Eric Church delivers wild, unpredictable night at Red Rocks

MORRISON, COLO. – Eric Church capped his first of two nights at Red Rocks Amphitheatre the same way he started it – with “Holdin’ My Own.” Before he took the stage, Church used Facebook Live to announce his new tour “Holdin’ My Own” and then he closed his set with the song – an album cut from the singer’s most recent work “Mr. Misunderstood.”

“I think having the year off really allowed me time to absorb the music and really where I want to go with this tour,” Church said before the show. “I’ve said many times the ‘Mr. Misunderstood’ album is the most important album in our career because it connects who we were to who we are and where we’re going. It’s a mature album.”

Church’s first night at Red Rocks featured many songs from “Mr. Misunderstood,” which he released as a surprise last November, giving away 80,000 copies to fan club members in various forms.

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Church kicked off the set with solo acoustic versions of “Mistress Named Music” and “Mr. Misunderstood.” He later brought out his band for his most recent No. 1 hit “Record Year” along with “Mixed Drink About Feelings“ and “Kill a Word.” Towards the end of the night, he incorporated more new songs including “Three Year Old,” “Chattanooga Lucy” and “Knives.”

“I think the fans having this record maybe more than a year by the time we tour, it really allows them time to learn and absorb that record more into their lives,” Church said. “Opposed to hearing a single or a couple of songs and then the record drops and you go on tour, you can feel certain songs catch on as the tour goes. But this one, they are going to know every song very well before we start. It should add a lot more energy, especially for the new stuff.”

Fans at Red Rocks knew every word – screaming the lyrics to “Mr. Misunderstood” louder than Church was singing them. One of Denver’s most famous faces, Peyton Manning, watched the show largely unnoticed from the side of the stage. Manning retired as quarterback of the Denver Broncos five months ago.

Fan favorite “Smoke a Little Smoke” prompted another memorable sing along. As Church and the audience sang, smoke billowed from areas of the singer’s stage as part of his special effects. Not to be outdone, many members of the audience lit up and the unmistakable scent of marijuana wafted through the breezy night.

Previewing how his new tour will be arranged, Church's set unpredictably alternated between acoustic songs and numbers with band accompaniment. And while the audience cheered and sang all night – no one seemed to be having more fun than Church. The singer appeared tickled when fans sang his lyrics back during “Give Me Back My Hometown” and during “Talladega,” he stopped singing and let fans finish the song.

The singer encored with the tender “Those I’ve Loved.”

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Eric Church delivers wild, unpredictable night at Red Rocks