Eric Church made good on his promise that he had some surprises in store for his “special solo performances” in Pennsylvania on Saturday evening when he surprised the sold-out crowd with special guest Morgan Wallen.
During Church’s sold-out Gather Again Tour stop in Philadelphia on Saturday (Oct. 9) at the Wells Fargo Center, the country superstar was joined by Wallen to perform several songs together for the capacity crowd.
After welcoming special guest Cam, who also joined him in Pittsburgh on Friday (Oct. 8) evening, Church began to sing Wallen’s “Sand In My Boots” and within moments, Wallen appeared from behind the drum kit.
The arena erupted as the East Tennessee native joined Church on stage, saying, “What’s going on Philadelphia?”
After performing several songs together, Wallen praised the North Carolina native as “the best f**cking country singer to ever exist in my opinion.” He continued to gush that he is “honored to share the stage” with Church, an artist he looks up to as his musical hero.
Wallen told the sold-out audience that he remembers sitting in the lower levels of an arena thinking “I’d like to do this one day.”
“I was sittin’ there somewhere over here in this section, if I remember right. And I thought to myself, man I’d just like to do this one day,” Wallen recalled, as Church chimed in, “How’s it feel?”
“I guess we’re doing this one day in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,” Wallen shouted before showing his appreciation for Church and his fans. “I say all that to say this man, thank you guys so much, I appreciate you allowing me to come up here and sing some songs.
The superstar pair made their way around Church’s massive 360-stage, performing several of Wallen’s songs, which according to a set list, included “Sand In My Boots,” “Whiskey Glasses,” “Somebody’s Problem,” “Silverado For Sale,” and “Quittin’ Time” as well as Church’s “Record Year” and “Homeboy,” a track that Wallen admits is a “favorite” of his and that he has previously covered while on his Whiskey Glasses Roadshow tour.
WATCH: Morgan Wallen Joins His Hero Eric Church On Stage In Philadelphia For 7-Song Performance
The performance comes just one day after Church revealed that he would be performing solo, without a band, at his Pennsylvania tour dates.
At the time he teased, “Get ready PA!”
Church and Wallen seemingly formed a tight-knit friendship over the course of the last year. Most recently, the superstar pair performed several songs together at the opening of The Thirty Club in Nashville, including “Springsteen,” “Sand In My Boots” and more.
The pair also spent time together fishing in late April and even shared a jam session together in late June, singing “Sand In My Boots” during a low-key hang alongside HARDY and Darius Rucker.
Church previously sang Wallen’s praises, telling Billboard, “He’s real damn good, and he’s authentic, That’s the key. Morgan is not trying to be somebody else. He’s just doing him. It’s refreshing to see and hear.”
Church also co-wrote a track on his chart-topping double album, Dangerous, called “Quittin’ Time.” Wallen previously told Country Now that recording a song written by Church is “truly one of my favorite accomplishments so far,” as he admires his style, attitude and just the overall way he handles himself.
“Quittin’ Time” is the song that got Wallen his “initial contact” with Church.
“Since then I’ve been able to spend some time with him and get to know him a little bit better,” Wallen previously shared. “Which is cool for me, just because of how much he means to me musically.”
The performance comes just days after Church launched his massive, 55-date The Gather Again Tour, which boasts of a 3-hour, 36-song performance in-the-round.
Meanwhile, Wallen is gearing up to return to the stage for a 4-show trek this fall, including two shows in Alabama, one in Tennessee and one in Georgia.
