Praised by the Los Angeles Times as a “forthright truth-teller” in Country music, Eric Church shared earlier this year that new music was coming. Writing and recording in a rural cabin in North Carolina, the current ACM Entertainer of the Year nominee has had his eagerly-anticipated new single hinted and speculated at throughout recent performances on ACM Presents: Our Country (“Never Break Heart”), Stagecouch (“Jenny”) and in a defiant spoken-word recording, “Through My Ray Bans.” Set for a world premiere with iHeart, Cox and Country radio nationwide, the new single is “Stick That In Your Country Song.”
In keeping with his trademark desire to put fans first, Church initially teased the release in a video sent directly to Church Choir members. “I wanted you guys to hear from me first that a new single is about to hit the world,” he shared. “It’s gonna be the tip of the spear for what’s coming after, and it’s a big spear. I believe it’s the best we’ve ever been in our career.”
“I try to put myself in the most uncomfortable situations,” Church explained at the CRS “Chasing Creativity” keynote event earlier this year. “Making it hard, and making sure no one is mailing it in. That’s always something we have to push ourselves to chase. For me, it’s very elusive. With creativity, the harder you try and stress, the more it doesn’t happen.”
Never afraid to speak his truth, Church is celebrated by Esquire as “one of the most singular working artists in any genre.” With this new single, he offers a social commentary on the state of the world and provides a rallying cry for cities from Detroit to Baltimore and people from young military veterans to school teachers, culminating in an emphatic “Stick That In Your Country Song” as each chorus hits. With a lyric video highlighting this poignant message, Church again puts the focus on fans first by offering his Church Choir an exclusive sneak peek at the video this Thursday, June 25 ahead of its wide release on Friday, June 26.
The new music follows Church’s most recent critically acclaimed project, 2018’s Desperate Man, his sixth studio album which was named one of the year’s best by American Songwriter, Billboard, Entertainment Weekly, Esquire, Los Angeles Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, Variety and Vulture, among others, also earning a GRAMMY nod for Best Country Album (his third nomination in the category).
For more information, visit www.ericchurch.com, and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Cole Swindell Releases “Single Saturday Night” Music Video
Grammy-nominated multi-Platinum superstar Cole Swindell partnered with YouTube and CMT for the video premiere of his fan-propelled smash hit “Single Saturday Night.” YouTube hosted the online premiere HERE and included a special livestream with Swindell prior to the premiere.
The video for “Single Saturday Night” was directed by Michael Monaco and Eder Acevedo.
“I have loved this song since the first listen and wanted to create a video that was just as special!” said Swindell. “We had to get really creative shooting because we were still in quarantine, and it ended being one of the most fun videos I’ve ever done. Because of having that extra time I was able to be really involved in the creative and editing process and this video is a snapshot of my quarantine of trying to tune out all of the bad news and dreaming of being back out on the road at live shows with my band and fans.”
The Georgia native released “Single Saturday Night” for his fans last month to give them new music after he had to pause his headlining Down To Earth Tour and come off the road amidst the current COVID19 crisis. The fans, led by his core Down Home Crew, single-handedly propelled “Single Saturday Night” to No. 7 on the all-genre iTunes chart during its week of release, even without country radio airplay. The groundswell of support to the song was so overwhelming, enormous and positive, the song will officially go for adds at country radio on Monday, June 29.
“Single Saturday Night” debuted on the Spotify US Viral 50 chart this week and as the only country song on the list. Pandora reports that “Single Saturday Night” has been the No. 1 Top Thumbed Song on its New Country Station for four consecutive weeks.
“Single Saturday Night” reached a consumption of over 11K THIS WEEK alone with over 1.3 million on-demand streams and over 43K overall track equivalents. “Single Saturday Night,” which ABC News calls “uptempo and summer-ready,” is currently available across all digital platforms and streaming services and has been applauded by not only fans but media as well.
Swindell will be part of the upcoming “CMA Summer Stay-Cay presented by Budweiser Nitro Gold,” a brand new, multi-hour live stream variety event of more than 50 Country artists coming together (while safely apart) for a CMA Fest-inspired fun and collaborative summertime celebration on Wednesday, July 1 starting at 5:00 PM/CT on CMA’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.
“Single Saturday Night,” written by Ashley Gorley, Michael Hardy and Mark Holman, is the follow-up to his No. 1 single “Love You Too Late” and is the hitmaker’s 11th career single.
Click HERE for “Single Saturday Night.”
Swindell has rescheduled the remaining dates of his headlining Down To Earth Tour. The tour is scheduled to kick back off October 1 in his home state for a show in Macon, Georgia at the Macon Centreplex Auditorium. Joining Swindell on his Down To Earth Tour are special guests HARDY and Trea Landon, and Jon Langston now joins for the final three shows.
His tour dates with Thomas Rhett’s Center Point Road Tour are rescheduled for summer 2021.
Live Nation Announces Drive-In Concert Series Featuring Brad Paisley Headlining Each City
Live Nation announced their first ever U.S. drive-in concert series — LIVE FROM THE DRIVE-IN — will bring fans a live music tailgating experience unlike any other, kicking off July 10-12 in Indianapolis, IN, Nashville, TN, and St. Louis, MO. Brad Paisley will headline performances in all three cities, marking the start of a much anticipated return to in person live events.
Darius Rucker and Jon Pardi will also headline the series in Nashville and Nelly along with hometown legends El Monstero will headline in St. Louis, while Jon Pardi and local favorites Yacht Rock Revue will headline in Indianapolis.
Live Nation is re-imagining the live music experience during a time of social distancing by allowing fans to enjoy concerts in a one-of-a-kind drive-in setting from their own private tailgating zones next to their cars. Guests are allowed to bring chairs, food and drinks to party in their zone to personalize their experience. More details including event guidelines can be found at LiveNation.com/DriveIn.
Live From The Drive-In will start off with events at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, TN and at Live Nation venues Ruoff Music Center in Indianapolis, IN and The Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in St. Louis, MO. Fans can expect contactless ticket scanning through their window when they pull into the venue and then will be shown to their designated tailgate area where they can park and enjoy the show from their own marked-off space. There will be dedicated buffer space around each vehicle to ensure social distancing measures. All artists will be performing full live sets on stages set up in the parking lots of each of the venues. The events will also feature full LED screens and speakers throughout so fans can enjoy a truly live concert experience.
“Around the world, we’re seeing a real eagerness from our fans and artists to safely get back to the concert experience,” said Tom See, President Live Nation Venues – US Concerts. “We are excited to unveil Live From The Drive-In – a completely unique outdoor concert series that will allow fans to enjoy live shows again, while socially distanced. We have an incredible line-up of artists like Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Nelly, Jon Pardi and more, who all share our vision to continue to create once-in-a-lifetime moments for fans and are excited to get back to live music through this reimagined experience.”
Tickets will be available to purchase per car, with a maximum of four (4) people permitted per car. Please note in order to maintain social distancing, events will be limited capacity. Citi is the official presale credit card of Live From The Drive-In. As such, Citi cardmembers will have access to purchase presale tickets beginning Tuesday, June 23rd at 12pm local time until Thursday, June 25th at 10pm local time through Citi Entertainment®. For complete presale details visit www.citientertainment.com. Tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning this Friday, June 26th at 10am local time at LiveNation.com/DriveIn.
Exclusive Live From The Drive-In merch is available for purchase in advance online HERE to commemorate Live Nation’s first ever U.S. drive-in concert series. 100% of net proceeds will be donated to Crew Nation – a global relief fund for live music crews.
Budweiser Zero is an official sponsor of the Nashville and St. Louis Live From The Drive-In concerts. 21+ fans in attendance will have the opportunity to sample the new zero alcohol (0.0% ABV) brew while watching their favorite artist.
Each event will comply with all health and safety standards per local jurisdictions and state regulations in order to protect fans, artists, crews and staff. This includes thorough sanitation throughout the event and hand-sanitizing stations will be available, along with a number of other preventive measures. For more information on the health and safety precautions we are taking, event guidelines and FAQs, please visit LiveNation.com/DriveIn.
LIVE FROM THE DRIVE-IN UPCOMING DATES:
St. Louis, MO @ The Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Friday, July 10 – Brad Paisley
Saturday, July 11 – El Monstero
Sunday, July 12 – Nelly: 20th Anniversary Celebration of Country Grammar
Nashville, TN @ Nissan Stadium
Friday, July 10 – Jon Pardi
Saturday, July 11 – Brad Paisley
Sunday, July 12 – Darius Rucker
Indianapolis, IN @ Ruoff Music Center
Friday, July 10 – Yacht Rock Revue
Saturday, July 11 – Jon Pardi
Sunday, July 12 – Brad Paisley
Carly Pearce and Michael Ray Announce Divorce
One of country’s “it” couples has called it quits after less than a year of marriage. PEOPLE reports that Carly Pearce has filed for divorce from Michael Ray after 8 months of marriage. The couple’s reps have confirmed the unfortunate news with PEOPLE exclusively.
“This was a hard decision. It wasn’t something she wanted to have to do,” a source close to Pearce tells PEOPLE. “This hasn’t been a quarantine realization — it was a last resort.”
For more information, please visit PEOPLE here.
Kenny Chesney Reveals 2021 “Chillaxification Tour” Stadium Dates
In an unprecedented time, the unthinkable has redefined every aspect of how people live and look at the world around them. For Kenny Chesney, who spent last year playing to the always passionate members of No Shoes Nation in areas not visited by his massive stadium runs, the idea of not returning to the stadiums on his 2020 schedule was inconceivable. And then COVID-19 created a reality where the number of unknowns saw the songwriter/superstar first postpone the opening leg, then ultimately push the Blue Chair Bay Rum Presents Kenny Chesney’s Chillaxification Tour Fueled by Marathon into 2021.
“I kept talking to experts, city officials, team owners, medical people, looking to understand how we were coming along with resolving the health issues,” Chesney explains. “I had kept hoping that as time passed, information would not only increase, but there would be some sort of solution so people could come back together. But things weren’t getting any clearer, so I did the hardest thing for me, but obviously best option for the safety of No Shoes Nation, my road family and everyone at the buildings involved.”
Now, Messina Touring Group announces the rescheduled stadium dates for Chesney’s Chillaxification Tour (below), which will visit 18 venues with the same lineup of special guests: Florida Georgia Line, Old Dominion and Michael Franti & Spearhead.
“So much goes into the stadium shows, people have no idea,” Chesney says. “Take all of that, then factor in all the other issues that come with rescheduling, making sure there aren’t conflicts with baseball or other events nearby – and maintain the kind of quality we want to bring. There were so many questions, so many unknowns, but I believe music makes a difference in people’s lives, so everyone on my team, the promoter’s team and all of the people we deal with have worked overtime trying to get this sorted out.
“With Here And Now, we have so much great music! The response to the ‘We Do’ video tells me everybody is ready to get back out there to do what we all do best: rock hard, sing loud, enjoy the moment, love our friends and create memories that will last a lifetime.”
Original tickets are automatically valid for the rescheduled show dates. Patrons unable to attend the rescheduled shows have thirty (30) days from today’s date to request a refund at the point of purchase.
As the 2020 shows set for Houston and San Antonio are unable to be rescheduled for 2021, guests in those markets will also receive a refund.
Rescheduled amphitheater show dates will be announced shortly.
Kenny Chesney 2021 Chillaxification Tour Stadium Dates
May 1 Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Fla.
May 8 Miller Park Milwaukee, Wis.
May 15 Nissan Stadium Nashville, Tenn.
May 22 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Ga.
May 29 Arrowhead Stadium Kansas City, Mo.
June 5 U.S. Bank Stadium Minneapolis, Minn.
June 12 Heinz Field Pittsburgh, Pa.
June 19 Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, Pa.
June 26 Soldier Field Chicago, Ill.
July 3 Bobcat Stadium Bozeman, Mont.
July 10 Busch Stadium St. Louis, Mo.
July 17 CenturyLink Field Seattle, Wash.
July 24 SoFi Stadium Inglewood, Calif.
July 31 Empower Field at Mile High Denver, Colo.
August 7 AT&T Stadium Arlington, Texas
August 14 Ford Field Detroit, Mich.
August 21 MetLife Stadium East Rutherford, N.J.
Aug 27 & 28 Gillette Stadium Foxborough, Mass.