The songwriter paid tribute to Route 91 shooting victims, welcomed surprise guest Vince Gill, and chronicled his rebellious career in a multimedia production teasing his Nashville residency
At times, the soundbites about Church’s rebellious side and his image as a Nashville upsetter became repetitive. We get it, he’s a badass. He best proved that not by having someone tell us, but in the way he approached this challenging performance: in excellent voice, playing guitar on each song, and with a keen eye toward narrative. “Mr. Misunderstood” in particular, with its tempo shift and lyrical shoutouts to Elvis Costello and Jeff Tweedy, was a marvel.
It’s a fool’s errand to try and think of many contemporary Nashville country stars who could pull off such a production. Miranda Lambert could. Chris Stapleton too. But few others have the varied catalog and the steely discipline of Church.
Country music scholar Robert K. Oermann, who introduced Church’s 90-minute performance, described what fans were about to see as “a theater piece.” That was accurate. As Church has admitted, he was clearly inspired by Bruce Springsteen’s. And while comparisons between the North Carolina native and the New Jersey saint are frequently tossed around, they’re not without warrant.
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