The siren sound of North Carolina basketball is too much for Eric Church to resist, much to the chagrin of the country music superstar’s fans.
Church this week announced he was canceling his concert Saturday night in San Antonio because he’d rather watch UNC take on in-state rival Duke in the Final Four.
“As a lifelong Carolina basketball fan, I’ve watched Carolina and Duke battle over the years but to have them match up in the Final Four for the first time in the history of the NCAA Tournament is any sports enthusiast’s dream,” Church wrote in an email to fans announcing the cancellation.
“This is also the most selfish thing I’ve ever asked the Choir to do: give up your Saturday night plans with us so that I can have this moment with my family and sports community. However, it’s that same type of passion felt by the people who fill the seats at our concerts that make us want to be part of a crowd at a game of this significance.”
Obviously, tickets are being refunded.
Guys like him — especially those who bleed Carolina blue — might understand, but ticketholders in San Antonio are understandably miffed by the sudden change.
“He wants to watch a basketball game instead. Eric Church is a clown,” one fan said on Facebook, as seen in a screengrab on a TMZ story about the announcement.
Another said they’ll never “waste my money” again on tickets to see the 2020 CMA Entertainer of the Year.
It’s been something of a record year for the Tar Heels, who have advanced all the way to New Orleans despite being a No. 8 seed. Saturday night’s game has the potential to be one of the biggest in college basketball history, as it not only marks the first time Carolina and Duke have met in the tournament, it could be the final game of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s career. Coach K is retiring at season’s end and certainly is a desperate man when it comes to adding one final title before calling it quits.
It’ll be over when it’s over for Coach K, and Church will be watching along — likely with a cold one in his hand — as he takes the calculated risk of losing some fans in order to “stand together (with his family) and cheer on the Tar Heels.”
Church, by the way, attended Appalachian State, 160 miles away from Chapel Hill in Boone, N.C.
