Eric Church Is Bringing the Chief to Australia

Australian country fans have been waiting a long time for this one.

After years of sitting high on local wish lists, Eric Church is finally heading our way for his first-ever Australian headline shows, bringing one of modern country music’s most celebrated live shows to Melbourne and Sydney in March 2027.

There are some artists who tour Australia regularly, and then there are those names that seem to remain permanently on the “one day” list. For country fans here, Eric Church has been firmly in the latter camp. That changes next March.

The 11-time Grammy nominee will make his long-awaited Australian headline debut with arena shows at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on March 13 and Afterpay Arena in Sydney on March 16, before heading north to headline the 20th birthday edition of CMC Rocks QLD on March 20.

And he’s not coming alone. Joining Church for the Melbourne and Sydney shows will be Parker McCollum, himself making his Australian debut and adding another major name from the current American country scene to what already shapes as a pretty significant couple of nights.

“Australia, we heard you, and we’re on our way,” Church says. “It’s been a long time coming, and we’re damn excited to finally bring this show to you. We’re gonna pack as much as we can into these nights, so come early, stay late and let’s make up for lost time.”
That last line feels particularly appropriate.

Church's Australian arrival has been years in the making, with CMC Rocks Festival Director Jeremy Dylan saying the singer has been on the festival's “bucket list for almost twenty years.” It's easy to understand why.

Across a career stretching back two decades, Church has built his reputation by doing things largely on his own terms. Country is the foundation, but rock & roll, soul, blues and Southern storytelling have always found their way into the mix, creating a catalogue that can move from a quiet story song to something built to shake the back wall of an arena.

Albums including Chief, The Outsiders, Mr. Misunderstood, Desperate Man and the ambitious triple album Heart & Soul have produced songs such as “Springsteen,” “Drink In My Hand,” “Talladega,” “Record Year,” “Hell Of A View” and “Some Of It”, while establishing Church as one of the defining American country artists of his generation.

His more recent work suggests he's not particularly interested in simply revisiting the past. The 2025 album Evangeline vs. The Machine continued to push at the edges of his sound, while new song “On The Road” finds Church looking back across a career built in buses, backstage rooms and venues, reflecting on the memories that remain after the miles disappear behind you. There’s plenty of road behind him now.

Church is a seven-time ACM Award winner, four-time CMA Award winner — including Entertainer of the Year in 2020 — and an 11-time Grammy nominee. His catalogue includes dozens of Gold, Platinum and multi-Platinum certified songs, but numbers only tell part of the story.

The live show is where the Eric Church reputation really took hold. His concerts have become known for stretching beyond the usual headline format, with changing setlists and a willingness to dig deep into the catalogue. It's a relationship with audiences that has helped turn his fanbase — known collectively as the Church Choir — into one of the most passionate followings in modern country music.
There's another side to Church's story, too.

Following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in 2024, he committed the publishing royalties from “Darkest Hour” to relief efforts in his home state of North Carolina, helping provide immediate assistance as well as longer-term support for affected communities.

Away from recording and touring, his interests now stretch from the revived Field & Stream brand and his Nashville venue Chief's to Outsiders Radio and a minority ownership stake in the Charlotte Hornets. But for Australian audiences, all of that becomes secondary in March. After years of watching from a distance, Australia finally gets the thing Church built his name on in the first place. A stage. A band. A room full of people. And a lot of songs to make up for lost time.

Eric Church — Australian Tour 202 With special guest Parker McCollum

March 13 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne VIC
March 16 — Afterpay Arena, Sydney NSW

Church will then headline CMC Rocks QLD's 20th birthday celebration on March 20.