Last seen at Lollapalooza in 2018, Luke Combs has made great strides as an artist, evident by his engaging performance as the festival’s very first country headliner.
“Six years ago I played at 1 o’clock in the afternoon on that stage right over there (Tito’s),” Combs said. “I remember looking over here and thinking ‘Man, no way.’ S— here we are, baby. I never would’ve in a million years imagined my life would’ve turned out this way.”
Combs opened his set with “1, 2 Many,” an upbeat song about drinking with a driving beat — the perfect selection for a music festival. This tune got the crowd amped up, and from that point on, the energy never dipped. Combs solidified his dedication to the song by chugging a beer in the middle of the song, an action that was met by thunderous cheers from the audience.
Following his opening, Combs performed both “When It Rains It Pours” and “Cold as You,” maintaining high energy with his effortless blend of country and rock.
Even as he moved into a more emotionally vulnerable portion of the show with songs like “Doin’ This” and “Houston We Got a Problem,” Combs was able to captivate the audience with his passionate singing and the use of technology like the screens and lights.
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Seamlessly transitioning out of this slower section, Combs brought the crowd back up with “Where the Wild Things Are.” Festivalgoers were singing back to Combs and letting the music take over as they swayed to the beat.
Combs then moved into a portion of his set where he let each band member shine through a solo performance. Uniquely, each member performed a completely different song, and not one by Combs. They played familiar tunes like “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi, “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton and “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes.
Further setting his performance apart, Combs brought fellow country singer, Alex Warren, on stage. Warren had performed at Tito’s just before Combs took Bud Light’s stage, yet still added a high-energy presence on stage.
The duo performed “Ordinary,” Warren’s newest single that has been killing it on Billboard’s Hot 100 list. Although a slightly predictable move, the crowd went wild over this surprise guest and welcomed him by screaming every single one of his lyrics.
As Combs moved through the rest of his set, it was clear that the audience didn’t want it to end. When Combs inevitably closed out, festivalgoers could be heard mumbling and grumbling about having to leave.
Just as the crowd was dragging their disappointed feet away from the Bud Light stage, a drum beat started up again, pulling the audience back towards the stage.
Combs, clad in a Ryne Sandberg Cubs jersey, took the stage one last time to play his cover of “Fast Car” as an encore. Delighted to have just one more song with the singer, the crowd rushed forward and sang passionately for the following minutes.
Ending the first day of the festival, Combs leaves big shoes to fill for not only this year’s headliners, but also future country Lollapalooza headliners.
