Eric Church On What Changed His Mind About Performing The National Anthem

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As we’ve told you, Eric Church will join Jazmine Sullivan to sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl on Sunday, and he says it’s something he actually never wanted to do.

“I’ve avoided it forever,” he tells the “Los Angeles Times.” “It’s an incredibly hard song to sing. And I’m not a vocalist — I’m a stylist,” adding, “Somebody like me, you take some liberties with it, then you’ve gotten too far away from the melody and suddenly you’re a communist. He adds, “Honestly, there’s just more to lose than to gain.”

But Eric changed his mind after seeing the riot at the Capitol on January 6^th. “With what’s going on in America, it feels like an important time for a patriotic moment,” he says. “An important time for unity. The fact that I’m a Caucasian country singer and she’s an African American R&B singer — I think the country needs that.”

When it comes to getting back out on the road, Eric says he’s “hopeful” about things happening at some point this year. “I like where we’re heading,” he says. “I think 2021’s gonna be a redemption year and 2022’s gonna be the s—.”

• Eric is so anxious to get folks back at shows but knows it’s all about getting people vaccinated. “I wish we were in a place right now where we could use concerts to vaccinate people,” he says. “Somebody asked me if I’d take the vaccine. I said I’d take it in the eyeball to go strap on a guitar.”

Source: Los Angeles Times