Chief’s got something cooking up.
This afternoon, Eric Church blacked out his profile picture on all of his social media accounts. And he shared a cryptic video featuring radio static in between clips of Jelly Roll‘s “Son of a Sinner,” Ashley McBryde‘s “Bonfire at Tina’s,” a clip that sounds like it might be Cody Jinks’ “Must Be the Whiskey,” and his own hit “Springsteen.”
The video ended with the radio dial showing the date 1.11.2023.
So what’s Church got in store for us?
Many are speculating that it’s a tour announcement, and he’ll be bringing along Jelly Roll, Cody Jinks and Ashley McBryde.
Having three others out on tour with him would be a pretty big departure from Chief’s past few tours though, where he’s gone out solo and provided fans with a three-plus hour set.
Others are speculating that it’s an album announcement featuring collabs with the three featured artists, but if that were the case, using a song from his 2011 album to announce it would be an interesting choice. You never know from Chief though…
Some believe that it’s an announcement about the opening date for his new Nashville bar, Chief’s.
If that’s the case, maybe Jelly Roll, Cody Jinks and Ashley McBryde will be on hand to help him open up the new place?
That one seems a little far-fetched though. I was just down on Broadway yesterday, and it seems like there’s still quite a bit of work to be done on the building. I doubt Church would be teasing an opening this far in advance and making fans wait for months before the bar is ready to open.
There’s also a possibility that it’s something to do with his Outsiders Radio station on Sirius XM, though the station has already gone full-time starting last year so I’m not sure what else it could be with that.
It could also be his next stadium show announcement. Last year, after Eric’s Gather Again Tour wrapped up, he played two stadium shows, one each in Milwaukee and Minnesota, featuring artists like Morgan Wallen, Ernest, and Parker McCollum.
Jelly Roll, Cody and Ashley would both be natural fits for a stadium show with Eric, so if I had to guess, this would be what we’re going to get from Chief on Wednesday.
But I guess we have to wait until January 11 to find out.
If it’s a stadium show though, I just hope it’s here in Nashville.
Remember what happened the last time he played at Nissan Stadium?
Stay tuned. I guess we’ll know what he’s got planned on Wednesday.