Eric Church to bring Free The Machine Tour to Rupp Arena on Friday, October 3, 2025
LEXINGTON, KY (April 30, 2025) –– With his highly anticipated album Evangeline vs. The Machine arriving this Friday, May 2, Eric Church will bring the next chapter of his critically acclaimed live show to fans in major cities coast to coast as his Free the Machine Tour kicks off a run of 22 arena dates on Sept. 12. The tour will stop in downtown Lexington, KY at Rupp Arena on Friday, October 3, 2025.
“Eric Church in concert is as much a catharsis as a hell-raising Friday (or Saturday) night,” declares POLLSTAR, with Stereogum adding that he is “at the top of his genre because he breaks its rules in big, exciting arena-filling ways.” Praised by Forbes for his “leave-it-all-on-the-stage mentality,” Church will be joined across varying dates by special guests Elle King, Marcus King Band and Charles Wesley Godwin (support bios are available HERE).
“From front to back, these shows will be different than anything you’ve ever seen or heard from us before,” shared Church in a video message sent directly to Church Choir members. “I cannot wait to see you on the road for this tour.”
Tickets will be available for purchase starting at 10 A.M. on Friday, May 9, 2025 at ticketmaster.com, RuppArena.com, EricChurch.com, or in person at the Central Bank Center Box Office from 12-4 P.M. on Wednesdays and Fridays.
As always, premium members of the Church Choir will have early access to tickets through the Church Choir presale beginning Monday, May 5 at 10 a.m. local time. Premium members should check their email for presale details and can log in at EricChurch.com or the official Eric Church app to access their unique codes. A registration presale via Seated, available to non-premium Church Choir members and the general public, kicks off Tuesday, May 6 at 10 a.m. local time. To register, please visit EricChurch.com and sign up for your desired date.
Having consistently taken industry-leading precautions to protect fans from scalpers, Church is reserving all pit tickets on the Free the Machine Tour for premium Church Choir members to ensure his most passionate and loyal fans are closest to the stage. Premium Church Choir members will receive request instructions via email. Pit tickets will be will-call only to deter resale (except where prohibited by state law).
The news of a tour comes just ahead of the imminent release of Church’s latest album, Evangeline vs. The Machine, available everywhere this Friday, May 2. Expanding the legacy of one of country music’s most fearless storytellers and anchored by lead single “Hands of Time” – which debuted as the most-added song at Country radio and earned Church a new personal record for first-week impact with 135 stations – the album is available to pre-order/pre-save HERE.
In addition to the tour kicking off this fall, Church will bring the new music and his esteemed catalog to life onstage with a run of high-profile shows this spring and summer, beginning with two To Beat The Devil residency shows at London’s revered Royal Albert Hall on May 16-17. He will then take over Nashville’s Pinnacle for a sold-out, two-night installment of Evangeline vs. The Machine Live on May 23–24. In July, he heads west for what has become a roughly once-a-decade experience at Colorado’s iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre, where fans can expect a unique set each evening across three sold-out shows: Eric Church vs. The Machine; Eric Church vs. The ECB; and Eric Church vs. The Guitar.
For more information, visit EricChurch.com and follow on Facebook and Twitter/X @ericchurch and Instagram @ericchurchmusic.
Evangeline vs. The Machine Track List
Full Credits Available HERE; Songwriters in Parentheses
1. Hands Of Time (Eric Church, Scooter Carusoe)
2. Bleed On Paper (Tucker Beathard, Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell)
3. Johnny (Eric Church, Luke Laird, Brett Warren)
4. Storm In Their Blood (Eric Church)
5. Darkest Hour (Eric Church)
6. Evangeline (Eric Church, Luke Laird, Barry Dean)
7. Rocket’s White Lincoln (Eric Church)
8. Clap Hands (Tom Waits)
Media Contacts for Eric Church:
Ebie McFarland | Janet Buck
Essential Broadcast Media, LLC
ebie@ebmediapr.com | janet@ebmediapr.com
Leigh Malleus
EMI Records Nashville
leigh.malleus@umusic.com
Venue Contact:
Samantha Luse | SLuse@centralbankcenter.com
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About Eric Church
A seven-time ACM Award winner, four-time CMA Award winner (including 2020’s Entertainer of the Year) and 10-time GRAMMY nominee – including three nods for Best Country Album, Eric Church has built a passionate fan base through his critically acclaimed catalog of music. Church’s October 2024 release, “Darkest Hour,” saw the superstar signing over all of his publishing royalties to the people of North Carolina to provide immediate relief following the devastation of Hurricane Helene while also providing ongoing funds to support a more resilient future for his home state. The song is featured alongside current single “Hands Of Time” on his forthcoming album, Evangeline vs. The Machine arriving May 2, marking his first new music since 2021’s Heart & Soul triple album (“Stick That In Your Country Song,” “Hell Of A View”). That project followed prior releases including RIAA Gold-certified Desperate Man (“Some Of It,” “Desperate Man”), Platinum-certified Sinners Like Me (“How ’Bout You,” “Guys Like Me”), Carolina (“Smoke a Little Smoke,” “Love Your Love the Most”) and Mr. Misunderstood (“Record Year,” “Round Here Buzz”), Double-Platinum certified The Outsiders (“Like a Wrecking Ball,” “Talladega”) and 4x Platinum-certified Chief (“Springsteen,” “Drink In My Hand”), as well as 32 Gold, Platinum and multi-Platinum certified songs. Church is also a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets, a co-owner of the iconic Field & Stream brand, has his own SiriusXM music channel, “Eric Church Outsiders Radio,” his own liquor offering, Whiskey JYPSI, and recently celebrated the first anniversary Chief’s, his six-story venue on Nashville’s famed lower Broadway.
Eric Church Live Images Available HERE (Photo Credit: Anthony D'Angio)
Evangeline vs. The Machine Cover Art | Courtesy of EMI Records Nashville | Size: 6.2MB | Type: JPG | >Download
Eric Church | Photo Credit: Robby Klein | Size: 11.9MB | Type: JPG | >Download
About Rupp Arena
Located in Lexington, Kentucky, the Lexington Center Corporation (LCC) is a not-for-profit 501c3 corporate agency of the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government. It was established in 1974 to manage and maintain Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center, the Central Bank Center (formerly Lexington Convention Center), Triangle Park, and the Lexington Opera House. One of the nation’s most storied entertainment destinations, Central Bank Center venues collectively welcome an average of 1.3 million patrons annually.
Since 1976, Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center has served as the home court of the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team, regularly leading the national attendance average. Rupp Arena has hosted legendary artists such as Justin Timberlake, Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks, Chris Stapleton, and many more. Since 2018, Oak View Group and Live Nation Arenas have provided booking services to Rupp Arena. During the last 18 months, Rupp Arena has broken all previous audience attendance and revenue records in its storied 43-year history.
About Oak View Group
Oak View Group (OVG) is the global leader in live experience venue development, management, premium hospitality services, and 360-degree solutions for a collection of world-class-owned venues and a client roster of arenas, convention centers, music festivals, performing arts centers, and cultural institutions. Founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff in 2015, OVG is the leading developer of major new venues either open or under development across four continents. Visit OakViewGroup.com, and follow OVG on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.