One of the biggest country music stars on the planet isn’t going to be making an appearance at the Grammys. Eric Church was looking forward to attending the 2026 Grammy Awards. After all, he’s up for an award in the “Best Contemporary Country Album” department for his Evangeline vs. the Machine project. Church is nominated alongside Kelsea Ballerini (Patterns), Jelly Roll (Beautifully Broken), Miranda Lambert (Postcards From Texas) and Tyler Childers (Snipe Hunter). I’m still perplexed that Eric Church didn’t get a “Best Country Song” nomination for “Johnny,” but I digress. And I’m also saddened, because it looks like Eric Church won’t be there to accept a Grammy Award if his album does end up being named the “Best Contemporary Country Album” of the year. He announced on social media just a little bit ago that he’s battling an illness, and it’s going to keep him from attending the awards show: “I’m so disappointed to miss the GRAMMY Awards tonight due to illness. I’ve tried everything possible to be there in person and unfortunately I just can’t do it. I wish best of luck to all the nominees and respect greatly what this honor means and stands for in the music community. I’m gonna rest up and see everybody in Omaha next week.” View this post on Instagram Yeah… I’m sure Church hates to miss the Grammy Awards, but he’s got a tour that he has to rest up for. He’s actually already embarked on his 2026 Free the Machine Tour, and had a gap built in so that he could attend the Grammys this weekend. Unfortunately, some sort of sickness got in the way of those plans… but maybe he’ll find some comfort in some replies that his fans are leaving underneath that post: “You are a winner in our hearts! Relax and get well!” “Praying you feel better Eric.” “Wishing you well.” “Get well soon Chief.” “Always put your health first. Hope you feel better soon!” “Wishing you a healthy recover!” Same from us here at Whiskey Riff… rest up Chief! You’ve got plenty of tour dates coming up, and you wouldn’t want to miss any of those. The Grammys is nothing to sneeze at… but being well and rested for the “Church Choir” is arguably more important: 2026 Free the Machine Tour Dates: Feb. 5 || Omaha, Neb. || CHI Health Center || Ella Langley Feb. 6 || Sioux Falls, S.D. || Denny Sanford PREMIER Center || Ella Langley Feb. 7 || St. Paul, Minn. || Grand Casino Arena || Ella Langley Feb. 12 || Toronto, ON || Scotiabank Arena || Ella Langley Feb. 13 || Buffalo, N.Y. || KeyBank Center || Ella Langley Feb. 14 || Albany, N.Y. || MVP Arena || Ella Langley Feb. 19 || North Little Rock, Ark. || Simmons Bank Arena || 49 Winchester Feb. 20 || Kansas City, Mo. || T-Mobile Center || 49 Winchester Feb. 21 || St. Louis, Mo. || Enterprise Center || 49 Winchester Feb. 26 || Tulsa, Okla. || BOK Center || Stephen Wilson Jr. Feb. 27 || Fort Worth, Texas || Dickies Arena || Stephen Wilson Jr. Feb. 28 || Austin, Texas || Moody Center || Stephen Wilson Jr. Mar. 5 || Knoxville, Tenn. || Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center || 49 Winchester Mar. 6 || Greensboro, N.C. || First Horizon Coliseum || 49 Winchester Mar. 7 || North Charleston, S.C. || North Charleston Coliseum || 49 Winchester Mar. 19 || Birmingham, Ala. || Legacy Arena at the BJCC || 49 Winchester Mar. 20 || Atlanta, Ga. || State Farm Arena || 49 Winchester Mar. 27 || Hollywood, Fla. || Hard Rock Live || Kashus Culpepper Apr. 3 || Greenville, S.C. || Bon Secours Wellness Arena || Ashley McBryde Apr. 4 || Charlotte, N.C. || Spectrum Center || Ashley McBryde Apr. 10 || Jacksonville, Fla. || VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena || Ashley McBryde Apr. 11 || Tampa, Fla. || Benchmark International Arena || Ashley McBrydeThe post “I’m So Disappointed”: Eric Church Reveals He Won’t Be Attending The 2026 Grammy Awards first appeared on Whiskey Riff.