Eric Church, you’re messin’ with fans’ circadian rhythms.

Not that folks at the country star’s Thursday concert at Mohegan Sun Arena seemed to mind. What's losing a little sleep later on when you're immersed in an invigorating concert right now?

See, on his current tour, Church has made it a point of go-big-or-go-home pride to perform concerts that run upwards of three hours, and he did that epic thing at the Sun. This was the first of Church’s two-night stand at the Sun, and it was an iron-man kind of schedule: No opening act. Church came onstage at 8:38 p.m. He took a 20-minute intermission — or, as he called it, “halftime.” And he wrapped the last number around 11:40. In between, the audience got Church tearing it up on 34 songs, from “Talladega” to “Drink in My Hand” to “Give Me Back My Hometown” to “Springsteen.” (As for the latter, yes, you can be assured The Boss’s marathon shows helped inspired Church’s ambitious current concerts.)

Sure, the night wouldn’t have suffered if a handful of less-impactful songs had been culled from the herd. But it was still a killer night.

Church traveled all through his catalog, showcasing songs that variously offered country charm or a bluesy sway, that dipped into Southern rock here and outright rock there.

Church’s outlaw-flecked throwback vibe was on full display. He’s no bro-country adherent, which is part of what makes him so refreshing. He follows his own path, seemingly (and appealingly) unconcerned about commercial constraints. As he showed Thursday, he’s got attitude. His voice swaggers. His nasal twang makes him sound as if he’s somehow both Willie Nelson’s and Tim McGraw’s distant cousin.

Onstage, there’s something low-key cool about him. He’s light on banter; he’s a man of (musical) action.

Church wore, naturally, his signature aviator sunglasses, which he has said protects his contact lenses under the bright lights. He donned the uniform of the understatedly hip: black leather jacket (which came off early in the show), a black T-Shirt, jeans and cowboy boots.

Some highlights of the night:

 — Church got some excellent backup on his first number, “Mistress Named Music,” by none other than then Ella T. Grasso Tech Concert Choir. Choir members, dressed in white robes, stood on either side of the stage and provided vocal accompaniment for that one tune. Would that they were brought back for more!

 — Church saw one person in the crowd holding a sign proclaiming that they had been present when the singer played the Sun’s Wolf Den in 2007. Church joked that he remembers “there were a hell of lot more wolves than there were people” at that gig.

 — Church and backup singer Joanna Cotten traded vocals as if they were street fighters enjoying sparring on a few numbers, including “That’s Damn Rock & Roll.” Church obviously gets a kick out of her powerhouse vocals and presence, and it shows.

 — Church has been picking a cover tune for each concert stop that has some link to the location — a song he and the band haven’t rehearsed. “If we’re going to fall on your faces, we’re going to do it in front of everyone here,” he joked and, for added measure, did the sign of the cross before starting in. In this case, the “New England song” was The Cars’ “Just What I Needed.” And damned if it didn’t sound good, even as Church was looking down at the lyrics written on a piece of paper placed on the stage.

 — He told a funny story about how he came up with the lyrics for “Three Year Old” that say one of the things he learned from a 3-year-old was that “a fishing pole sinks faster than a tackle box.” Church was teaching his then-3-year-old son how to fish, giving him a rod and showing him how to throw it out there. Well, the boy decided to throw the whole pole in the water. As Church was trying to fish the pole out, his son, for good measure, tossed the tackle box into the drink, too.

 — Two words: The. Band. Just great.

 — The set and lighting complemented the show well: effective but not overly showy. The set consisted of the stage and then a circular walkway where Church and band members could stride and get closer to different segments of the crowd. The lighting was, for much of the night, solely white lights. What a concept. When those lights pulsed or their beams swept over the arena, it enhanced the proceedings rather than serving as a distraction.

Late last year, Church told Rolling Stone magazine, “I think the more success you have, the more dangerous you should play it.” He’s a man of his word. His tour reinforces the fact that Church doesn’t like to play it safe.