Watch Eric Church Cover ‘Midnight Rider’ to Honor Gregg Allman
During the closing night of his 2017 Holdin' My Own Tour, on Saturday (May 27), Eric Church paid tribute to Gregg Allman with a cover of the Allman Brothers Band's "Midnight Rider." Readers can press play above to watch.
Church's "Midnight Rider" cover came near the end of the first half of his show, in front of a sold-out, record-breaking crowd at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. Only a few hours earlier, the world had learned of Allman's death, at the age of 69.
The Allman Brothers Band's version of "Midnight Rider" -- a single from their 1970 album Idlewild South -- never charted, but covers of the song by Joe Cocker, Willie Nelson and Allman as a solo artist became chart hits. Plenty of others have also covered the iconic song, including Church, with Allman, at a Grammy Foundation event in the fall of 2015.
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Per a statement on Allman’s official website, the Southern rock icon — both a solo artist and a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band — “passed away peacefully at his home in Savannah, Ga.” Allman’s health had declined in recent years: In March of 2017, he canceled all of his tour plans for the remainder of the year. On April 24, rumors began to circulate that Allman had entered hospice care, but the singer soon made it clear that he was not in hospice, but was “resting on my doctor’s orders.”
“Gregg struggled with many health issues over the past several years. During that time, Gregg considered being on the road playing music with his brothers and solo band for his beloved fans, essential medicine for his soul,” the statement on Allman’s website reads. “Playing music lifted him up and kept him going during the toughest of times.”
Now that Church's Holdin' My Own Tour has concluded, the singer has only a few more shows left on his calendar for 2017. For these shows, Church will be mixing things up by condensing his currently three-hour-long show and bringing in some special guests.
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