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If anyone was to guess what Eric Church was planning to bring to the Stagecoach spotlight Friday night (April 26) it likely wouldn't have involved a full gospel choir and covers of hip-hop classics. However, that's exactly what the star brought to the stage.
As the festival's day one headliner, Church had a lot in store for his fans during his hour and a half-long performance, but in the end, not all of them were moved by the gospel-flecked acoustic set.
Seated on a stool and flanked by more than a dozen choir members, he kicked off the performance with a cover of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah,' immediately showing off a different side of the Chief. He peppered in some of his hits, like 'Mistress Named Music,' 'Sinners Like Me,' and 'Like Jesus Does', but mostly rattled off covers, including Ben E. King's 'Stand by Me' and unlikely renditions of Snoop Dog's 'Gin and Juice' and 2Pac's 'California Love.'
He brought in his band at the very end of the unusual display, capping it all off with his 2011 opus 'Springsteen.' Still, it was not the performance Church's devotees were expecting, many of them split between the left-turn set.
"Respectfully…. that was the most disappointing musical performance I’ve experienced in my life," one fan took to the festival's Instagram page to comment on the show. "Will be asking for a partial refund after tonight," another wrote, with many others saying his performance paled in comparison to Jelly Roll, whose appearance preceded Church's during the night.
However, other fans praised the showcase, many comments echoing things like, "Absolutely loved this performance," and "I absolutely love that he took the opportunity to praise God! This world needs more Jesus."
Perhaps the next nights' headliners – Saturday will host Miranda Lambert and Sunday will see Morgan Wallen topping the bill – will leave Stagecoach attendees less conflicted.
For more on Eric Church, see below:
