Country singer Eric Church has reflected on some of the darkest times throughout his life, saying music is what ultimately saved him.
Mr. Church was faced with a near-death experience back in 2017, that catapulted him into a period of darkness. The musician had to undergo emergency surgery after a near-fatal blood clot in his chest.
Doctors made the discovery after Mr. Church visited the emergency room for “tingling in his hands and swelling in his left arm.”
Upon further monitoring and testing, it was found a birth defect caused his first rib to be too close to his collarbone. The pressure between the two bones resulted in certain blood vessels or nerves being compressed.
“It was the first time, I think, in my life I had maybe evaluated my own mortality, one, but then a lot of other people’s mortality, too,” he said.
A week later, he underwent surgery to remove his topmost rib and spent the months following in recovery.
One of his first performances back on tour was headlining the 3-day Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas in September of 2017.
Mr. Church took the stage on night one, and just two days later, the Country festival became the site of the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history after a gunman opened fire into the crowd, killing 60.
Despite not being physically present during the tragedy, the aftermath left Mr. Church shattered and filled with a sense of grief.
“I watched people that night hold up boots and sing at the top of their lungs…I had a lot of fans that had stayed over for the weekend to see all the shows that got killed,” he said. “Something about it just kind of broke me. I think it was the sense of what music has been for me along with them, the safe space part of it.”
Mr. Church was faced with a personal tragedy of his own less than a year later when losing his younger brother, Brandon, at the age of 36. He was the one who convinced the star to pursue music, with Mr. Church calling him his biggest supporter. His coping mechanism after losing his brother was comfort through music.
“I got through it like everything else I’ve got through in my life,” he said. “I turned to the one thing I know I can do. I wrote songs,” he said.
The establishment holds greater meaning for Mr. Church however, noting “Chiefs” provides a platform for him and many others. There, he could share music and perform personal songs that not only got him through dark times but act as a therapeutic outlet.
“What I’m trying to show with the residency here is it was really the songwriting and the songs that nobody’s heard that I’ve never put on a record, cause it was too personal, was too close. I’m gonna play those. I’m gonna say, this is what got me through.”
He added, the venue is another way to connect with fans and offer a sense of inclusivity in a place he once felt like an outsider himself.
“Broadway didn’t want me at all, I couldn’t get a gig on Broadway … I wanted a place that I could show up at, no cell phones, no recorders that I could be in a living room setting, and I could play songs that didn’t make albums,” said Mr. Church.
Recently, the singer performed at the Stagecoach Festival in California, including a gospel set featuring a 16-person choir. The performance received mixed reviews from fans, as some were expecting a livelier opening night set.
Mr. Church defended his decision, calling it the most “difficult set he ever attempted.” He added he has always been a risk taker with records or performances and wanted to take that chance.
“Sometimes it doesn’t work, but it’s OK if you’re living on that edge, because that edge, that cutting edge, is where all the new guys are going to gravitate to anyway.”
