ERIC CHURCH, JUSTIN MOORE
7:30 p.m. Verizon Arena. $49-$59.
Now this right here is a pairing of what Nashville tells us is Outlaw Country. Firstly, you’ve got Eric Church, who’s written songs like “Drink In My Hand,” “Hungover & Hard Up,” “Jack Daniels” and “I’m Gettin’ Stoned” (and those are just off his most recent album). When I saw that he has a tune called “Two Pink Lines” I thought, man, this dude really is an outlaw. But alas, the lines Church refers to are those on a home pregnancy test, not the kind that got Ty Herndon and Jeff Bates in trouble.
Still, the song fits into a couple of well-worn country modes that Church has down pat: songs that celebrate partying and songs that lament the repercussions of partying.
Second on this bill is Arkie Justin Moore. Now, your big-city, pinko, commie, bleedin’ heart, Democrat-Party-lovin’, Kombucha-drinkin’, yoga-doin’ gun-grabbers probably don’t care too much for ol’ Moore because he loves guns and freedom. He’s a small-town feller (raised in Poyen) who only moved to Nashville on account of it’s hard to have a big-time country career there in Grant County. Or at least that’s what they tell me.
Moore loves guns so much he wrote a song called “Guns.” When the Times staff heard it last year, we couldn’t help but topoke a little bit of good-natured fun. How could we resist, especially with bons mots like “Why don’t you go bust them boys that’s sellin’ crack” and “Come on man it ain’t like I’m a slingin’ ’em on the block.” Get it? Wink-wink. Moore’s the right kind of gun-owner, not like, you know, those other ones.
Opening the show is Kip Moore, no relation to Justin, so probably don’t ask about it if you run into him.