Eric Church Touring With Kenny Chesney Next Year?

Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw's Brothers of the Sun tour was a dream line-up for concert fans. Now another dynamic duo could be in the works. In spite of Eric Church's announcement that he would be taking time off the road in 2013, rumors are swirling that he might be teaming with Kenny for a series of shows -- something the "Creepin'" singer will neither confirm nor deny at this point.

"It's still rumor stage, but I can at least say most of next year off is true," Eric maintained to Broadway at Florida radio station WKIS. "We're doing some shows in Canada first part of the year but as far as the U.S. goes, I think it's looking like we maybe do 20 shows across the country. We're going to play a few things but we're not on tour, we're going to take big chunks off. I'm going to try and focus on, from a songwriting standpoint and a record standpoint, where we go next and where we go from here. Regardless of what happens with touring with anybody else, we're going to be taking most of the year off."

The singer-songwriter will wrap up his Blood, Sweat & Beers tour on Oct. 26, after which he wants to concentrate on the follow-up to his No. 1 album, Chief. "I want to see if I can write some songs and see where we can go, musically," the five-time CMA award nominee tells Billboard magazine. "I'm looking forward to that. I really want to see where this thing goes."

Eric, whose CMA nods include one for Album of the Year for Chief, will have something to hold fans over until a new studio disc is released. He's recording a live album Oct. 8 and 9 at the Tivoli Theatre in Chattanooga, Tenn., slated for release early next year.

Eric plays three shows in Texas this week, followed by stops in Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri. See his remaining 2012 concert dates here.