoxville, TN Thompson Boling Arena
February 4 Norfolk, VA Ted Constant Center
February 16 Greenville, SC Bi-Lo Center
February 17 Salisbury, MD Wicomico Civic Center
February 18 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum
February 23 Battle Creek, MI Kellogg Arena
February 24 Cleveland, OH Wolstein Center @ CSU
February 25 Ft. Wayne, IN Allen County War Memorial Col.
March 1 Portland, ME Cumberland County Civic Center
March 2 Lowell, MA Tsongas Center at UMASS Lowell
March 3 Indiana, PA Kovalchick Center
March 8 Oklahoma City, OK Chesapeake Energy Center
March 10 Orange Beach, AL Amphitheater at The Wharf
Ticket prices range from $34.75 for reserved seats to $199 for the aptly titled, “Put a Drink in YOUR Hand” VIP Package. The package will be limited to no more than 200 fans per show and will include premiere seating, a pre-show party with food and drinks, a two-song acoustic performance by Church, as well as autographed memorabilia including a limited edition signed show poster, Eric Church – The Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour t-shirt, and an exclusive tour laminate. The VIP experience will be made available through all ticketing outlets.
Forthcoming dates to be announced in the following markets: Portland, ME; Lowell, MA; Indiana, PA; Oklahoma City, OK; Jonesboro, AR; Orange Beach, AL; New York, NY; Binghamton, NY; Reading, PA; Atlantic City, NJ; Estero, FL; Orlando, FL; Tallahassee, FL; Las Vegas, NV; Tupelo, MS; Bossier City, LA; Auburn, AL; Evansville, IN; St. Louis, MO; Pikeville, KY; Columbus, OH; Lexington, KY; Bloomington, IL; Springfield, MO; Birmingham, AL; Nashville, TN; Toledo, OH; Chicago, IL; Youngstown, OH; Minneapolis, MN; Topeka, KS; Morrison, CO.
About Eric Church
EMI Records Nashville’s Eric Church catapulted into national success with the release of his debut country album, Sinners Like Me, which produced radio hits “How ‘Bout You,” “Two Pink Lines,” and “Guys Like Me.” His follow-up, Carolina, went on to sell over 500,000 copies (certified Gold) and spawned top hits “Love Your Love The Most,” “Hell On The Heart,” and “Smoke A Little Smoke.” Recently awarded the ACM New Solo Vocalist of the Year Award, Church celebrated the chart-topping release of his third studio album, CHIEF, in July of this year with sales exceeding 145,000 in the first week largely due to Top 15 radio hit, “Homeboy.” The album received Gold certification merely 10 weeks after its release and received a spike of over 60% in sales following his performance of current Top 15 single, “Drink In My Hand,” on the CMA Awards. PEOPLE Magazine gave Church’s release four-out-of-four stars stating, “If any country album should command your attention right now, it’s CHIEF…. Church is something to praise,” and American Songwriter notes, “Eric Church seems perched at the precipice of superstardom.” For more information, please visit www.ericchurch.com.
About Brantley Gilbert
At the young age of 26, Brantley Gilbert already has a list of impressive industry accolades. The rising star made his debut at No. 2 on the Billboard Country Albums chart upon releasing HALFWAY TO HEAVEN DELUXE in September and along with the original has already sold over 300,000 albums to date. His first single on The Valory Music Co., “Country Must Be Country Wide,” recently scored the No. 1 spot at Country radio. As a celebrated songwriter, Gilbert’s has penned three No. 1 hits – “My Kinda Party,” “Dirt Road Anthem,” and most recently, “Country Must Be Country Wide.” Just last month, he received his first nomination at the CMA Awards for Song of the Year. In addition to joining Church on The Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour beginning in January 2012, Gilbert will also be playing his own headlining dates. Please visit www.brantleygilbert.com for more information.