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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eric Church brings ‘The Gather Again Tour’ to Spokane Arena on April 16, 2022

Fresh off performing the national anthem with Jazmine Sullivan before Super Bowl 55 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, country singer-songwriter Eric Church announced Wednesday morning “The Gather Again Tour” that will kick off this fall.

Church, the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year and current ACM Entertainer of the Year nominee, first shared the news with his fan club, the Church Choir, and via Billboard. The 55 concerts in the U.S. and Canada are set to begin in Lexington, Kentucky, on Sept. 17 and end at Madison Square Garden in New York City on May 20, 2022. He’ll be in Spokane on April 16, 2022.

For the first time in his career, Church will use an in-the-round setup with the stage at the center of each arena floor to accommodate as many fans as possible. Tickets to all U.S. dates go on sale May 7, at 10 a.m. at ericchurch.com. Church Choir members can access tickets via presale May 4, at 10 a.m. Canadian on-sale information and dates will be announced soon.

Church, praised by Rolling Stone this month for how he “has maneuvered the Nashville system, remaining dedicated to the power of down-the-center hitmaking even as he’s helped expand the parameters of the genre,” has taken a leadership role in the music industry’s return to touring amid the pandemic.

“It became very clear to me that the only way to really get back to normal is through vaccinations. You’ve got to get needles in arms,” he told Billboard in the April 3 cover story, which depicts the North Carolina-born star getting a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine after consulting with epidemiologists and industry experts.

“I just want to play shows,” he said. “Politics’ job is to divide – that’s how you win elections. Those things that unite us are music and sports. The times when, whether you’re a Democrat or Republican or whatever, you throw your arm around the person next to you. We need that. I need that.”

Church will also appear in an upcoming PSA promoting vaccine education produced by ACM Lifting Lives, the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative set to debut during the ACM Awards on April 18, where Church will also perform a song off his triple-album project “Heart & Soul.” “Heart” is set to drop April 16, “Soul” on April 23 and the middle album, “&,” on April 20 exclusively to the Church Choir.

Church, a 10-time Grammy nominee, seven-time ACM Award winner and four-time CMA Award winner, has spent the past year releasing new music at a relentless pace, providing a glimpse into the results of a marathon session during which he spent nearly one month writing and recording one song per day while sequestered in a rural North Carolina cabin.

During his most recent tour, 2019’s “Double Down,” Church performed back-to-back nights of two shows in each market without an opening act. The tour also featured a stop at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, where he broke the venue’s concert attendance record with more than 56,000 fans in attendance and became the first artist to sell out the venue with a solo lineup.

Church’s many hits include “Some of It” (his most recent chart-topper), “Guys Like Me,” “Smoke a Little Smoke,” “Record Year,” “Round Here Buzz,” “Like a Wrecking Ball,” “Talladega,” “Springsteen” and “Drink in My Hand.”

For more information and to learn how to join the Church Choir, visit ericchurch.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter @ericchurch and Instagram @ericchurchmusic. Tickets are also available at ticketswest.com.

Here are the scheduled “The Gather Again Tour” dates:

Sept. 17, 2021: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Ky.

Sept. 18, 2021: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio

Sept. 24, 2021: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland, Ohio

Sept. 25, 2021: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, N.Y.

Oct. 1, 2021: Alerus Center, Grand Forks, N.D.

Oct. 2, 2021: Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Oct. 8, 2021: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Oct. 9, 2021: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pa.

Oct. 15, 2021: Ball Arena, Denver, Colo.

Oct. 22, 2021: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta

Oct. 23, 2021: SaskTel Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Oct. 29, 2021: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia

Oct. 30, 2021: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Wash.

Nov. 12, 2021: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tenn.

Nov. 13, 2021: Ford Center, Evansville, Ind.

Dec. 3, 2021: SNHU Arena, Manchester, N.H.

Dec. 4, 2021: UBS Arena, Belmont Park, N.Y.

Dec. 10, 2021: The Anthem, Washington, D.C.

Dec. 11, 2021: The Anthem, Washington, D.C.

Dec. 17, 2021: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, S.C.

Dec. 18, 2021: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, N.C.

Jan. 7, 2022: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Neb.

Jan. 8, 2022: Denny Sanford Premier Center, Sioux Falls, S.D.

Jan. 14, 2022: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario

Jan. 15, 2022: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario

Jan. 21, 2022: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Jan. 22, 2022: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Mich.

Feb. 4, 2022: KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Ky.

Feb. 5, 2022: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind.

Feb. 11, 2022: Chi Health Center, Omaha, Neb.

Feb. 12, 2022: Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa

Feb. 18, 2022: T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Mo.

Feb 19, 2022: Bok Center, Tulsa, Okla.

Feb. 25, 2022: Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Va.

Feb. 26, 2022: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, N.C.

March 4, 2022: Amway Center, Orlando, Fla.

March 5, 2022: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Fla.

March 11, 2022: United Center, Chicago, Ill.

March 12, 2022: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Mo.

March 18, 2022: Resch Center, Green Bay, Wis.

March 19, 2022: Resch Center, Green Bay, Wis.

March 25, 2022: Legacy Arena at the BJCC, Birmingham, Ala.

March 26, 2022: Simmons Bank Arena ,Little Rock, Ark.

April 1, 2022: Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas

April 2, 2022: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas

April 8, 2022: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

April 9, 2022: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, La.

April 15, 2022: Moda Center, Portland, Ore.

April 16, 2022: Spokane Arena, Spokane, Wash.

April 29, 2022: ExtraMile Arena, Boise, Idaho

April 30, 2022: Vivint Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah

May 6, 2022: Pechanga Arena, San Diego, Calif.

May 7, 2022: Staples Center, Los Angeles, Calif.

May 11, 2022: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, Calif.

May 13, 2022: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nev.

May 14, 2022: Gila River Arena, Glendale, Ariz.

May 20, 2022: Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y.