WATCH: Eric Church Takes Fans Behind the Scenes of Gather Again Tour

In just a few short days, reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Eric Church will launch his much-anticipated Gather Again…

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Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

September 15, 2021

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11:21 am

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Eric Church; Photo via YouTube

In just a few short days, reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Eric Church will launch his much-anticipated Gather Again Tour, with an all-new show in an all-new in-the-round stage.

Ahead of the September 17 launch, the North Carolina native is giving fans an inside look at the tour from his tour rehearsal space in Lititz, Pennsylvania. 

In a just-released video, Church reveals a first-look at the in-the-round-stage and shares insight into what fans can expect from the 56-date run. 

YouTube video

With not one, but three new records under his belt, following the release of Heart & Soul earlier this year, Church has plenty of new tracks to add in to his live show and he admits, it was a bit of a challenge. 

“The hardest thing I’ve done thus far in my career is this setlist,” Church shares. “It’s not a normal record; it’s three. So, you add 28 songs to what we already had going, which is a pretty stacked and packed setlist, and when you start to try to get rid of stuff and change it every night – which I’m committed to; we’re still going to play the different set, we’re going to give people different experiences – it has been maddening.

“It’s the most musical we’ve ever been,” he continues. “To see the way the new music happens in the show is something that I’m excited just to see and, also, we’re trying to reimagine songs that we’ve played 100 times, playing them different, and that’s just fun. It’s fun for us to do. There’s going to be a lot of songs that fans aren’t gonna recognize at first, that we’re gonna start singing and they’re going to go ‘oh yeah, that’s that song.’ So, I think it’s just fun after this many years to change it up and make it about music; make it musical. I’m just excited to see the reaction.”

Eric Church; Photo Courtesy CMA
Eric Church; Photo Courtesy CMA

With two weeks of rehearsals underway, Church is more than ready to get back out there. This tour brings new elements to the road, including his 2,400 square foot multi-level stage, 11 busses, 20 trucks, a 127,000-pound lighting rig and four 836 square foot video walls. 

“I’ve never played a stage like this in my career… I’ve never seen anybody play one like this,” notes Church of his first-ever in-the-round setup. “There’s really no front… It’s kind of like a cage match. I mean once we get out there the crowd is everywhere. They’re behind you, they’re on the sides, and I love that…. The reason it’s called The Gather Again Tour is we want people on top of us, and they will be.”

Eric Church; Photo Courtesy of CMA
Eric Church; Photo Courtesy of CMA

Church, who recently scored five nominations for the upcoming CMA Awards, will launch the Gather Again Tour this Friday, September 17, at Lexington, Ky.’s Rupp Arena. The tour will visit various cities around the U.S. and Canada with a finale show at New York City’s iconic Madison Square Garden on May 20, 2022. 

Tickets for all shows are on sale now

The Gather Again Tour
Sept. 17, 2021                   Rupp Arena                                            Lexington, Ky.
Sept. 18, 2021                   Nationwide Arena                                  Columbus, Ohio
Sept. 24, 2021                   Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse                Cleveland, Ohio
Sept. 25, 2021                   KeyBank Center                                    Buffalo, N.Y.
Oct. 1, 2021                      Alerus Center                                         Grand Forks, N.D.
Oct. 2, 2021                      Canada Life Centre                                Winnipeg, Manitoba
Oct. 8, 2021                      PPG Paints Arena                                  Pittsburgh, Pa.
Oct. 9, 2021                      Wells Fargo Center                                Philadelphia, Pa.
Oct. 15, 2021                    Ball Arena                                              Denver, Colo.
Oct. 22, 2021                    Scotiabank Saddledome                        Calgary, Alberta
Oct. 23, 2021                    SaskTel Centre                                      Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Oct. 29, 2021                    Rogers Arena                                         Vancouver, British Columbia
Oct. 30, 2021                    Climate Pledge Arena                            Seattle, Wash.
Nov. 12, 2021                   Thompson-Boling Arena                       Knoxville, Tenn.
Nov. 13, 2021                   Ford Center                                            Evansville, Ind.
Dec. 3, 2021                      SNHU Arena                                         Manchester, N.H.
Dec. 4, 2021                      UBS Arena                                            Belmont Park, N.Y.
Dec. 10, 2021                    The Anthem                                           Washington, D.C.
Dec. 11, 2021                    The Anthem                                           Washington, D.C.
Dec. 17, 2021                    Bon Secours Wellness Arena                Greenville, S.C.
Dec. 18, 2021                    Greensboro Coliseum                            Greensboro, N.C.
Jan. 7, 2022                       Pinnacle Bank Arena                             Lincoln, Neb.
Jan. 8, 2022                       Denny Sanford PREMIER Center         Sioux Falls, S.D.
Jan. 14, 2022                     Scotiabank Arena                                  Toronto, Ontario
Jan. 15, 2022                     Canadian Tire Centre                            Ottawa, Ontario
Jan. 21, 2022                     Van Andel Arena                                   Grand Rapids, Mich.
Jan. 22, 2022                     Little Caesars Arena                              Detroit, Mich.
Feb. 4, 2022                      KFC Yum! Center                                 Louisville, Ky.
Feb. 5, 2022                      Bankers Life Fieldhouse                        Indianapolis, Ind.
Feb. 11, 2022                    CHI Health Center Omaha                    Omaha, Neb.
Feb. 12, 2022                    Wells Fargo Arena                                 Des Moines, Iowa
Feb. 18, 2022                    T-Mobile Center                                    Kansas City, Mo.
Feb 19, 2022                     BOK Center                                           Tulsa, Okla.
Feb. 25, 2022                    Hampton Coliseum                                Hampton, Va.
Feb. 26, 2022                    Spectrum Center                                    Charlotte, N.C.
March 4, 2022                   Amway Center                                       Orlando, Fla.
March 5, 2022                   Amalie Arena                                        Tampa, Fla.
March 11, 2022                 United Center                                        Chicago, Ill.
March 12, 2022                 Enterprise Center                                   St. Louis, Mo.
March 18, 2022                 Resch Center                                          Green Bay, Wis.
March 19, 2022                 Resch Center                                          Green Bay, Wis.
March 25, 2022                 Legacy Arena at the BJCC                    Birmingham, Ala.
March 26, 2022                 Simmons Bank Arena                            Little Rock, Ark.
April 1, 2022                     Dickies Arena                                        Fort Worth, Texas
April 2, 2022                     AT&T Center                                        San Antonio, Texas
April 8, 2022                     Toyota Center                                        Houston, Texas
April 9, 2022                     Smoothie King Center                           New Orleans, La.
April 15, 2022                   Moda Center                                          Portland, Ore.
April 16, 2022                   Spokane Arena                                      Spokane, Wash.
April 29, 2022                   ExtraMile Arena                                    Boise, Idaho
April 30, 2022                   Vivint Arena                                          Salt Lake City, Utah
May 6, 2022                      Pechanga Arena                                     San Diego, Calif.
May 7, 2022                      STAPLES Center                                  Los Angeles, Calif.
May 11, 2022                    Golden 1 Center                                     Sacramento, Calif.
May 13, 2022                    T-Mobile Arena                                     Las Vegas, Nev.
May 14, 2022                    Gila River Arena                                   Glendale, Ariz.
May 20, 2022                    Madison Square Garden                        New York, N.Y.

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Lauren Jo Black

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.