Eric Church did something he rarely ever does Tuesday night (July 26) during a performance in New York City: he toned it down.

To mark the release of his third album, Chief—which promptly shot to the No. 1 spot on iTunes’ Albums Chart—Eric assembled a group of songwriters for an intimate, acoustic gig at the Bowery Ballroom. But Casey Beathard, Luke Laird, Ryan Tyndell and Eric's bandmate Jeff Hyde weren’t just any songwriters. They were the guys with whom he wrote Chief.

Billed as “Chief Deconstructed,” the evening included every song from the record, with each writer handling his respective composition. With help from co-writer Eric of course.

And the sold-out crowd couldn’t have been more rabid. For an album that was only made available for purchase that morning, many in the young audience knew every word to every song, especially the soaring “Springsteen,” a recollection of a budding amphitheater romance, and the ballad “Like Jesus Does,” which holds the distinction of being the first song Eric ever recorded that he didn’t also write. It was penned by his buddy Casey.

“More than anything else, we have built our careers on the backs of these fans,” Eric told CountryWeekly.com exclusively. “And it is their support that has led me to this point in my career.”