Eric Church | Photo Credit: Joe Pugliese

Multi-Platinum superstar Eric Church has partnered with real estate and hospitality entrepreneur Ben Weprin as co-owners of new six-story property Chief’s at the corner of 2nd Avenue and Broadway in downtown Nashville, with plans to begin renovating the food, beverage and live entertainment space this year.

“I remember driving through downtown Nashville over 20 years ago with a pawn shop guitar, riding shotgun in a beat-to-hell truck just trying to chase a dream,” reflects Church. “Chief’s is the culmination of catching that dream. Like everything else we do in our career, I wouldn’t even attempt a project like this if I didn’t think it would be the best, so that’s what Chief’s will be: the best.”

With Esquire praising Church as “one of the most singular working artists in any genre,” and Stereogum celebrating him as “one of the biggest touring musicians on earth,” the critically acclaimed entertainer’s passion for live music will be on full display with an intimate seated music venue within the space. His roots in the Carolinas will also be reflected on the rooftop of the former Cotton Eyed Joe building, with renowned Charleston pitmaster and James Beard Award winner Rodney Scott bringing his Whole Hog BBQ to Music City.

Rodney Scott | Photo Credit: Angie Mosier

“I am beyond excited to not only bring Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ to Music City, but to also partner with my good friends Eric and Ben on this project,” says Scott. “Anyone who knows me, knows that I love music – so the opportunity to expand the brand in partnership with an award-winning musician makes this project extra special! I can’t wait to share our Carolina roots and our whole hog BBQ with the incredible people of Nashville.”

Church, who set the Nissan Stadium concert attendance record of 56,521 across the river from where Chief’s will stand, has been closely involved in the planning process for the venue, which will reflect his storied career of 30 Gold, Platinum and multi-Platinum singles – from his Sinners Like Me debut through current Top 15-and-climbing single “Heart On Fire” and beyond.

“Bringing a seated music venue to Lower Broadway while revitalizing and preserving a historic building is exactly the kind of investment Nashville’s entertainment sector needs,” notes Mayor John Cooper. “I thank the partners involved for keeping the character of the building while creating a new concept for locals and our visitors to enjoy.”

“Pairing Eric’s talent and passion for music and his work ethic with a new restaurant, bar, performance hall and more downtown is a recipe for success,” adds Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp CEO Butch Spyridon. “The fact that he is doing this in a historic building that will transform the gateway to historic Second Avenue is truly a bonus as that street recovers from 2020’s unfortunate incident.”

“I am partnering with my closest friend and, in my opinion, the greatest hotel entrepreneur on earth, Ben Weprin, and the greatest barbecue chef in the world, Rodney Scott,” continues Church. “Together we will create an experience unique to Nashville and absolutely unparalleled in the world of music, food, fellowship and entertainment. This is my hometown. This is personal. This matters. Every detail of Chief’s will feel that way. I cannot wait to get started. See you in 2023.”

In addition to launching Chief’s, Church is currently playing in-the-round arena shows across the U.S. and Canada on The Gather Again Tour. Tickets to all dates, including the U.S. finale at New York City’s iconic Madison Square Garden, are on sale now at EricChurch.com. All tour dates will enforce local venue and/or city guidelines regarding COVID-19 precautions and Church is touring with a fully vaccinated crew.

For more information, visit www.ericchurch.com and follow on Facebook and Twitter @ericchurch and Instagram @ericchurchmusic. Fans can also download the Eric Church Official App for exclusive offers only available on tour – including seat upgrades, contests and special merchandise – all while connecting with fellow fans from around the world.

Remaining Dates on The Gather Again Tour
* denotes special appearances not part of The Gather Again Tour
February 4                    KFC Yum! Center                                      Louisville, Ky.
February 5                    Bankers Life Fieldhouse                            Indianapolis, Ind.
February 11                  CHI Health Center                                     Omaha, Neb.
February 12                  Wells Fargo Arena                                     Des Moines, Iowa
February 18                  T-Mobile Center                                        Kansas City, Mo.
February 19                  BOK Center                                               Tulsa, Okla.
February 25                  Hampton Coliseum                                    Hampton, Va.
February 26                  Spectrum Center                                        Charlotte, N.C.
March 4                        Amway Center                                           Orlando, Fla.
March 5                        Amalie Arena                                             Tampa, Fla.
March 11                      United Center                                             Chicago, Ill.
March 12                      Enterprise Center                                       St. Louis, Mo.
March 18                      Resch Center                                              Green Bay, Wis.
March 19                      Resch Center                                              Green Bay, Wis.
March 25                      Legacy Arena at the BJCC                        Birmingham, Ala.
March 26                      Simmons Bank Arena                                Little Rock, Ark.
April 1                          Dickies Arena                                            Fort Worth, Texas
April 2                          AT&T Center                                             San Antonio, Texas
April 9                          Smoothie King Center                               New Orleans, La.
April 15                        Moda Center                                              Portland, Ore.
April 16                        Spokane Arena                                           Spokane, Wash.
April 29                        ExtraMile Arena                                        Boise, Idaho
April 30                        Vivint Arena                                              Salt Lake City, Utah
May 6                           Pechanga Arena                                         San Diego, Calif.
May 7                           STAPLES Center                                       Los Angeles, Calif.
May 11                         Golden 1 Center                                         Sacramento, Calif.
May 13                         T-Mobile Arena                                          Las Vegas, Nev.
May 14                         Gila River Arena                                        Glendale, Ariz.
May 20                         Madison Square Garden                             New York, N.Y.
June 17*                       Barefoot Country Music Fest                     Wildwood, N.J.
June 23*                       Country Jam 2022                                      Mack, Colo.
July 1                            Canadian Tire Centre                                 Ottawa, Ontario
July 2                            Scotiabank Arena                                       Toronto, Ontario
July 9*                          Pendleton Whisky Music Festival             Pendleton, Ore.
July 30*                        Big Valley Jamboree                                  Camrose, Alberta
August 27*                   Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey’s    Stateline, NV
August 28*                   Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey’s    Stateline, NV

About Eric Church  Eric Church spent the past year releasing new music at a relentless pace; sharing the results of a marathon session during which he spent nearly a month writing and recording a song per day – including his latest Gold-certified No. 1 single “Hell of a View” and current single “Heart On Fire” – while sequestered in rural North Carolina, resulting in his critically acclaimed, chart-topping new three-part project, Heart & Soul, available everywhere now.

Just as unique as Church’s approach to recording and releasing music is his tenacity on the road. During 2019’s Double Down Tour, Church played back-to-back nights of two unique shows in each market sans opening act, giving every city’s fans six-plus hours of his iconic music. The tour also featured a massive stop at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, where he broke the venue’s concert attendance record with more than 56,000 fans in attendance and became the first artist to sell out the venue with a solo lineup. Church also took to the field at Tampa Bay’s Raymond James Stadium in 2020 of this year to perform the National Anthem with R&B star Jazmine Sullivan ahead of Super Bowl LV and has now returned to the road for his 55-city The Gather Again Tour, visiting full-capacity arenas for an in-the-round show in addition to a recent headlining spot alongside George Strait and Metallica during the ATLive festival at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

A seven-time ACM Award winner, four-time CMA Award winner (including the 2020 award for Entertainer of the Year) and 10-time GRAMMY nominee, Church has amassed a passionate fanbase around the globe known as the Church Choir as well as a critically acclaimed catalog of music. His previous project, the Gold-certified Desperate Man, earned a GRAMMY nomination for Best Country Album (his third nod in the category). Prior releases include the Platinum-certified Sinners Like Me (“How ’Bout You,” “Guys Like Me”), Carolina (“Smoke a Little Smoke,” “Love Your Love the Most”) and Mr. Misunderstood (“Record Year,” “Round Here Buzz”), the Double-Platinum certified The Outsiders (“Like a Wrecking Ball,” “Talladega”) and the 3x Platinum-certified Chief (“Springsteen,” “Drink In My Hand”), as well as 30 Gold, Platinum and multi-Platinum certified singles.

About Pitmaster Rodney Scott  Pitmaster Rodney Scott has been cooking whole-hog barbecue over wood coals since he was 11 years old. For the next 25 years he worked with his family in their BBQ stop in Hemingway, S.C. until 2017 when he opened Rodney Scott’s BBQ in the North Central neighborhood of Charleston, S.C. In that same year, the restaurant was named one of the 50 Best New Restaurants by Bon Appetit Magazine and in 2018, Scott was awarded the James Beard Foundation’s Award for Outstanding Chef Southeast. In 2019, Rodney Scott’s BBQ opened a second location in the Avondale neighborhood of Birmingham, Ala. and in the summer of 2021, a third location in Atlanta, Ga., bringing whole-hog, South Carolina-style barbecue along with his famous “Rodney’s Sauce” to another part of the South.

Rodney has been the subject of a full episode of the award-winning Netflix series “Chef’s Table” and worked as a judge on Food Network’s “BBQ Brawl” for two seasons. His cookbook, Rodney Scott’s World of BBQ, published by Clarkson Potter, was released in the spring of 2021 to great fanfare and named one of the best cookbooks of the year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time Out, Taste of Home, Garden & Gun, Southern Living, VICE and Library Journal. 

For more information, visit www.RodneyScottsBBQ.com and follow on Instagram @PitmasterRodneyScott.

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Multi-Platinum superstar Eric Church has partnered with real estate and hospitality entrepreneur Ben Weprin as co-owners of new six-story property Chief’s at the corner of 2nd Avenue and Broadway in downtown Nashville, with plans to begin renovating the food, beverage and live entertainment space this year. “I remember driving through downtown Nashville over 20 years ago with...