Eric Church, Jon Pardi & More Show Off Their Sonic Range at Team UMG at the Ryman

Universal Music Group Nashville artists Eric Church, Jon Pardi, Lauren Alaina, Parker McCollum and Priscilla Block brought their individual sounds to the Ryman Auditorium stage for non-audience, socially-distanced performances for the annual Team UMG at the Ryman event during 2021 Country Radio Seminar. In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, CRS went virtual in 2021, allowing viewers to be transported into the Ryman for the annual event from the comfort of their own homes.

Block opened the 60-minute show with a warm introduction from UMG Nashville Chairman and CEO Mike Dungan, who said that meeting the TikTok star for the first time felt like visiting with “a friend I’d known forever.” “TikTok brought her here, but she is the real deal,” he praised. Block showed off her relatable charm by opening her two-song set with the catchy “My Bar,” owning the stage with effortless confidence. She followed it up with the track that made her a breakout star, “Just About Over You,” that boasts a 90s flair while fitting naturally into the modern country cannon, exuding the poise of a seasoned pro and lyrics to prove it as she sang “Guess I was in the wrong place at the wrong time / You must’ve heard I was moving on / Then right out of the blue / A quarter past two / I’m all about you / When I was just about over you.” Following in her footsteps was fellow up-and-comer McCollum, who wasted no time in delivering his debut No. 1 single, “Pretty Heart,” thanking country radio stations across the nation for helping to bring the song to the top of the charts. Like Block, McCollum also showed off his charm with his latest single “To Be Loved By You” that feels like the flip side of the coin to “Pretty Heart” as he croons “What in the hell does a man / Have to do, to be loved by you?” In closing, McCollum referenced the tumultuous year of 2020, setting his sights on a brighter horizon by sharing that he’s “super excited” for what’s in store for 2021.

Meanwhile, Alaina used her two-song slot to share the poignant duet she co-wrote and sings with Grammy-nominated “7 Years” singer Lukas Graham, “What Do You Think Of?” The piano-driven number finds her reflecting on a former lover and wondering what they remember from their past relationship. “What do you think of me when you think of me / When you look back on us what do you see / Is it the good times / Is it the bad times / Is it somewhere in between?” she ponders with a soaring voice that demonstrates why she’s one of the strongest vocalists in Music City as spotlights twinkled behind her, creating a serene scene inside the hallowed hall. She paired the bitter-sweet ballad with her edgy new single “Getting Over Him,” inviting duet partner Pardi to the stage for a spirited performance of the fiery track that led into Pardi’s solo set that he introduced with the fiddle-heavy single “Tequila Little Time,” making one long for the summertime heat and a glass of something strong and a splash of lime. He then offered a surprising twist with a cover of Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2U” that’s featured on his Rancho Fiesta Sessions album, the rock-leaning chaser flexing the dynamics in his voice.

Church brought the event to a sobering close by performing a collection of songs off his upcoming three-part album, Heart & Soul, that he refers to as “the most special project that I’ve ever been involved in.” The reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year honored the humble spirit of the Ryman by sitting alone onstage, perched on a stool with only a guitar in one hand, and occasionally a glass of Jack and Coke in the other. He opened the set with the soulful, nostalgia-filled “Heart on Fire,” crediting the song for setting the tone for the project with the “right energy.” He followed the song that started it all with one that arrives at the end of the Heart & Soul journey, “CrazyLand.” Church revealed that the song arrived after several sleepless nights when these characters that are named after the emotion they evoke suddenly came to mind, knowing how the story would end before he was done writing. “I’ve never dreamed a song before, and I dreamed this song,” he preluded of the story that follows a man in mourning, encountering “lunatics,” “liars” and the dread of “Giving up on your last give a damn / Here in CrazyLand.”

The unwavering artist then raised his glass as he spoke of the tragedy songwriter Casey Beathard endured when his 22-year-old son Clay was killed in December 2019. Church praised him for turning his grief into music, recalling how after arriving home from a jog one afternoon, Beathard had nearly finished writing what would become the lead single off Church’s upcoming album, “Hell of a View.” Church offered a gentle and peaceful rendition that echoed against the Ryman walls. But he truly drove home the bond among the country music community as he spoke poignantly about the story behind the fan tribute “Through My Ray Bans,” inspired by the tragic mass shooting at Route 91 Harvest Festival in 2017 that claimed the lives of nearly 60 country music fans. Church citing it as “one of the darker periods I’ve ever been through.” He then launched into the song that professes how he wishes the people in the audience could see themselves the way he does through his signature eyeglasses, from the magic in the moonlit air to strangers wrapping their arms around one another as they sway under the night sky as an “army of Friday night soldiers.”

Alongside the compelling lyrics, Church left viewers with a hopeful note by reiterating the moving message he shared while accepting the award for Entertainer of the Year at the 2020 CMA Awards, reminding us that in times of darkness, music is an endless source of light. “I look back now at what this year has meant to everyone and how challenging it’s been,” he reflected. “I believe that as we come out of this pandemic…that it’s going to be music, it’s going to be what we all do that’s going to be the real healing factor in the world.”