Eric Church Has Lived His Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour

Eric Church kicks off his first-ever arena tour tonight (Jan. 19) in Fort Smith, Ark. Chalk it up to yet another triumph for the Grammy-nominated artist, who earned his first No. 1 single, 'Drink in My Hand,' earlier this week. The Blood, Sweat & Beers tour isn't just a clever play on words, Eric says he's experienced each to get where he is.

"It's taken a lot of all three for me to get here," Eric tells the Associated Press. "Somebody asked me what was more of, barely, I would said beer, then it would be sweat, then there was a lot of blood. [laughs] There's been some blood along the way. I think it's fitting for the kind of tour it's going to be. It's going to be very in your face like the rest of our stuff. Probably, some parental guidance will be needed. That's OK. It's the kind of show we've always put on, and the kind of show I enjoy."

The past year has been a professional whirlwind for the North Carolina native. The turning point, he recognizes, was the release of his chart-topping album, 'Chief.' "I told somebody, I said, 'I feel like we were just in clubs last year,' and then I said, 'Wait a minute. We were in clubs last year,'" he recalls. "It's been a big jump. It's been a fast rise since 'Chief' has come out."