In 2006, Eric Church was invited to open for Rascal Flatts on their Me & My Gang Tour. It would have been, for most artists, a dream gig. At the time, Church still didn't have a hit at radio. His Sinners Like Me album came out that year, with the first two singles, "How 'Bout You" and "Two Pink Lines," failing to make a big hit at radio.
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In a now often-told story, Church was famously kicked off of Rascal Flatts' tour, only their second headlining one, by refusing to get off stage by his allotted time. The final straw came during Rascal Flatts' Madison Square Garden show, with Church staying on past his allotted time..
"For every minute that you go over time, especially in New York City, you're charged thousands of dollars by the minute in labor fees," Flatts once said (via Whiskey Riff). "So the last time was Madison Square Garden. We said, 'It's really important that you get off on time.'"
Church by now knows it's the end of the road for him. So, instead of playing within his time frame, he played as long as he wanted. It became the final straw, and Church was kicked off the tour, replaced by a then-rising star, Taylor Swift.
Me & Myself Tour
What Church did next became a good indication of how he would operate his career for the next almost two decades. With time off of his schedule, he launched what he jokingly called the Me & Myself Tour, following Rascal Flatts around from city to city, playing rock clubs in the exact same cities Flatts were playing in. While Church acknowledges that Rascal Flatts hated that he took matters into his own hands, it did little to dissuade him from doing what he wanted.
"So we get to the last one and it was like, we had a pretty big following. Like it became a thing. And it gave us identity," Church recalls. "We stood for something; we made a decision. We've tried to do that our entire career. I mean, I've done that a number of times where I don't care if you agree with me, I'm gonna tell you what I think. I don't care how it affects my career. That's just who I am. And I think that the real fanbases, they understand that, and I think it makes them more passionate."
Church has continued doing whatever he wants in his career. In 2016, he released his Mr. Misunderstood album, telling no one — including his record label.
