Nothing like getting the opportunity to learn from one of the best.
Stephen Wilson Jr. was out on the road this past weekend with Eric Church on his Free the Machine Tour, after having also opened for the Chief during his three night run at Red Rocks last year.
It’s clear that the two are kindred spirits in their passion for songwriting and appreciation of music, and that shined through over the weekend when Church welcomed his opener back on stage for some incredible performances during their shows in Texas.
On Friday night at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Church and SWJ delivered a show-stopping cover of “Desperados Waiting for a Train,” the song written by Guy Clark and which later went on to become a hit for The Highwaymen.
They then followed it up with their tribute to Willie Nelson and Ray Charles with a powerful performance of “Seven Spanish Angels.”
I was at both shows in Texas this weekend, and I thought there was no way they would be able to top their Fort Worth performance. But on Saturday at the Moody Center in Austin, Church had some tricks up his sleeve and decided to end the show by once again welcoming SWJ to the stage.
This time, the two delivered a standout cover of Merle Haggard & Willie Nelson’s “Pancho and Lefty” before closing it out by reprising “Seven Spanish Angels.”
There’s no other way to describe it: It was magic.
It was clear watching the two together on stage just how much admiration they have for each other. While welcoming SWJ to the stage, Church had high praise for his opener:
“We’ve had the pleasure of having Stephen Wilson Jr. out with us. I’ve never had more fun just playing. We spent an hour today just in the dressing room talking about all kinds of things.”
And after the introduction, Stephen Wilson Jr. couldn’t hide his admiration for the country music legend:
“I love you Eric Church.”
During the performance, Church looked like a kid in a candy store as he couldn’t stop smiling. Standing in the crowd, it was fun to watch two of the best in the business having so much fun themselves on stage.
And now that his time on the tour is over, Stephen Wilson Jr. had some high praise for Church.
In an Instagram post, the “Son of Dad” singer called the experience “life changing” while also praising the first class organization that Church has built – from the band and all the folks on his crew to the fans in the stands:
“you couldn’t pressure-wash the smile off my face. watched a master and got to share a sacred stage w/ him. “pancho & lefty, desperados waiting for a train, seven spanish angels”
greatest songs ever written sang together in the arenas of sacred ground: Ft. Worth & Austin, TX – first class band, crew & fans. this is how it’s done. i have a lot to learn. thank you forever, Chief.”
There’s no doubt that an experience like that, touring with a legend like Church, in invaluable for an up-and-comer like Stephen Wilson Jr. Getting to see how other artists run their operations (and make no mistake, a tour of this size is a large operation that requires a massive amount of organization from the artist and tour manager on down), and getting to spend time with somebody who’s been on the road and in the music business as long as Church, will no doubt help SWJ in his own career.
And getting to learn from a legend like Eric Church, who’s not only one of the best artists in the business but has also surrounded himself with some of the best people in the business, is an opportunity that every artist dreams of.
I’m just thankful that I was there to witness the magic happen this weekend.