Eric Church, Georgia Theatre, 2/28

Eric Church, Georgia Theatre

Photo Credit: Kelli Hilderbrand

by Kelli Hilderbrand
03/02/2008

Country star Eric Church rocked out the Georgia Theatre last Thursday night. A rowdy, near sell-out crowd was packed in to hear him and his opening act, Rhett Akins.

A native of North Carolina, Church's love of music began at age four. Church entered into the country music scene two years ago with the release of his first album, Sinners Like Me. His first three singles, "How 'Bout You," "Two Pink Lines," and "Guys Like Me," helped him land tours with rock and roll legend, Bob Seger and country-star Dierks Bentley.

As the restless crowd chanted his name and the incense circulated around the stage, Church and his band hit the stage on what would be a night to remember. When the spotlight hit Church in the middle of the stage, the crowd erupted as the band started playing, "Before She Does," the opening track off his album.

Decked out in a red and black shirt, blue jeans and cowboy boots, Church danced and jumped around on the stage to excite the crowd. He didn't have to do much but simply put the words "Bulldog" or "Athens" in his songs and the crowd went crazy. Church encouraged his fans to sing along to his hits, "Guys Like Me" and "Livin' Part of Life," while he pointed the microphone to the crowd.

Church also used Thursday night as a platform to debut tracks off his new album, which is set to come out later this year. He played his newest, as-of-yet unreleased single, "Carolina," which generated a great response from the crowd.

Throughout the show, Church and his band unexpectedly covered songs by Waylon Jennings and Bob Seger. Church wrapped up his performance with his emotionally uplifting song, "Lightning." It was the perfect ending to an exciting and energetic show.

Eric Church has a way of using honesty in his lyrics to connect with his audience. Some say his choice of lyrics are bold, but his songs are definitely moving. In many of his songs, he tells stories about characters who most fans can relate to. The stories behind the songs "Lightning" and "Two Pink Lines" are unique; rare is a country singer brave enough to record such songs that would cause controversy.

The Georgia Theatre has a lot of other great country artists scheduled for the rest of the spring semester. Fans must be at least 18 years old and wear comfortable shoes: it's standing room only, and dancing is practically mandatory.