Country music star breaks silence after fans walk out of his show

IEric Church performed as the Friday headliner at the 2024 Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio, California. His acoustic set, which included covers of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and “This Little Light of Mine,” made some fans angry and had others scratching their heads.(Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Stagecoach)

Country music star Eric Church has broken his silence following his polarizing Stagecoach performance which prompted some fans to walk out and ask for refunds.

“This was the most difficult set I have ever attempted,” the 46-year-old said in a statement according to PEOPLE. “I’ve always found that taking it back to where it started, back to chasing who Bob Seger loves, who Springsteen loves, who Willie Nelson loves, you chase it back to the origin. The origin of all that is still the purest form of it. And we don’t do that as much anymore. It felt good this moment to go back, take a choir and do that.

“For me, it’s always been something with records, with performances, I’ve always been the one that’s like, ‘Let’s do something really, really strange and weird and take a chance,’” he added. “Sometimes it doesn’t work out, 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. So if you can always challenge yourself that way, it always cuts sharper than any other edge.”

That’s cool and all unless you paid to see a typical Church show and got the seated, gospel acoustic set in front of red-stained glass that he delivered at Stagecoach. Church covered everything from Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” to Snoop Dogg’s “Gin and Juice.”

It should be noted that there were Church fans who apparently loved the switch up, but there were others who were not pleased and they showed it by walking out.

According to multiple reports as well as accounts on social media from people who were there, folks started heading for the exits about 15 minutes into it all.

“@Stagecoach we paid $600 to see a headline where people are mass leaving,” one person wrote on X, formerly Twitter, along with video of people appearing to walk out. “(Eric Church) is a legend, but he hasn’t gotten off the stool and most songs are covers with the choir. This isn’t what we came for.”

“Not surprising,” someone responded. “He did this to fans years ago at CMA Fest when he literally sent his band home and played the most boring acoustic set ever. I’ve seen him countless times and never will again since I don’t know what to expect anymore.”

“He should pay the fans back,” another wrote. “This is a joke.”