The Moment Eric Church Realized He Needed to Always Wear Sunglasses on Stage
His shades aren't a fashion choice but a solution to a problem.
Singer-songwriter Eric Church wasn't always planning to wear sunglasses when he performed on stage, but he found out that sometimes, you must listen to what your body tells you.
Watch any video performance of Church's — or better yet, catch him live in concert — and you'll notice the star always dons a pair of shades. It's no coincidence, but that quirky decision is more than just wanting to look cool. As it turns out, the "Springsteen" singer discovered that his prescription contacts didn't mix well with stage lighting whatsoever.
In an interview with AXS TV way back in 2012, Church (while wearing his now-iconic Ray-Bans) revealed that he learned early on in his touring days that sunglasses were a necessity.
"I wear contacts, and my eyes don't do real well with lubrication, but we would play all these bars and clubs and the PAR can lights… I'm 6'3", so they would bake my contacts, and they'd fall off. So I ended up being blind on stage," Church explained. "Someone suggested glasses, and it worked."
So there you have it: the star simply wanted to be able to actually see what he was doing up there!
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Church didn't think anything of it but soon discovered that his sunglasses would become synonymous with his on-stage persona just as much as his flawless vocals!
"What's funny is it stuck," he admitted. "It was never thought out. We never thought, 'This would be good.' We actually at the time thought this is not good… but it ended up being a thing."
Despite being intrinsically linked to his shades, the 47-year-old is quick to set the record straight: his sunglasses aren't permanently fixed to his face when he's not performing.
"If I'm not playing shows, I usually don't wear them," Church confessed to CMT. "But my eyes don't do real well in lights. So if I'm playing shows, I'll have shades on. It doesn't feel right if I don't."
Eric Church tears the house down at Opry 100
Viewers got a first-hand look at how good Church looks — and sounds — wearing his sunglasses when he performed his 2017 hit "Why Not Me" during Opry 100: A Live Celebration.
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The performance encapsulated everything fans have grown to love about Church as he sang the song he dedicated to the mass shooting victims of the Las Vegas-based Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in 2017. It was an emotional and musical rollercoaster, leaving many in the audience at the Grand Ole Opry near tears.
Of course, Church's live rendition of "Why Not Me" was far from the only highlight of the night — it was one of countless unforgettable performances! The artist lineup was legendary: everyone from Reba McEntire to Kelsea Ballerini stopped by to pay tribute to Nashville's most iconic venue.
If you missed Opry 100 live as it aired, don't worry; you can stream it antytime and anywhere by logging on to Peacock!
