Tour continues in 2026 with orchestra
Eric Church took the stage at LA’s new state-of-the-art arena, Intuit Dome, on Saturday (Nov 15th) in front of a sprawling band and orchestra. To start, the Chief treated the packed SoCal venue with a performance of the entirety of his 2025 concept EP, Evangeline and the Machine.
Sketch drawings of a factory-controlled dystopian world not too far from 21st century reality animated to life on the screen behind Church for the Machine segment. A unique feature of the Dome, that the same artwork came to life on the massive screens that ring the entire arena bowl. It was an awe-inspiring way to bring the eight-song project to life.
Church was backed through the night with a massive 22-person band that included an orchestral section—called “Strings and Things” by the pre-show announcer—along with Church’s touring band. Vocalist Joanna Cotten has mercifully returned to the road with the Chief, much to fans’ delight. They make magic together.
Case in point: Cotten stalked the apron of the stage, lit just as brightly as Church, during “Desperate Man.” As she reached fans on one edge of the stage, they cheered and reached for her with the same vigor with which they vie for a head nod from Eric. That’s to say nothing of her vocals, which were front and center on a rollicking “Proud Mary.” We’ll leave it to you to find out where that comes in the set.
Church took a few moments to address the rare stretch of rainy days in La La Land: “I’m staying here Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. I opened my weather app and said ‘Fuck you,’” he said to laughs and cheers.
“Never Break Heart” was a treat from the Heart & Soul project that he played as a treat. Another rarity, “Homeboy,” the tale of a wayward rural American who ran toward the big city and found trouble with the law. It prompts his brother to lovingly plead, “Come on home, boy.” It’s a personal favorite and still gave me chills as strong as the first time I’d heard it—as a college kid from Nowhereville newly planted in a big city.
The orchestra played on nearly every song, adding a body to his back catalogue of hits. They enhanced the emotions and didn’t detract from the familiar melodies.
Intuit Dome is a marvel of a venue. From its lit roof to its massive vestibule, it astounds as soon as you approach it. The biometric entry works as advertised. But as of now, ushers still ask you to see your tickets as you take your seats. And the “grab and go” bar still needed a tap from my Apple Pay because their eyes in the sky weren’t working.
Inside the bowl, each chair has a charge port for your phone cord. (USB-C, not USB-3 for us dinosaurs) LEDs on the chairs lit up to create an immersive feel. Church used it sparingly. As an example, the feature accented “Springsteen” towards the end.
One massive note, however, is the sound in the dome. The speakers had trouble sending sound to the Club level, relying on the reverb of the room a little too much. It meant hearing an echo-y reflection at times, rather than the native sound. No fault of Church’s—who likes it loud—but likely a calibration issue in the venue that they’ll no doubt learn from.
An Eric Church show is somewhat like a box a chocolates: you know what you want and hope for, but you never know what you will actually get. (Just look at his strange-but-epic 2023 CMA Fest closing performance.) In that way, he remains the Machine-bucker he’s always been. And this tour—continuing next year—is a celebration of a deep catalogue by an artist that continues to innovate in ways that tell the machines—both real and wearing Music Row suits— to fuck off, along with all that LA rain.
