Blood, Sweat & Beers Arena Tour Sets First Week Venue Records

Nashville, Tenn. (Thursday, January 26, 2012) – Eric Church surprised fans at the 2011 ACM Awards with his Awards show performance debut of his hit “Smoke A Little Smoke” from the RIAA Certified Gold sophomore release, Carolina.  Many speculated it was the start of incredible things to come for the EMI Records Nashville singer, and they were right.  Additional milestones soon followed: No. 1 album debut on the Top 200 Billboard charts with CHIEF, his first-ever GRAMMY nomination for Album of the Year, his first No. 1 single with “Drink In My Hand,” which was recently RIAA Certified Gold, and now, his first industry-voted ACM nominations for Album of The Year for CHIEF and Video of The Year for "Homeboy."

"I've never minced words about the fact that my passion is making great records for the sake of the music," says Church.  "The fact that the ACM's have nominated us for the album category is quite the honor and frankly the one I revere the most.  "Homeboy," both musically and visually, is a song that tells a compelling story.  I have a very special place in my heart for the video, and  I'm very grateful that it is getting recognized.  It's been one hell of a year!"

Turning heads out on his first-ever headlining arena tour, Eric Church: The Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour, Church is seemingly on fire right now when it comes to inching closer to achieving sought-after megastar success.  He set venue records in Southaven, MS over the weekend with a record attendance for a show in that arena – beating a record previously set with his performance alongside Jason Aldean. After witnessing his live show, the Los Angeles Times said, “Vehement… propelled further still by the voices of his fans singing along.” Followed by the Oakland Tribune who said, “[Church is] arguably the hottest artist in country these days… this guy’s a major talent and soon to be one of country’s premier stars.”

To purchase tickets for Eric Church: The Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour, which includes special guest Brantley Gilbert, visit www.ericchurch.com. VIP Packages are also available for fans that want to experience an up-close, exclusive backstage acoustic concert.

The ACM Awards winner for the Album of the Year and Video of The Year categories will be announced LIVE on CBS on Sunday, April 1 at 7 p.m. CT / 8 p.m. ET.

For more information on Eric Church, visit his official website at http://www.ericchurch.com.