If I can channel my inner Sophia Petrillo for just a moment, "Picture it, you've saved your money, bought your tickets, and planned to make a weekend out of a country music concert only to have the star of the show cancel for a very selfish reason". Would that make you mad?

Eric Church
Terry Wyatt, Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
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Well, you wouldn't be alone in that feeling. That's the emotion that thousands of Eric Church fans are dealing with following a surprise announcement from Eric concerning this weekend's planned concert in San Antonio.

Eric Church told his fans, he was not going to play the show because he wants to go to a basketball game. This letter was sent to Eric's fan club known as The Church Choir who purchased tickets for Saturday's show in San Antonio. The contents of the letter were reported in an article published by Music Mayhem Magazine. 

To the Church Choir,

This Saturday, my family and I are going to stand together to cheer on the Tar Heels as the team has made it to the Final Four.

As a lifelong Caroline basketball fan, I’ve watched Carolina and Duke battle over the year but to have them matchup in the Final Four for the first time in history of the NCAA Tournament is any sports enthusiast’s dream.

This is also the most selfish thing I’ve ever asked the Choir to do: to give up your Saturday night plans with us so that I can have this moment with my family and sports community. However, it’s that same type of passion felt by the people who fill the seats at our concerts that makes us want to be part of a crowd at a game of this significance.

Woody Durham always said, “go where you go and do what you do,” thanks for letting me go here and be with the Tar Heels.

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Rick Diamond, Getty Images
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Okay, as a fan of The Chief, that's Eric's nickname, how would that make you feel if you had purchased tickets, made travel arrangements, perhaps even planned on a special evening for a special someone and now you're pre-empted for a basketball game?

Now, if we are to believe Twitter user isaiahg_75 the show isn't going to be made up either. It's just flat out cancelled.

If there is one thing we can say about Eric Church it's this. He's honest. We have all seen shows get cancelled for reasons less than this and most of the time there is no explanation of why the show was axed. At least Eric is upfront and he is aware that this is a very selfish thing for him to do.

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Jason Merritt, Getty Images
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Just think of all the hoopla surrounding the Adele debacle in Las Vegas. It turns out those shows were cancelled because Adele is allegedly a pain in the butt to work with. So, at least Eric is being upfront, transparent, and honest about why he won't be at the show.

One of Eric's representatives said the response to his announcement has been "overwhelmingly positive" among those who post to the Church Choir Facebook page. That page is blocked to outsiders. However, on the wide-open Twittersphere Eric is not being treated so kindly.

I bet there will be lawsuits and a lot more backlash than Eric or his camp ever counted on. I guess it would be different if Eric actually attended Duke or North Carolina. He went to Appalachian State, they aren't playing on Saturday. Eric has assumed the role of poser. You know the type, they went to UL Monroe but pretend to be all about LSU? We call them "paper tigers". Eric is a paper Tarheel I guess, maybe even a toilet paper Tarheel because this is some [Expletive]

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And if we are being honest, Eric Church, the Entertainer of the Year, should be playing a concert in San Antonio on Saturday and not watching a basketball game. I wonder if Eric knows about real-life men and women, who support his music, that have missed school plays, anniversaries, birthdays, maybe even a funeral of a dear friend or the birth of a baby because they "had to work".  Which is far more important than a basketball game.

Although I do love his music and still think he puts on a heck of a live show. I will now view Eric Church differently. He is no longer a country artist, he's a Nashville Elitist and I find that to be very sad. Chief, you asked us to trust you and follow you and we did. You told us how it was all about the music and the passion and this is how you pay us back.

That's all I need to know about you. GO, DUKE!

10 Little Things that Grind Our Gears in a Great Big Way

The following items are the kind of things that might not even hit your radar on a normal day. However, on a day when all the little things are not going your way, these might just send you over the edge. It's better you laugh at them now, instead of blowing a gasket and having to call a lawyer later.

 

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