Eric Church on the COVID-19 Vaccine: ‘I’d Take It in the Eyeball’
Someone asked Eric Church if he'd take the vaccine for COVID-19 right now, and he didn't leave any room for interpretation.
Speaking with the Los Angeles Times, Church was asked if he thinks the festival dates he has booked for 2021 will happen. "I wish we were in a place right now where we could use concerts to vaccinate people," he says. "There's so much antivax s--- that goes around, but I'm seeing less of that now."
And then:
"Somebody asked me if I'd take the vaccine. I said I'd take it in the eyeball to go strap on a guitar."
Older country stars like Willie Nelson and Loretta Lynn have recently shared pictures of themselves getting the vaccine, though in the arm, as recommended. Dolly Parton has said she's waiting for hers, if only to not give the impression that she's getting special celebrity treatment, although she's eligible in Tennessee.
Few have spoken about the COVID-19 vaccine with the same kind of passion as Church, but that's on brand for him. He's equally passionate about his live shows and upcoming Heart & Soul trilogy of albums.
But back to that original question.
Church says he's optimistic about fall (Q4) being a time when it might be okay to play for large audiences once again. As a whole, the festival and touring industry has all but given up on spring and summer — most major festivals originally scheduled through May have been moved to fall, or completely canceled. Maren Morris, and, more recently, Kane Brown, are two artists who have pushed early 2021 tours to later in the year or not at all (in the case of Morris). Right now, Chris Stapleton has the next tour start date, with shows slated for April. Kenny Chesney and Luke Bryan have tours slated for May.
Officially, the next date on Eric Church's touring calendar is a festival show in South Carolina on June 11.
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