Eric Church has performed at Pinnacle Bank Arena twice, most recently in 2017.
Country singer Eric Church performs at Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2015.
The official lyric video for Eric Church’s "Break It Kind Of Guy"
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Eric Church will return to Pinnacle Bank Arena on Jan. 7.
The Country Music Association's reigning Entertainer of the Year will open the 2022 leg of his aptly named “The Gather Again Tour” at the arena, where he’s performed two times -- most recently in 2017. The Church show also is the first concert announced for the arena since the coronavirus shut down operations in March 2020.
“This is the third tour he’s started in Lincoln,” said Tom Lorenz, general manager of Lincoln's arena. “They love the building. They love the audiences here. We’ve got a couple days set aside for them to open his tour here again.”
Church’s Pinnacle Bank Arena debut in 2015 set an arena concert attendance record of 15,823 people. That still-standing mark won’t be challenged next year as the show will be presented in the round, with floor seating, rather than in the format that allowed the huge crowd.
But it could be another full house because COVID capacity restrictions are expected to ease over the next few months.
“We anticipate being able to sell a full building capacity,” Lorenz said. “Whatever other (COVID health and safety) measures are in effect, we’ll work into the show experience.”
Over the past few months, Church has been leading the charge for a return to touring. He was featured on the cover of Billboard magazine as he got his second vaccine shot and urged others to do the same.
“It became very clear to me that the only way to really get back to normal is through vaccinations,” Church told Billboard. “I just want to play shows. Politics' job is to divide -- that’s how you win elections. The things that unite us are music and sports. The times when, whether you’re a Democrat or Republican or whatever, you throw your arms around the person next to you. We need that. I need that.”
Tickets for all U.S. stops on the 55-city tour that begins in September in Kentucky and includes February shows in Omaha, Des Moines and Kansas City, will go on sale to the general public May 7 at 10 a.m. at EricChurch.com. Church fan-club members may access tickets on May 4.
Ticket prices have not been announced.
The Church concert is the first major show in Lincoln to be announced in more than a year. Lorenz said it is certain that more shows, both at the arena and Pinewood Bowl, will be set in the near future.
“There should be more coming,” Lorenz said. “Once more shows start to get some momentum, I think you’ll see quite a few concerts, not just here in the Midwest, but across the country.”
MOST MEMORABLE CONCERTS AT THE ARENA:
10 most memorable concerts at Pinnacle Bank Arena
Nov. 9, 2013: Pink
Nov. 9, 2013: Pink
What I said then: "She’s also a brilliant performer, who has assembled a fine five-piece band, two backing singers, eight dancers, striking staging that makes great use of the video screens and lights to deliver a show that makes those of Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and the rest of the pop crowd look like high school musicals. And no other performer that I know of does the aerials and acrobatics at anywhere Pink’s level."
Nov. 23, 2013: Elton John
Nov. 23, 2013: Elton John
What I said then: “Elton John loves playing new buildings. On Saturday night, he made it to the Pinnacle Bank Arena, noting how happy he was to be playing there and delivering an incredible, exhilarating show that forged a connection between the legendary artist and the thousands who came to see him.”
July 14, 2014: Paul McCartney
July 14, 2014: Paul McCartney
What I said then: “There was a great rock 'n' roll show in Lincoln Monday night. It came from a legend, 50 years after he and his old band took over the world. That legend, of course, is Paul McCartney. The show was at a packed Pinnacle Bank Arena. None of the more than 12,000 people who were there are likely to ever forget it."
Jan. 17, 2015: Fleetwood Mac
Jan. 17, 2015: Fleetwood Mac
What I said then: “Midway through Fleetwood Mac’s Pinnacle Bank Arena concert Saturday night, drummer Mick Fleetwood suddenly became ill. The truncated set ran just over 90 minutes. Prior to the abrupt ending, Fleetwood Mac had pumped out 14 songs, all familiar to the 14,000-plus that packed the arena Saturday — and sounded and looked good doing it.”
July 11, 2015: Neil Young
July 11, 2015: Neil Young
What I said then: “Unlike nearly all his contemporaries who are content to vacuum up the cash with greatest-hits shows, the 69-year-old Young continues to plow forward, playing new songs and deep catalog material. That had him on point — in fine, strong voice throughout, fully committed and locked in with the band in a sharply constructed set.”
March 26, 2016: Carrie Underwood
March 26, 2016: Carrie Underwood
What I said then: “The 2005 'American Idol' winner is a great vocalist, with good range and striking control and the ability to sing the hell out of almost any song. … Underwood’s show ran nearly two hours long, included 22 songs from throughout her career, five dress changes and just enough talk to let her fully connect with the crowd."
Aug. 18, 2017: Kendrick Lamar
Aug. 18, 2017: Kendrick Lamar
What I said then: "Lamar’s widely regarded as today’s greatest rapper. As Friday’s show, songs and performance demonstrated, there’s an argument to be made that he’s already the greatest of all time."
Oct. 20, 2017: Garth Brooks
Oct. 20, 2017: Garth Brooks
What I said then: “Country music associations should either retire their entertainer of the year awards or name them after Garth Brooks. For no country performer, new or old, can hold a guitar, microphone or cowboy hat to the engaging, energetic Oklahoma superstar who kicked off a five-concert Pinnacle Bank Arena run with a joyous 2½-hour show Friday.”
March 24, 2018: Lorde
March 24, 2018: Lorde
What I said then: "Lorde delivered for nearly 90 minutes — as an artist, something she confessed midway through, saying, 'I’m not a real pop star.' … Nor was hers a standard pop show. That put the focus on Lorde, her emotive vocals and her distinctive electro-pop — all of which captivated the crowd, which appeared to be in the 6,000-to-7,000 range."
Oct. 2, 2018: Odesza
Oct. 2, 2018: Odesza
What I said then: “The electronic music production duo’s show is a beautiful spectacle carried by always-moving music. … With its use of lights, a video-projection screen at the back of the stage and the choreographed movements and imagery of the performers, Odesza put on a show in the truest sense of the word.”
Five great opening acts
* 2014: Cyndi Lauper opening for Cher (May 30)
* 2015: Chris Stapleton opening for Eric Church (May 20); Alice Cooper opening for Motley Crue (Dec. 4)
* 2016: The Pretenders opening for Stevie Nicks (Dec. 5)
* 2018: Jamey Johnson opening for Lynyrd Skynyrd (Oct. 6)
Reach the writer at 402-473-7244 or kwolgamott@journalstar.com. On Twitter @KentWolgamott
L. Kent Wolgamott
Entertainment reporter/columnist
L. Kent Wolgamott, the recipient of the 2018 Mayor’s Arts Award, has written about arts and entertainment for Lincoln newspapers since 1985, reviewing thousands of movies and concerts and hundreds of art exhibitions.
