Eric Church Reveals Near-Death Experience Inspired His Nashville Bar
on Apr 24, 2024
Country music artist Eric Church candidly discusses how a near-death experience and personal tragedies shaped his decision to open Chief’s, his new Nashville venue.
Chief’s is a six-story establishment that includes a bar, restaurant, and music hall. Eric Church is currently hosting a 19-show residency at this 400-seat location.
Church expressed in a statement upon unveiling his bar, “I remember driving through downtown Nashville over 20 years ago with a pawn shop guitar, riding shotgun in a beat-to-hell truck just trying to chase a dream. Chief’s is the culmination of catching that dream. Like everything else we do in our career, I wouldn’t even attempt a project like this if I didn’t think it would be the best, so that’s what Chief’s will be: the best.”
But Chief’s isn’t simply a venue; it’s a meaningful endeavor that provides Eric Church with a profound opportunity to establish a deep connection with his fans.
During a recent interview with CBS Mornings, Church revealed that he wanted Chief’s to be “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.”
This initiative comes as a result of the challenges the “Stick That In Your Country Song” singer has faced in his life.
Church shared how his perspective on life changed following a near-death experience in 2017.
He revealed that a medical examination uncovered a blood clot, leading to an urgent medical procedure and an extensive recovery period. Shortly after his return to the stage, the tragic Route 91 Harvest Festival took place in Las Vegas, just two days after Church’s performance there.
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During the interview, Church expressed that this devastating event profoundly impacted him, leading to a period of “darkness,” especially after the sudden loss of his brother less than a year later.
Church copes with life’s challenges by turning to music. Through Chief’s, he intends to perform never-before-heard songs, some of which were deemed “too personal” to be included in his albums.
Despite facing rejection in the past, Church feels a sense of redemption in being able to establish such a personal stake on Broadway.
