Watch Eric Church Pay Tribute to Alan Jackson During ACM Honors

Eric Church recently paid homage to Country Music Hall of Famer Alan Jackson as only “The Chief” can during the 17th annual ACM Honors, which were held in August at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and airs Tuesday (Sept. 24) on Merit Street Media.

During the event, Jackson — who has earned 26 Billboard Country Airplay No. 1 hits and is a co-writer or sole writer on most of those — was celebrated with the ACM Poet’s Award for his songwriting.

“Alan Jackson is an institution and an American treasure. It’s my honor to be here and play for him,” Church said before he offered a soulful performance of Jackson’s 1990 hit “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow.”

Before launching into the performance, Church also offered up a story from being on the road with another country music luminary.

“I was touring with Hank [Williams] Jr., and every night he would play ‘Family Tradition,'” Church said, recalling that after he tried putting his own spin on the song, “Hank tolerated me for about 30 seconds and he pulled his glasses down and said, ‘Brother, don’t paint on the Mona Lisa.’ So tonight I’m going to try to paint around the Mona Lisa, OK?”

Church’s rugged rendition was passionate, clearly conveying the two artists’ shared experiences chasing their dreams — and weathering rejections — in Music City. Church earned a standing ovation and one of the most fervent applauses from the crowd, along with praise from Jackson himself.

This year, the annual ACM Honors celebrates honorees including Jackson, Trisha Yearwood, Lainey Wilson, Chris Stapleton and Luke Bryan, as well as producer/former label head Tony Brown, music executive Shannon Sanders, songwriter Walt Aldridge, various music venues and several top-shelf musicians who play on so many of the country music albums emanating from Nashville.

Other performers and presenters during the evening include ACM Honors co-hosts Carly Pearce and Jordan Davis, as well as Lauren Alaina, Jason Aldean, Jackson Dean, Kameron Marlowe, Lee Ann Womack, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Tyler Hubbard, Jamey Johnson, Ashley McBryde, Terri Clark and Keith Urban.

Watch the sneak peek look at Church’s performance below: