Country music star angers fans who walk out of concert after he fails to play hits

Eric Church performs “Man Made a Bar” at the 57th Annual CMA Awards on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)George Walker IV/Invision/AP

Country music star Eric Church headlined the first night of the Stagecoach music festival on Friday in California, which has been a tough year for music festivals.

There were issues at Coachella and Blur famously told everyone they were never going to see them again on the first weekend of that affair before returning to play the second weekend there.

And then came Stagecoach and Church.

He is known for high energy country performances, but what he gave fans who shelled out money to see him headline this night of the festival was some sort of seated gospel acoustic set in front of red stained-glass windows. He covered everything from Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” to Snoop Dogg’s “Gin and Juice.”

He didn’t exactly play his hits, at least not before most folks had given up on the set.

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.”

There were other hardcore Church fans who appeared to like the switch up and support the singer. Just not enough, apparently, to keep everyone else from bailing.

Church has yet to respond but he did repost a Rolling Stone article on X with a headline that read, “Eric Chuch’s 2024 Stagecoach Performance Was a Helluva Thing to Witness.”

The Stagecoach Festival did not respond to the complaints, at least not on social media, but it did repost a clip of Church’s performance on X and wrote, “Right to the soul (Eric Church.”