The 2014 CMA New Artist of the Year took the stage, explaining that for him the night was all about playing the music that inspires him.
Dressed to the nines in a tux and bow tie – the same one he sported for the CMA Awards last month, he told PEOPLE – Eldredge, 28, very much looked the part as he crooned nine songs backed by a seven-piece band in the recently re-opened speakeasy “The Sutler Saloon”.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to see him do this because he used to do this [style of music] when he was younger,” his mother, Robin Eldredge, tells People magazine. “I haven’t heard him do it in a long time.”
However, according to her son, she’ll have another chance to hear him perform songs from his musical idol, thanks to his own generous heart.
“We’re going to grow this into something big and raise a bunch of money,” Eldredge says of the possibility of doing more of the intimate shows. “I hate seeing kids fight for their life when they should have a lot of life ahead of them, and I’m already working on my own charity for childhood cancer.
“I want to help out in every way possible and help kids have a chance at life. I want to bring some dollars and let them have a chance to live,” he adds. “The best part of my job, by far, is being able to get in the spotlight and raise awareness for something that really matters more than anything.”