Eric Church Takes Savvy Approach to Announcing Arena Tour
You got to hand it to ol’ Eric Church. He learned a few things while earning that marketing degree from Appalachia State. He wanted to be one of the first in country music—and really in most of all popular music—to book and promote a big crowded post-pandemic arena tour starting this fall. And so not to run afoul of the COVID police, a few days before announcing the tour he signed up to be the featured artist for April’s Billboard Magazine, including getting his vaccine shot right there on the cover to compel everyone else to do the same.
Church wasn’t trying to sow COVID fear or guilt people into getting a shot necessarily. His approach was simply, “Dude! Don’t you want to enjoy live shows again? I know I do. So get the damn shot.” And it’s a pretty convincing argument, and a fairly ingenious one, peppered with a little bit of publicity risk from the polarizing nature of the subject to some of his fan base.
But this is all in line with the pragmatic approach Eric Church has brought to his career during a time when political fervor has been brought to a fevered pitch, especially for country artists. Church has been a pretty good pitch person for the causes he’s championed, which often boils down to just being reasonable about polarizing subjects, and seeing both sides of any argument. That was what was so damaging about a 2018 Rolling Stone cover featuring Church, which portrayed him as an anti-gun socialist, while the information in the actual article was seismically different.
“I just want to play shows,” Church said in the Billboard story. “Politics’ job is to divide — that’s how you win elections. Those things that unite us are music and sports. The times when, whether you’re a Democrat or Republican or whatever, you throw your arm around the person next to you. We become one. We need that. I need that.”
But ultimately, I’m not sure Eric Church needed to make such a big, public stance on his vaccination. Strangely, after a full year of COVID-19, and the lockdowns and even mask wearing being divisive issues to many, there seems to be more of a universal understanding now that it’s time to start making the motions towards getting back to normal, and the social media hall monitors and busybodies on the subject have thinned out significantly.
And despite rising cases in some states and a plateauing nationally, the proliferation of the vaccine likely means there’s a light at the end of the tunnel for safe congregations, even at arenas. The guilt and blow back Eric Church and promoters were probably anticipating at the news of the upcoming arena tour just didn’t materialize in any tangible way.
After Eric Church announced his arena tour on Wednesday (4-7), Kane Brown announced one of his own the next day. Smaller, more independent artists are also starting to fill up their calendars, including Whiskey Myers, Cody Jinks, Charley Crockett, Jesse Daniel, Mike and the Moonpies, Brent Cobb and Kendell Marvell who are touring together, while festivals like Bristol Rhythm and Roots, AmericanaFest, Under Big Sky in Montana, and more are confirming their 2021 dates, while other festivals are scrambling to see if they can pull off a 2021 event as well.
Things are starting to open up, and luckily, not along the lines of a culture war, but with a more universal understanding that it’s time, and safe when done right. There’s no doubt that vaccines and other COVID-related topics will remain polarizing for some, as will Eric Church, who sometimes can be too inclined to make something about himself (i.e. getting his vaccine shot on the front of a magazine).
But whether you believe every adult should be lining up for the vaccine, or that arena shows should return post haste for the benefit of the communities and venues and workers and all of our sanity, Eric Church took the lead, which seems appropriate for the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year.
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Tickets go on sale May 7th. Church says shows will be done “In the round” with a 360 in the center of arenas to facilitate large crowds. No openers have been announced at the moment.
The Gather Again Tour dates:
Sept. 17, 2021 – Rupp Arena Lexington, Ky.
Sept. 18, 2021 – Nationwide Arena Columbus, Ohio
Sept. 24, 2021 – Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse Cleveland, Ohio
Sept. 25, 2021 – KeyBank Center Buffalo, N.Y.
Oct. 1, 2021 – Alerus Center Grand Forks, N.D.
Oct. 2, 2021 – Bell MTS Place Winnipeg, Manitoba
Oct. 8, 2021 – PPG Paints Arena Pittsburgh, Pa.
Oct. 9, 2021 – Wells Fargo Center Philadelphia, Pa.
Oct. 15, 2021 – Ball Arena Denver, Colo.
Oct. 22, 2021 – Scotiabank Saddledome Calgary, Alberta
Oct. 23, 2021 – SaskTel Centre Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Oct. 29, 2021 – Rogers Arena Vancouver, British Columbia
Oct. 30, 2021 – Climate Pledge Arena Seattle, Wash.
Nov. 12, 2021 – Thompson-Boling Arena Knoxville, Tenn.
Nov. 13, 2021 – Ford Center Evansville, Ind.
Dec. 3, 2021 – SNHU Arena Manchester, N.H.
Dec. 4, 2021 – UBS Arena Belmont Park, N.Y.
Dec. 10, 2021 – The Anthem Washington, D.C.
Dec. 11, 2021 – The Anthem Washington, D.C.
Dec. 17, 2021 – Bon Secours Wellness Arena Greenville, S.C.
Dec. 18, 2021 – Greensboro Coliseum Greensboro, N.C.
Jan. 7, 2022 – Pinnacle Bank Arena Lincoln, Neb.
Jan. 8, 2022 – Denny Sanford PREMIER Center Sioux Falls, S.D.
Jan. 14, 2022 – Scotiabank Arena Toronto, Ontario
Jan. 15, 2022 – Canadian Tire Centre Ottawa, Ontario
Jan. 21, 2022 – Van Andel Arena Grand Rapids, Mich.
Jan. 22, 2022 – Little Caesars Arena Detroit, Mich.
Feb. 4, 2022 – KFC Yum! Center Louisville, Ky.
Feb. 5, 2022 – Bankers Life Fieldhouse Indianapolis, Ind.
Feb. 11, 2022 – CHI Health Center Omaha Omaha, Neb.
Feb. 12, 2022 – Wells Fargo Arena Des Moines, Iowa
Feb. 18, 2022 – T-Mobile Center Kansas City, Mo.
Feb 19, 2022 – BOK Center Tulsa, Okla.
Feb. 25, 2022 – Hampton Coliseum Hampton, Va.
Feb. 26, 2022 – Spectrum Center Charlotte, N.C.
March 4, 2022 – Amway Center Orlando, Fla.
March 5, 2022 – Amalie Arena Tampa, Fla.
March 11, 2022 – United Center Chicago, Ill.
March 12, 2022 – Enterprise Center St. Louis, Mo.
March 18, 2022 – Resch Center Green Bay, Wis.
March 19, 2022 – Resch Center Green Bay, Wis.
March 25, 2022 – Legacy Arena at the BJCC Birmingham, Ala.
March 26, 2022 – Simmons Bank Arena Little Rock, Ark.
April 1, 2022 – Dickies Arena Fort Worth, Texas
April 2, 2022 – AT&T Center San Antonio, Texas
April 8, 2022 – Toyota Center Houston, Texas
April 9, 2022 – Smoothie King Center New Orleans, La.
April 15, 2022 – Moda Center Portland, Ore.
April 16, 2022 – Spokane Arena Spokane, Wash.
April 29, 2022 – ExtraMile Arena Boise, Idaho
April 30, 2022 – Vivint Arena Salt Lake City, Utah
May 6, 2022 – Pechanga Arena San Diego, Calif.
May 7, 2022 – STAPLES Center Los Angeles, Calif.
May 11, 2022 – Golden 1 Center Sacramento, Calif.
May 13, 2022 – T-Mobile Arena Las Vegas, Nev.
May 14, 2022 – Gila River Arena Glendale, Ariz.
May 20, 2022 – Madison Square Garden New York, N.Y.
April 9, 2021 @ 8:34 am
Cheyenne Frontier Days also announced its concert lineup for late July last night, including Church with Ashley McBryde. One of the bigger lineups they’ve had in a few years.
April 9, 2021 @ 9:30 am
Gag.
Lemming
April 9, 2021 @ 1:57 pm
I was thinking the same thing when I received the press release Trigger is quoting from. Church will also be doing a public service announcement which will air during the ACM Awards this month, encouraging people to get the vaccine. Anyone who listens to celebrities regarding their health or politics (or anything else, for that matter) has rocks in their head.
Don’t get me wrong, if people want to be test subjects and get the jab, I think they should do just that. The same courtesy of course should be shown to those who don’t want to get it. But having celebrities, especially egomaniacal clowns like Eric Church (the guy long ago bought so deep into his own hype, he’s become a parody of himself) promoting the vaccine is complete bullshit.
I long for the Sinners Like Me version of Eric Church.
April 9, 2021 @ 2:44 pm
I don’t have to listen to celebrities.
Doctors, scientists, the CDC….they are all aligned.
But hey, if you’d rather listen to Q, you do you.
April 9, 2021 @ 3:49 pm
“In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual – aka “Q”
– Galileo Galilei
April 12, 2021 @ 10:52 am
It’s just wild.
“If people want to be test subjects and get the jab…”
Or, get the jab because there is actually a rigorous process of, you know, having tens of thousands of people give their consent to act as – wait for it – test subjects, to determine the safety of a vaccine beforehand. If you want to skip the vaccine, go ahead, but there is no need to paint getting vaccinated as some high-risk roll of the dice (especially compared to the documented risk of say, getting COVID itself).
On second thought, I can’t believe I just spent three minutes of my life feeling the need to rationally engage with the prior comment. Joke’s on me!
April 9, 2021 @ 2:00 pm
what kind of doctor did you say you were again, di?
April 9, 2021 @ 2:19 pm
Have not ever said i am a doctor.
Nuc. Med. Technologist.
You are welcome to make fun of that all you wish.
No skin off my behind
: D
April 10, 2021 @ 8:49 pm
exactly. i wouldn’t make fun of a profession but i’m certainly not going to take medical advice from definitely not a doctor.
April 9, 2021 @ 2:28 pm
Church, what a cringe he’s become.
April 12, 2021 @ 11:15 am
Exactly. It’s not within the scope of the government’s power to limit peaceful assembly unless you get a shot.
We defeated the Nazis, twice….because we like to say “No.”
April 9, 2021 @ 11:15 am
All I know is I had a good time last night in Bum Fuck Indiana seeing my first full band show in 13 months watching The Steel Woods. 250 of us in a nice little theater on main street (literally) that holds I was told 500ish. The guys sounded great and they’re out there playing dates making a living. Before I left the house I found out Whitey’s bringing The 78’s here for full band show in June as well. Hopefully other artists will start to venture out within everybody’s comfort zone whatever that may be. One of the problems I see logistically is that it’s tougher for bigger or even mid level artists to get out there and bring a band right now if there’s capacity restraints it’s hard to make those numbers work.
April 10, 2021 @ 5:36 am
Hey JB,
You see Vandoliers and Alex Williams coming to Yorkville Summer Solstice fest? Should be a great time.
Sorry to distract from the vaccine talk guys.
April 10, 2021 @ 7:04 am
Thanks for the heads up on that Nick. Lovin’ that new Alex Williams tune too! I’ll be in Yorkville to see Sunny on the 22nd.
April 9, 2021 @ 12:09 pm
Too bad Kenny Chesney cancelled his.
April 9, 2021 @ 12:29 pm
Don’t y’all think this COVID shit has done got out of hand?
I still ain’t getting no fucking COVID Shot!
April 9, 2021 @ 12:44 pm
Hey not sure if you’re lost but this is Saving Country Music not Fox News. Y’all have a good day now.
April 9, 2021 @ 2:13 pm
Yes!! Exactly!! And F@#K that polio shit. I am not scared of an iron lung. Bring it on. Measles, mumps, whooping cough — I will whoop your ass! Next time I get an infection, just gonna let that thing die. I don’t need antibiotics. And forget operations — they don’t have faith healing for nothing. Science is bullshit!
April 9, 2021 @ 2:30 pm
Get a grip.
Do you even know what the numbers even are, for rural states?
April 10, 2021 @ 11:53 am
Says the person who is CLEARLY educated and an expert on the matter
April 9, 2021 @ 1:19 pm
I’ve pretty much accepted the fact that I most likely won’t be seeing any sports or live music for the rest of my life. It kinda sucks, but there are more important things to focus on
April 9, 2021 @ 2:01 pm
Maybe not the rest of your life, Kevin, but it will likely take a number of years until all of this nonsense is ironed out and the chickens come home to roost for the deceivers and political zealots.
Keep the faith.
April 9, 2021 @ 9:07 pm
Why wouldn’t you?
April 10, 2021 @ 4:39 am
Because, they’ll likely require vaccinations and/or wearing masks to attend
April 9, 2021 @ 2:16 pm
Good on Eric. He can be a jerk, but he’s smart.
I totally agree with him.
Vaccines suck and all of them have some risk but honestly, less risk than driving a car or smoking.
I wouldn’t get it just for me, but I’ll get it for the sake of my friends who are over 80. I’ll get it for the sake of my friends who are musicians, and for the sake of people with family and loved ones overseas who want borders to open.
Sometimes you need to take a few risks for freedom.
April 9, 2021 @ 5:31 pm
Nice. Get it for everyone even if some of them are anti vaxxer
April 9, 2021 @ 2:20 pm
i do want get out and see live shows again but unlike like Eric Church i wont kow tow to be a human guinea pig , nor do i live in fear of a virus with a literal 99.7-99.9% survival rate,and just a FEW things you may want to consider before you take the first of many jabs they will be demanding of you –
1. It’s not a vaccine. A vaccine by definition provides immunity to a disease. This does not provide immunity to anything. In a best-case scenario, it merely reduces the chance of getting a severe case of a virus if one catches it. Hence, it is a medical treatment, not a vaccine. I do not want to take a medical treatment for an illness I do not have.
2. The drug companies, politicians, medical establishment, and media have joined forces to universally refer to this as a vaccine when it is not one, with the intention of manipulating people into feeling safer about undergoing a medical treatment. Because they are being deceitful, I do not trust them, and want nothing to do with their medical treatment.
3. The presumed benefits of this medical treatment are minimal and would not last long in any case. The establishment acknowledges this, and is already talking about additional shots and ever-increasing numbers of new “vaccines” that would be required on a regular basis. I refuse to turn myself into a chronic patient who receives injections of new pharmaceutical products on a regular basis simply to reduce my chances of getting a severe case of a virus that these injections do not even prevent.
4. I can reduce my chances of getting a severe case of a virus by strengthening my immune system naturally. In the event I catch a virus, there are vitamins and well-established drugs that have had wonderful results in warding off the illness, without the risks and unknowns of this medical treatment.
5. The establishment insists that this medical treatment is safe. They cannot possibly know this because the long-term effects are entirely unknown, and will not be known for many years. They may speculate that it is safe, but it is disingenuous for them to make such a claim that cannot possibly be known. Because they are being disingenuous, I do not trust them, and I want no part of their treatment.
6. The drug companies have zero liability if anything goes wrong, and cannot be sued. Same for the politicians who are pushing this treatment. I will not inject myself with a new, experimental medical device when the people behind it accept no liability or responsibility if something goes wrong. I will not risk my health and my life when they refuse to risk anything.
7. Israel’s Prime Minister has openly admitted that the Israeli people are the world’s laboratory for this experimental treatment. I am not interested in being a guinea pig or donating my body to science.
8. Israel agreed to share medical data of its citizens with a foreign drug company as a fundamental part of their agreement to receive this treatment.I never consented for my personal medical data to be shared with any such entity, nor was I even asked. I will not contribute to this sleazy enterprise.
9. The executives and board members at Pfizer are on record that they have not taken their own treatment, despite all the fanfare and assurances. They are claiming that they would consider it unfair to “cut the line”. This is a preposterous excuse, and it takes an unbelievable amount of chutzpah to even say such a thing. Such a “line” is a figment of their own imagination; if they hogged a couple of injections for themselves no one would cry foul. In addition, billionaires with private jets and private islands are not known for waiting in line until hundreds of millions of peasants all over the world go first to receive anything these billionaires want for themselves.
10. The establishment media have accepted this preposterous excuse without question or concern. Moreover, they laud Pfizer’s executives for their supposed self-sacrifice in not taking their own experimental treatment until we go first. Since they consider us such fools, I do not trust them, and do not want their new treatment. They can have my place in line. I’ll go to the very back of the line.
11. Three facts that must be put together:
Bill Gates is touting these vaccines as essential to the survival of the human race.
Bill Gates believes the world has too many people and needs to be “depopulated”.
Bill Gates, perhaps the richest man in the world, has also not been injected. No rush.
Uh, no. I’ll pass on any medical treatments he wants me to take.
12. The establishment has been entirely one-sided in celebrating this treatment.The politicians and media are urging people to take it as both a moral and civic duty. The benefits of the treatment are being greatly exaggerated, the risks are being ignored, and the unknowns are being brushed aside. Because they are being deceitful and manipulative, I will not gamble my personal wellbeing on their integrity.
13. There is an intense propaganda campaign for people to take this treatment.Politicians and celebrities are taking selfies of themselves getting injected (perhaps in some cases pretending to get injected), the media is hyping this as the coolest, smartest, most happy and fun thing to do. It is the most widespread marketing campaign in history. This is not at all appropriate for any medical treatment, let alone a brand new one, and it makes me recoil.
14. The masses are following in tow, posting pictures of themselves getting injected with a drug, feeding the mass peer pressure to do the same. There is something very alarming and sick about this, and I want no part of it. I never took drugs just because “everyone’s doing it” and it’s cool. I’m certainly not going to start now.
15. Those who raise concerns about this medical treatment are being bullied, slandered, mocked, censored, ostracized, threatened, and fired from their jobs. This includes medical professionals who have science-based concerns about the drug and caregivers who have witnessed people under their charge suffering horrible reactions and death shortly after being injected. When the establishment is purging good people who risk everything simply to raise concerns about a new medical treatment — even if they don’t outright oppose it — I will trust these brave people over the establishment every time. I cannot think of a single similar case in history when truth and morality turned out to be on the side of the establishment.
16. This is the greatest medical experiment in the history of the human race.
17. It is purposely not being portrayed as the greatest medical experiment in the history of the human race, and the fact that it is a medical experiment at all is being severely downplayed.
18. Were they up front with the masses, very few would agree to participate in such an experiment. Manipulating the masses to participate in a medical experiment under false pretenses violates the foundations of medical ethics and democratic law. I will not allow unethical people who engage in such conduct to inject me with anything.
19. The medical establishment is not informing people about any of this. They have become marketing agents for an experimental drug, serving huge companies and politicians who have made deals with them. This is a direct conflict with their mandate to concern themselves exclusively with the wellbeing of the people under their care. Since the medical establishment has become corrupted, and has become nothing more than a corporate and political tool, I do not trust the experimental drug they want so badly to inject me with.
20. We are being pressured in various ways to get injected, which violates medical ethics and the foundations of democratic society. The best way to get me not to do something is to pressure me to do it.
21. The government has sealed their protocol related to the virus and treatments for THIRTY YEARS. This is information that the public has a right to know, and the government has a responsibility to share. What are they covering up? Do they really expect me to believe that everything is kosher about all this, and that they are concerned first and foremost with my health? The last time they did this was with the Yemenite Children Affair. If you’re not familiar with it, look it up. Now they’re pulling the same shtick. They didn’t fool me the first time, and they’re definitely not fooling me now.
22. The government can share our personal medical data with foreign corporations, but they won’t share their own protocol on the matter with us? I’m out.
23. The establishment has recruited doctors, rabbis, the media, and the masses to harangue people who don’t want to get injected with a new drug. We are being called the worst sort of names. We are being told that we believe in crazy conspiracies, that we are against science, that we are selfish, that we are murderers, that we don’t care about the elderly, that it’s our fault that the government continues to impose draconian restrictions on the public. It’s all because we don’t want to get injected with an experimental treatment, no questions asked. We are even being told that we have a religious obligation to do this, and that we are grave sinners if we do not. They say that if we do not agree to get injected, we should be forced to stay inside our homes forever and be ostracized from public life.
This is horrific, disgusting, a perversion of common sense, morality, and the Torah. It makes me recoil, and only further cements my distrust of these people and my opposition to taking their experimental drug. How dare they?
24. I know of many people who got injected, but none of them studied the science in depth, carefully weighed the potential benefits against the risks, compared this option to other alternatives, was truly informed, and decided this medical treatment was the best option for them. On the contrary, they got injected because of the hype, the propaganda, the pressure, the fear, blind trust in what “the majority of experts” supposedly believed (assuming THEY all studied everything in depth and were completely objective, which is highly dubious), blind trust in what certain influential rabbis urged them to do (ditto the above), or hysterical fear that the only option was getting injected or getting seriously ill from the virus. When I see mass hysteria and cult-like behavior surrounding a medical treatment, I will be extremely suspicious and avoid it.
25. The drug companies have a long and glorious history of causing mass carnage with wonder drugs they thrust on unsuspecting populations, even after serious problems had already become known. Instead of pressing the pause button and halting the marketing of these drugs until these issues could be properly investigated, the drug companies did everything in their power to suppress the information and keep pushing their products. When companies and people have demonstrated such gross lack of concern for human life, I will not trust them when they hype a new wonder drug. This isn’t our first rodeo.
26. Indeed, the horror stories are already coming in at warp speed, but the politicians are not the least bit concerned, the medical establishment is brushing them aside as unrelated or negligible, the media is ignoring it, the drug companies are steaming ahead at full speed, and those who raise a red flag continue to be bullied, censored, and punished. Clearly my life and my wellbeing are not their primary concern. I will not be their next guinea pig in their laboratory. I will not risk being the next “coincidence”.
27. Although many people have died shortly after getting injected — including perfectly healthy young people — we are not allowed to imply that the injection had anything to do with it. Somehow this is anti-science and will cause more people to die. I believe that denying any possible link, abusing people who speculate that there might be a link, and demonstrating not the slightest curiosity to even explore if there might be a link is what is anti-science and could very well cause more people to die. These same people believe I am obligated to get injected as well. No freaking thanks.
28. I am repulsed by the religious, cult-like worship of a pharmaceutical product, and will not participate in this ritual.
29. My “healthcare” provider keeps badgering me to get injected, yet they have provided me no information on this treatment or any possible alternatives.Everything I know I learned from others outside the establishment. Informed consent has become conformed consent. I decline.
30. I see all the lies, corruption, propaganda, manipulation, censorship, bullying, violation of medical ethics, lack of integrity in the scientific process, suppression of inconvenient adverse reactions, dismissal of legitimate concerns, hysteria, cult-like behavior, ignorance, closed-mindedness, fear, medical and political tyranny, concealment of protocols, lack of true concern for human life, lack of respect for basic human rights and freedoms, perversion of the Torah and common sense, demonization of good people, the greatest medical experiment of all time being conducted by greedy, untrustworthy, godless people, the lack of liability for those who demand I risk everything… I see all this and I have decided they can all have my place in line. I will put my trust in God. I will use the mind He blessed me with and trust my natural instincts.
Which leads to the final reason which sums up why I will not get “vaccinated.”
31. The Whole thing Stinks.
April 9, 2021 @ 3:50 pm
Very clever.
All entirely valid and good reasons for not getting a vaccine.
Agreed very much, why would YOU want to put yourself to the slightest risk when YOU wouldn’t get any benefit at all.
The fact that SOMEONE has to risk their life to test everything wouldn’t apply to you.
Maybe this vaccine is worse than the disease, but maybe it will save the lives of many, and the only way we will find out are because a lot of people knowingly risk their life for the greater good. (Obviously, a large number just have blind faith in science, but many know the risks)
So I’m calling you out as a coward. If the vaccine kills me, at least I’ll die trying to help my friends.
April 9, 2021 @ 4:48 pm
Why aren’t your friends getting the vaccine though?
April 9, 2021 @ 5:04 pm
Of course they will.
But the vaccines are about 96% effective, so 4 in 100 may still be at some risk. I have more than 100 friends (including family).
Or maybe the protection will run out earlier than we think. Or they might have underlying conditions and can’t get it.
Look, vaccines suck. I have a minimal amount, but this is for a contagious virus. Its selfish not to try to help.
And if you don’t want to get it, at least have the decency to be apologetic about being a coward and scared to die. Thats ok, the world needs cowards as well.
April 9, 2021 @ 5:22 pm
I am not at all selfish.
Certainly not a coward.
And, i am certainly not going to apologize for not taking this particular “vaccine.”
I respect the heck out of you Blackh4t, but not rolling over on this.
And you are certainly welcome to your opinion.
April 9, 2021 @ 5:35 pm
Gotcha…”safe and 96% effective.”
Unless your friends are all very old and around the median age of death already, or have comorbidities, a 4% chance of an already extremely low rate of serious consequences starts to get pretty negligible.
I sincecerly hope that there are no, yet unknown consequences to such mass use of currently yet to be long-term tested mRNA vaccines…and I sincerely hope that doing mass vaccinations during a pandemic does not alter the course of the mutation of this virus for the substantially worse. But if either of those things turns out to be true, I think the name calling might quickly shift in your direction.
April 9, 2021 @ 6:30 pm
Hey Di,
Thanks, I also respect you a lot. So it’s interesting that we have such opposite views on this.
I think a lot of it has to do with context. Over here we have basically eliminated Covid. In fact, it annoys me (and a lot of others) that if the rest of the world had got their sh*t together, none of this would be an issue.
Anyway, what that means is that we are in a good place and when the people who put us in a good place say ‘here, take this, it will be a good thing’ its a lot easier to accept.
Also, we get to keep our pride “We beat it ourselves, but you can put a bandaid on if you want” vs “I don’t want big pharma gloating that they had to save us”
The way I see it, it’s the sacrifice our generation needs to make. Other generations had to enlist (back when there was a real risk of dying) or had to be exposed to DDT so that there was enough food for all, or live in affordable asbestos houses so everyone could have a house etc.
I mean, right now, people are hurting/dying from the virus and its flow-on economic and social effects.
The likelyhood of the vaccine to be safe is within our normal risk level (red bull kills many people, but we still use it to stay awake because the associated risks. Heck, even sugar is super dangerous and consume huge amounts of it.)
The chances that it helps a lot more than hurts are also high.
The excuses about mutations and Bill Gates and all the rest are just plain excuses for not wanting to take a risk.
So I’m honestly interested to know, do you disagree or have I missed something?
Or is it that you would prefer to beat it yourself without the help of anyone else? (I’m pretty sure that’s what I’d be if I was in your place)
We should continue this chat, send me your contact to this disposeable email kegalec421@0pppp.com and I’ll reply to you normally (if it works)
April 10, 2021 @ 10:51 am
Hey Blackh4t do not want you to think i am ignoring you.
Thank you for the offer of communicating via the link you provided.
Not going to use the temp. site.
Several reasons for not drinking the covid kool-aid.
Know too much about the criminal activities of the key players. The megalomania, greed, etc.
Compound nuclear pharmaceuticals, under nuclear license, for patients.
Am familiar with medical pharmaceuticals, immunology, etc.
Concerning covid, this is probably one of those instances where we will agree to disagree.
April 9, 2021 @ 4:30 pm
A ” few things” to consider would be three or four. Thirty-plus is an un-readable fuck-load.
April 9, 2021 @ 5:02 pm
You can do it. There are pills if you need help.
April 10, 2021 @ 7:56 am
I am a veterinary student. We still get comparable knowledge of vaccinations to that of medical students. With that said the fact that it is an mRNA vaccine does not change the fact that it is still a vaccine. Using mRNA is just a novel way to get your cells to make antibodies to the virus which is the end goal of any vaccine. The virus is not a live virus so it cannot actually infect you the same way as a live attenuated vaccine and is actually safer. A lot of vaccines do not provide sterilizing immunity. That is not unique about this one and they are still considered vaccines. To everyone complaining about feeling tired for a day after the second shot I say imagine how you’d feel actually being infected if you can’t handle a little shot that is not even virulent compared to the virus itself. I can understand if you do not have co-morbidities and are a healthy person and don’t want to get it. I also understand that this has been over politicized which does not help. Please just don’t spread this fear mongering BS and try to play internet scientist. There’s a reason people in the scientific community have to go to school for 8-12 years. If it was that easy and simple to be an expert instead of act like one anyone could spend a couple hours on the internet and get a medical degree.
April 9, 2021 @ 7:53 pm
Lord help us all. I’ve said for years that the internet will be our ultimate downfall and is making people dangerously dumber. The fact that this has 7 “thumbs ups” is proof of that. One doesn’t need to read any further than #1 (and its complete mischaracterization of what a vaccine is) to know that it’s complete BS cooked up by some internet meth wizard who gets all their information from memes their drunk uncle sends them on Facebook. It’s nearly unbelievable, but nothing on this front really shocks me anymore.
April 10, 2021 @ 6:06 am
“I’m too smart to be tricked into gettin that dang ol government shot!” – Dumbass Morgan Wallen fan
September 3, 2021 @ 11:50 pm
I’m a Morgan Wallen fan, I’m definitely not dumb, and I’m still not getting the shot no matter what the government prevents me from doing. I don’t like the government mandating any kind of medical treatment on it’s citizens. Anyone who wants the shot can get it, and if you don’t want it, you should be allowed to get a test to go to these events. PERIOD.
April 10, 2021 @ 8:33 pm
all this “research” and “perhaps” bill gates is the richest person on earth. fucking lol.
April 12, 2021 @ 8:39 am
You used 31 points to say about 5 things:
There is no vaccine (which if it ain’t then what is it?)
The vaccine is overhyped (just like every mass vaccination ever rolled out. And then you proceed to overhype the religious cult ‘warp speed horror stories’)
The vaccine is still experimental (meaning I guess that there are no long-term data, but all the data available support the vaccination program continuing)
The vaccine is not necessary (because you probably won’t get it, and if you do you can take all these other (presumably side-effect free and 100% effective?) drugs instead.)
There is a government cover-up (and you reference some obscure unrelated ‘incident’ as proof.)
With 787 million doses administered over the last few months, simple common sense should be starting to prevail. Any significant negative concern will not be languishing in obscurity. Reports of the issue won’t be something you stumble on while slinking through the dark web. You’re gonna hear about it. And we haven’t had anything truly unexpected yet.
The reduction in flu numbers simply indicates 2 things: social distancing measures are effective, and COVID-19 spreads more readily than the flu. And regardless of classification, deaths are way up over the last year, so don’t obfuscate that fact.
Don’t be a pussy. Don’t be chicken-shit. And don’t crap on your fellow humans.
Just get the fuckin’ shot.
April 16, 2021 @ 4:23 pm
That’s a whole lot of cray cray cut and pasting there champ!
April 9, 2021 @ 2:44 pm
An opinion that starts with semantic pedantry, veers into conspiracy, devolves into intimidation and ends with poor capitalization. Just the reason I come here.
April 9, 2021 @ 4:59 pm
its common sense, not ‘clever’ stop projecting , the only thing pedantic or cowardly is responding with emotional knee jerk attacks over scientific reasoning and empirical evidence, not msm propaganda, there never has been nor will be a better immunity than that nature provides and texas and florida continue to prove while ny and california the maskhole nazi states see their cases rise, and miss me with that endangering others BS you’ve been vaccinated you cant be infected anymore right ? or are you admitting the ‘vaccine’ is useless?
btw how are you enjoying year two of .14 days to flatten the curve’ ? and what part of the 99.7% – 99.9 survival rate on the cdc website don’t you grasp ?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2021/03/18/covid-spiking-in-over-a-dozen-states-most-with-high-vaccination-rates/?sh=3cdd59f53ec4
https://www.cbs7.com/2021/04/07/nearly-4-weeks-after-reopening-texas-covid-hospitalizations-continue-to-drop/ https://www.winterwatch.net/2021/02/clever-forensic-investigation-offers-compelling-evidence-covid-19-is-a-scamdemic/
https://www.wftv.com/news/local/florida-prepares-spring-break-crowds-state-sees-covid-19-deaths-cases-decline/34R3OUTEJVGHFPFJNIRF5OKR3E/
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/exclusive-former-pfizer-vp-your-government-is-lying-to-you-in-a-way-that-could-lead-to-your-death
COVID-19 survival rates per CDC:
0-19: 99.997%
20-49: 99.98%
50-69: 99.5%
70 & over: 94.6%
April 9, 2021 @ 7:12 pm
Ridiculous comment. That death rate when applied to the entire number of people who contract covid is no joke. Covid killed more people than any other cause of death the past year, except for cancer and heart disease (and it’s not too far off from cancer). It has been the leading cause of death for for much of 2021. And spare us the “BuT tHeY lAbEl EvErY dEaTh CoViD”.
Use your damn head, grow a pair, and do your part by getting the shot.
April 10, 2021 @ 10:59 pm
the numbers are fraudulent, PCR tests provide false positives whenever needed and every death is now marked covid, for example you die in a car accident and die from injuries going through a windshield ,they test your corpse using the PCR test which shows you had covid (not died of but had it) you are still counted as a COVID death so that the hospital gets more money per death and more continued grants, they don’t even deny this anymore
also isn’t it ‘miraculous’ how the flu has disappeared? https://www.rt.com/op-ed/504625-covid19-flu-disappeared-replaced/
even by the CDCs admission less than 6% of people who are labeled as dying with Covid died OF Covid, but don’t take my word on the PCR tests being wholly unreliable,listen to your pal Fraudci https://youtu.be/a_Vy6fgaBPE?t=234 whio admits the cycle thresholds are so high that the PCR tests are all but guaranteed to give false positives
your irrational fear is keeping you enslaved, i have been working with the public every day since this nonsense stated [and long before] never missing a days work, because the music store i work at is deemed an essential business as we supply the schools with musical instruments, i have never worn a mask nor has my wife nor do our children, none of us have fallen ill with anything more than a mild flu, and no one at our church has died of Covid, a few have died with it (if you believe the bogus PCR test) though in reality from other causes ie cancer,old age, other naturally occuring co-morbidities, and we have not missed church once in the last year and a half, twice a week.
i live in the real world not inundated nor indoctrinated by the so called ‘news’ and again, look no further than Texas and Florida to prove that masks and lockdowns are both not only a waste of time but detrimental to your health, you need to be out among other people exchanging germs, building a natural resistance eating healthy,exercising, getting sunshine and not blocking your airway hiding indoors and killing your natural immunity with over use of antibiotic soaps and hand sanitizers as now even the MSM admitted transmission via touching surfaces now has less than a 1 in 10 thousand chance of transmitting the virus.
free your mind and common sense will follow. learn to think instead of being a parrot manipulated by fear and cowering to the need for acceptance
you know why the Amish have all but beat Covid? they don’t watch the ‘news’ nor fear the natural cycle of death or life – https://news.yahoo.com/what-we-can-learn-from-the-amish-about-coronavirus-180046868.html
but you run off to google now and seek out your little faked checkers at usa today,huffpost or politifact who will hide and censor or scrub anything that does’t serve their narrative and lie to you and say ‘well just because it states right there on the box of masks that they don’t protect against covid 19 doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wear them or that they don’t work!’ lol . – sure.
if Fauci were to tell you right now there was a camp you and your family would be covid free and all you hasd to do was climb into the train and then its off to the showers of Auschwitz we go! wwhy you’d be the first aboard, who makes the Nazi’s ? those too sheepish to stand up for themselves and who feear confrontation or rocking the boat, those who would sacrifice freedom for fear. ,
you’ll open your eyes eventually ,i just hope when you do its not too late.
trust real doctors who are NOT working an agenda but are instead concerned with your well being https://worlddoctorsalliance.com/
April 11, 2021 @ 1:55 am
You people and your whacked out conspiracy theories….
April 11, 2021 @ 8:19 am
“World Doctors Alliance.”
When it comes to virology and infectious diseases, no one I trust more than an organization whose board includes a homeopathic dentist.
April 11, 2021 @ 8:24 am
But at least they don’t appear to offer exorcisms and getting rid of sex demons.
So that’s something, I guess.
April 11, 2021 @ 4:29 pm
Matt – The flu “disappeared” because masks and social distancing work, Einstein. I didn’t read any more of your post. A friendly suggestion: I recommend you take a break from LARPING as an amateur disease expert, focus on the the things in your life you are good at / have a clue about / really matter to you, and from consuming social media l-driven (mis) information on topics like science, etc. altogether. Think about it. Seriously.
April 10, 2021 @ 8:13 am
You do realize that a lot of us wouldn’t exist today if not for vaccines. We just take them for granted because we haven’t had to experience life without them and don’t fully grasp what life would be. I’m sure if you got bit by a rabid animal you’d take a vaccine over getting rabies and dying. Your body can’t save you from it. Being healthy and living healthy is great but it can only get you so far.
April 14, 2021 @ 1:28 pm
Ells, Regarding this entire thread, you nailed it!
April 9, 2021 @ 3:35 pm
Eric not stupid. There’s a reason he turned off his comments on his Instagram.
April 9, 2021 @ 6:11 pm
thank you eric church for prooving me right. keep up the good work.
April 10, 2021 @ 7:18 am
I just saw Ward Davis and Charles Wesley Godwin at the Charleston Music Hall last night. It was a great show even though there weren’t many in attendance. I’m looking forward to the SteelDrivers in June. I’m glad to be getting back to live music.
April 10, 2021 @ 7:43 am
Hey does anyone know if Luke Hubbard (son of Ray Wylie) will be playing in Eric’s band? I saw RWH make some allusion to that happening but couldn’t tell if it was just his unique sense of humor…
April 10, 2021 @ 7:49 am
Yeah I saw that too and came to the same conclusion. I don’t think it’s real, but perhaps something to keep an eye out for.
April 10, 2021 @ 7:59 am
Regarding the vaccine, I’m going to listen to the medical experts & not folks online. Unless you have a degree, are currently working in the field or have a direct line to one, leave it to them.
As for Chief, good on him for taking the lead on this. I’ll be going to the Buffalo stop on the tour, barring another pandemic LOL.
April 10, 2021 @ 10:42 am
Interesting comments here. Maybe we should rename the site Saving Qountry Music.
One the thing the “I wOnT liVe iN fEar oF a vIrUs” people won’t ever acknowledge is the amount of neurological and psychiatric conditions being diagnosed in COVID survivors. I don’t ever remember getting “brain fog” after the flu.
https://www.psych.ox.ac.uk/news/largest-study-to-date-suggests-link-between-covid-19-infection-and-subsequent-mental-health-and-neurological-conditions
April 10, 2021 @ 11:38 am
Theyre clearly experts in field of science, technology & medicine hahaha
April 10, 2021 @ 2:35 pm
My plan is to urge everyone I know and everyone else to get the vaccine that way I dont have too😀
April 11, 2021 @ 5:37 am
I don’t know what it is about him but there’s something. Some vibe he’s always given me. It sounds crazy. I don’t know but there is a sense I get from him that at some point something really bad comes out about the guy. I’ve kind of liked his music but he’s sets off my creep alarm. Call me crazy that’s ok maybe I am.
April 11, 2021 @ 7:31 pm
It’s the gasses (partially). Don’t feel bad. I think the same is true about Zach Bryan. He’s way too bro-ish to not have some shit come up about his past or do something dumb sometime soon.
April 12, 2021 @ 9:43 am
Covid Kool-Aid? If conspiracy theories win over science we are all f*cked!
April 13, 2021 @ 1:15 pm
Please help me understand why someone who chooses not to get vaccinated needs to be convinced to get it by other people who choose to get the vaccine. If everyone who wants to be vaccinated gets a shot, why does it matter who doesn’t get it? Aren’t the people who got the shot protected now so they don’t have to worry about who didn’t get it? I choose not to get vaccinated but I don’t go around telling other people not to get it. I also wear a mask while in public but don’t shame or tell people without a mask that they need to wear one.
Not sure why I am more discouraged than encouraged to get the vaccine when I see a Washington Post article that says a Vaccine Passport will be rolling out in the near future. “Coming soon to your smartphone: Digital codes that afford you access to airplanes, concert venues and even restaurants. Vaccine passports are new apps that will carry pieces of your health information — most critically your coronavirus vaccination status. They may soon be required to travel internationally or even to enter some buildings.”
When people are so easily persuaded to do things out of FEAR of death (when we all know death is inevitable) or in order to partake in different parts of society (concerts, games, traveling), how much longer until people will easily accept what was forewarned 2,000 years ago?
“He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Revelation 13:16,17
April 14, 2021 @ 3:10 pm
You’re criticizing believing nonsense based on fear and ignorance? Sounds like you’re arguing against your own religion brother.
April 14, 2021 @ 5:20 pm
I actually don’t identify myself as a Christian anymore but I did for my first 30 years. I was trying to reference the specific passage that people I know have referred to for years as something to watch out for, kind of like other literature has done such as 1984, Brave New World, etc. It’s kind of eerie when certain books can seem to predict the future.
Do you think a “Vaccine Passport” to go places won’t eventually turn into other requirements to “freely” travel? It may be years away but the surveillance of Americans has only increased over time especially with advancement in technology.
I’m trying to understand why I need to get vaccinated to protect others who are also vaccinated. I myself don’t trust that the fastest vaccine ever created is 99.9% safe from any long term effects that may not arise until months/years down the road. That’s just me and my current freedom of choice.
April 15, 2021 @ 9:41 pm
I’m not sure if your comments are sincere or not, but since you asked twice I’ll assume they are. Unvaccinated populations create pools of fertile ground for Covid to live. As it continues to live, it mutates. The larger the pool of unvaccinated people, the longer Covid has a chance to mutate. Viruses mutate all the time, but most mutations are harmless. But the right combination could potentially render our current vaccines useless. So then, a new vaccine would need to be devised. And so on. By choosing not to vaccinate, you are basically putting the rest of the country at risk by providing the virus with a potential nesting ground to mutate in. This information is widely available on the internet.
On another note, I’ve noticed that people don’t care much for the artists these days, just whether they can be used to prove or score political points. Eric Church was used by the left to enflame gun debates, and now is being pilloried by the right for endorsing vaccines, as if either position he took was political or even extreme. People are using Morgan Wallen to show their rage over cancel culture more than to show their support for Morgan Wallen. They don’t even feel he should’ve apologized, because concern for others has become a foreign concept, apparently (hmmm, same with taking vaccines – there’s a theme here!) The artists themselves would mostly prefer not to pick a side no doubt and just keep as broad an audience as possible. I love the imagery in “Through my Ray Bans”. I’ve felt the same thing at his concert before. We’re all here, together, singing the same words to the same songs. But right now people prefer to hate. We’re all wound up after a year of Covid. Let’s hope it gets better as the vaccines continue to get into arms. Covid has gone down by 95% in nursing homes since the start of the vaccine deployment. Let’s keep it going.
April 15, 2021 @ 5:59 pm
keep up the good work eric. if stupid inbred rednecks want to die from covid.. then their loss… look at sarah palin she said she was wrong for not wearing a mask. and she has covid.. but go ahead morons kill yourself… when not if but when you do get covid do not come crying to the smart people who tried to warn you… i cannot believe there are that many stupid people in this country.