Eric Church fans in Alabama, get ready to rejoice. The country hitmaker has announced new dates for his “Free the Machine Tour,” including a show in Birmingham.
Church is set to perform on March 19, 2026, at the Legacy Arena at the BJCC, with opening act 49 Winchester. Tickets go on sale Friday, Oct. 3, at 10 a.m. CT via Ticketmaster, after a round of pre-sales. Prices are TBA.
Premium members of Church’s fan club, known as the Church Choir, will have first access to tickets on Sept. 29, along with other perks. (More info here.) Other pre-sales start on Wednesday, Oct. 1, and continue through Thursday, Oct. 2, according to the Ticketmaster listing.
The concert at Legacy Arena, an 18,000-capacity venue at 1898 Ninth Ave. North, is one of 24 new dates announced on Wednesday by Church’s team. These shows extend his current tour through April 2026. Birmingham is the only Alabama city on the list.
Church, 48, from North Carolina, is a singer, songwriter and guitarist, known for country songs that bear the influences of rock, metal and blues. His hit list includes “Springsteen,” “Drink in my Hand,” “Talladega,” “Like Jesus Does,” “Give Me Back my Hometown,” “Creepin’” “Love Your Love the Most,” “Hell of a View” and “Record Year.”
He has several studio albums to his credit, including “Evangeline vs. the Machine,” released in March. The record includes the singles “Darkest Hour,” “Johnny” and “Hands of Time.”
Church is a favorite in Alabama, with a history of shows here that stretches back at least 16 years. He headlined at 2024’s Rock the South festival in Cullman, and has played in cities such as Birmingham, Tuscaloosa and Orange Beach.
Audiences in Birmingham have watched the artist’s career develop and his fame grow, during performances at increasingly larger venues. In 2009, he played at the WorkPlay soundstage, then graduated to Sloss Furnace in 2010.
Church made his last appearance at Legacy Arena in 2022, on his “Gather Again Tour.”
“We’ve played in the sweatiest clubs, holes in the wall, and didn’t complain,” Church said in a 2009 interview with The Birmingham News. “Those days when you first start out, playing four-hour sets and covers, can expand you musically. I’ve learned it’s the stuff that nobody can skip. I just believe your rise to the top will mirror your path to the bottom.”
Along with 49 Winchester, opening acts for Church in 2026 will include Alabama native Ella Langley, Caylee Hammack, Stephen Wilson Jr., Kashus Culpepper and Ashley McBryde. The lineup for each show will vary depending on the tour stop.
Church talked about his “Free the Machine Tour” during a recent appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
“When we play nightly, it starts with this big orchestral thing. And then we start to let people go away and we get back to our OG band … and then we strip it down more and it ends up with just me and an acoustic guitar,” Church told Fallon. “That’s where it all started. So we do the whole thing. If you come to a show, you’re gonna get the whole picture of our journey.”
(Watch Church’s interview with Fallon in the video below.)
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