Courtesy: EMI Records Nashville
Caught in the Act is a fitting title for southern rock musician Eric Church’s new live release. The single-disc CD presents a performance of Church performing live at the Tivoli Theatre in Chattanooga, Tennessee. His first ever live release, it does quite the job of covering his first three albums. This makes this record more than just a live release. On one hand, it becomes a good example of a live performance for fans of any level that have never experienced a live Eric Church performance. On another level, it’s an equally impressive introduction to Church’s biggest hits for those that are perhaps newer to his material. On a whole level in and of itself, it’s also an important release as it shows that while there are still purist country acts out there, there is still plenty of room for southern rock, too. And among today’s southern rock artists, Eric Church’s star is very quickly rising. In considering these factors, whether one is new to Eric Church’s music or not, Caught in the Act proves to be a fun live record. And with any luck, it will garner him new fans, and will even perhaps lead to a live video companion to this release.
Caught in the Act is more than just a live release from Eric Church. The recorded performance covers Church’s first three albums as he works on his fourth full length release. It is a largely impressive release from the southern rock musician for his first ever live release. Whether one has experienced Eric Church live or not, this record is just one example of what makes Church’s live shows fan favorites. What’s interesting is that even solely on compact disc and digitally, listeners can feel a certain energy exuded by Church and his band mates. He does interact with his audience in this recording. But something to note is that the amount of interaction with the audience is somewhat limited. This isn’t a bad thing. It’s not bad because it allows for far more time to get in as many songs as possible. When he does interact with his audience, that interaction is more valuable both to those that were in attendance and to those listening to the performance on CD or digitally. The audio mix across the songs is relatively well balanced, too. Sometimes, it feels a little bit like Church’s vocals were overpowered by the band’s music. That’s not in every song. And it could also be chalked up to something as simple as the general acoustics of the venue. A video companion (I.E. DVD/Blu-ray) would definitely help to certify this. It would also be quite the bonus for audiences as it would complete the live experience of seeing Eric Church live.
Erich Church’s new live release is a good release for fans both new and old because of its set list first and foremost. It does a good job of representing where Church started and where he is now. On the surface, it serves as a good representation of where Church has been and where he is now. On another level, it serves as proof that there is still quite the place in the music industry for southern rock. And that being the case, Church is sure to be a southern rock heavyweight throughout his career as long as he is given proper support by radio programmers. He is country. But he is also rock. So his music could very easily cross the genre lines crafted by broadcasting companies. Again, it would take a very concerted effort by programmers at stations on both sides of that divide.
Eric Church’s fans in the Northeast will get to see him live this weekend when he makes a stop at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA along with Kenny Chesney. The pair will perform this Friday and Saturday, August 23rd and August 24th at the home of the New England Patriots. Church’s next live performance after this weekend is on Thursday, October 24th at the ACL Music Festival. Fans can find out if Eric adds new tour dates when they “Like” him on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eric-Church/5691713943. Fans can also keep up with Eric Church’s tour schedule and all of the latest news from him on his official website at http://ericchurch.com, and on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/ericcurch. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.
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