Eric Church Sets First Australian Headline Shows After Nearly 20 Years On CMC Rocks Wishlist

Eric Church will make his first Australian headline appearances in March 2027, bringing Parker McCollum with him for Melbourne and Sydney shows before heading to CMC Rocks Queensland for the festival’s 20th birthday.

by Paul Cashmere

Eric Church will make his long-awaited Australian headline debut in March 2027, with shows at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena and Sydney’s Afterpay Arena before he headlines CMC Rocks Queensland’s 20th birthday celebration. The country star will be joined by Parker McCollum, who will also be making his Australian debut.

The Australian dates mark a significant step for Church, who has built his career around a catalogue that moves between contemporary country, country rock and southern rock while drawing on influences ranging from Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings to Metallica and AC/DC.

Church has acknowledged the wait himself. “Australia, we heard you, and we’re on our way,” he said in announcing the dates. “It’s been a long time coming, and we’re damn excited to finally bring this show to you.”

The singer has promised to make the most of the opportunity, adding that the Australian concerts will pack as much as possible into each night.

For CMC Rocks, Church’s appearance has been an even longer-term ambition. Festival Director Jeremy Dylan said Church had been on the event’s “bucket list for almost twenty years”, making his headline appearance at the 20th birthday edition a notable piece of the festival’s history.

Church will headline CMC Rocks on March 20, following his arena performances in Melbourne and Sydney. The Queensland festival appearance also places him alongside one of Australia’s established country music events at a milestone edition.

The Australian concerts come as Church enters another stage of a career that began with his 2006 debut album, Sinners Like Me. The record established him as a songwriter as well as a performer, producing country chart hits including “How ‘Bout You”, “Two Pink Lines” and “Guys Like Me”.

His breakthrough came with 2011’s Chief, the album that delivered “Drink In My Hand” and “Springsteen”, his first two No. 1 country singles. Chief also won Album of the Year at the 2012 CMA Awards.

Church followed it with The Outsiders in 2014, Mr. Misunderstood in 2015, Desperate Man in 2018 and the three-part Heart & Soul project in 2021. His eighth studio album, Evangeline vs. the Machine, was released in 2025.

The newer material has continued to sit alongside the songs that established Church’s live identity. His catalogue includes “Springsteen”, “Drink In My Hand”, “Talladega”, “Record Year”, “Round Here Buzz”, “Like A Wrecking Ball”, “Desperate Man” and “Stick That In Your Country Song”.

Church’s most recent release, “On The Road”, provides another connection to the Australian announcement. The song reflects on a career spent travelling and the memories accumulated along the way, giving the 2027 Australian dates an obvious connection to its subject matter.

There is also a strong North Carolina thread running through Church’s recent work. His 2024 song “Darkest Hour” was written before Hurricane Helene but became particularly relevant to the disaster in his home state. Church committed the publishing royalties from the song to North Carolina recovery efforts, while he and Luke Combs helped organise the 2024 Concert for Carolina, which raised more than $24 million for hurricane relief.

The Australian visit will also introduce local audiences to Parker McCollum, the Texas country singer-songwriter who will accompany Church for the two arena shows. Like Church, McCollum has established a profile across country and country-rock audiences in the United States, but the March dates will be his first Australian performances.