Country star Eric Church He infuriated some fans on Tuesday when he announced that he was canceling an upcoming tour so he could attend the NCAA Final Four Championship game on the same night.
Fans posted screenshots of an email they received on Ticketmaster from Church, saying he was redeeming tickets for his Saturday show at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Church said he canceled the date so he could watch the beloved University of North Carolina men’s basketball team face off against rival Duke University.
Church, who refers to his fans as “church choir,” reportedly said that giving up the show was the most “selfish” thing he could ask of them.
“As a lifelong Carolina basketball fan, I have watched Carolina and Duke compete over the years, but having them match for the first time in NCAA history is the dream of any sports enthusiast,” the email read. Online.
A representative of the church told NBC News on Wednesday that the singer cannot commit to a scheduled date at this time.
Some fans with tickets to the show have posted their frustration online, including those who planned to travel to the concert and were unable to get refunds for airline tickets or hotels.
“One year of waiting and I got a hotel reservation, rent and dinner to try to cancel now. Not to mention taking my parents to town to see the kids on the weekend,” A fan tweeted.
Some sports fans, who did not appear to be ticket holders for the canceled event, joked that the church was “absolute legendfor the decision.
Located about 10 miles away in North Carolina — Duke in Durham and UNC in Chapel Hill — the two elite basketball programs have a long-running rivalry. The Bleacher Report said in 2014 It has been billed as “the biggest competition in college basketball”, with the two strong teams routinely vying for dominance at the national and local levels.
So, for the few people who didn’t have a part in the concert, Church’s pick was marked to cancel the tour date.”relatable and playful. ”