Eric Church's band gets sick, but arena show goes on in Salt Lake City

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Utah fans of country star Eric Church didn't get the big stage show they expected Saturday night at EnergySolutions Arena — but they may have gotten something more memorable.

Church's band and stage crew were hit by a stomach bug Friday, according to a publicist. But rather than cancel the Salt Lake City stop on Church's "The Outsiders" tour, the performer put on a mostly-solo acoustic act.

"If you've seen our show so far on this tour, you're probably wondering what the hell is going on right now. Well, so am I," Church told the crowd, according to his publicist. "Here's the deal: Yesterday we had the stomach flu strike our band, our crew, everyone. We had no one to hang video, lights, nothing. But I'm still here. I'm still standing. We've talked about how every show on 'The Outsiders' Tour is different. Well, tonight will be the most different one. S—-, there's nobody left. It's just me. I'm going to give you everything I got."

Church then proceeded to play 19 songs — acoustic versions of his hits "Give Me Back My Hometown," "Drink in My Hand," "Cold One" and "Talladega," along with some deep cuts from early in his career.

The 360-degree stage set-up was scaled back severely, with four spotlights and minimal floor lighting, and six microphone positions (as opposed to the usual 14). Guitarists Jeff Hyde, Jeff Cease and Driver Williams performed on some songs, and singer Lizzy Hale (frontwoman for Church's opening act, Halestorm, which gave a 45-minute opening set) joined Church for an acoustic version of "That's Damn Rock and Roll."

Church also promised he would return to EnergySolutions Arena, with his full band and crew, on Memorial Day, May 25. Fans are encouraged to hang on to their Jan. 31 tickets, or get a refund, starting Wednesday, at point of purchase. If you still want tickets to the rescheduled show, they're available via Smith's Tix.