Eric Church Says He’s a Big Fan of All His Opening Acts

Eric Church recently announced a new leg of his 2015 Outsiders World Tour, and with the new dates came a new string of opening acts: Brothers Osborne, the Drive-By Truckers, JD McPherson, the Cadillac Three and the Lone Bellow.

"They're [all] people I dig musically," Church tells USA Today. "Frankly, I've grown tired of the same shows packaged the same ways."

The 'Talladega' singer was himself introduced to a whole new set of fans when rock legend Bob Seger brought him out on tour in 2006. Church still vividly recalls how he felt, as an up-and-coming artist, when Seger invited him to serve as his opening act.

"I'm trying to put on a good face and go, 'Let's give it to them,' and the bass player throws up in the trash can," Church recalls of the first night. "That'll let you know when nerves are working."

Now that Church has achieved superstar status, he's doing something similar to pass the baton to the next generation of artists.

"Having built his career from the ground up, Eric knows how much value there is in having someone like him bring you and sign off on you," Brothers Osborne singer TJ Osborne says. "That's a priceless thing to have at our point in a career."

The North Carolina native was joined by another diverse group of artists -- Dwight Yoakam, Brothers Osborne, Halestorm and Brandy Clark -- for the first leg of his tour.

“It’s called the Outsiders Tour, so we were trying to show what that is,” he explains. “Dwight Yoakam is an obvious [example]. I was stunned that when we asked he said yes. Brothers Osborne, I’ve known them a while, and they try to do it a different way. Halestorm, everyone knows Lzzy Hale, we’ve done a couple performances together. And then we have Brandy, who I think made the best album in country music in the past year.”

The new leg of Church's Outsiders World Tour kicks off on March 4 in Austin, Texas. A list of new shows, and the artists who will be opening for him at each stop, can be found here.

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