Eric Church has officially kicked off his 2025 Free The Machine Tour, opening with back-to-back arena shows in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Columbus, Ohio. The country superstar treated fans to a 27-song setlist that blended his biggest chart-topping hits with the full tracklist of his latest project, ‘Evangeline vs. The Machine.’ With a full chorus of backup singers and a roaring crowd, Church marked his return to the road in emphatic style, telling fans in Pittsburgh: “You don’t just pick any city to start your tour… We’ve done some damage together over the years.”
Critics were quick to praise the opening weekend. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted the unexpected power of his live performance of Tom Waits’ ‘Clap Hands,’ remarking that even Waits himself would have been stunned at the sight of an arena crowd clapping along.
Church also dug into fan favourites, from the multi-Platinum ‘Drink In My Hand’ and ‘Desperate Man’ to deeper cuts like ‘Knives of New Orleans.’ In a twist, he moved his 8x-Platinum anthem ‘Springsteen’ to the middle of the set, recalling with a laugh how Kenny Chesney once questioned his decision to open with the track back in 2011.
The Free The Machine Tour continues this week with stops in Philadelphia, Boston, and Brooklyn with Elle King before heading across the Midwest and West Coast this fall. Full tour dates and ticket details are available at EricChurch.com.
Erich Church Setlist night 1 in Pittsburgh:
- Hands of Time
- Bleed on Paper
- Johnny
- Storm in their Blood
- Darkest Hour
- Evangeline
- Rocket’s White Lincoln
- Clap Hands
- Desperate Man
- Stick That in Your Country Song
- Homeboy
- Smoke a Little Smoke
- Creepin’
- Give Me Back My Hometown
- Knives of New Orleans
- The Outsiders
- Hell of a View
- Springtseen
- Drink in My Hand
- Mr Misunderstood
- Heart on Fire
- Talledega
- That’s Damn Rock n Roll
- Some Of It
- Monsters
- Sinners Like Me
- Through My Ray Bans
